Conflicts Experienced ByThe Saints And A Life Of Obedience To God 15 [Jam 4:1-10] / Anne's Faith Column

 

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Conflicts Experienced By

The Saints And A Life Of

Obedience To God 15

[Jam 4:1-10] 

/ Anne's Faith Column 

 

 

 

/ By Priscilla

 

 

The saints,

during their lives,

 

 

experience spiritual

conflicts due to the

greed that constantly

arises in their minds

 

 

and the influences

of the world around them.

 

 

This is why

the Scripture says 

as follows:

 

 

"When you ask,

you do not receive,

because you ask

with wrong motives,

 

 

that you may spend

what you get on

your pleasures."

(Jam 4:3)

 

 

Living in this world,

in fact, we humans

feel a lot of conflicts

because of the greed.

 

 

Thus, how many times

have we been in conflict

because we haven't

received God's answer

 

 

and we haven't

overcome our

own greed?

 

 

In order not to

be deceived by

 the world

 

 

or to be swept away

by the world's trends,

we must check our own

personal actions

 

 

or attitudes of our minds

and be careful not to

ask God with greed

before God.

 

 

"For the love of money

is a root of all kinds

of evil."

(1 Tim 6:10)

 

 

"Pride goes before

destruction, a haughty

spirit before a fall."

(Pro 16:18)

 

 

Therefore, we must

never forget that

 

 

greed and evil desires,

trickery and deceit,

bluff and vanity, pride

and  arrogance, and lust

 

 

and ambition are all

not from God,

and that they are

misdeeds that God hate.

 

 

The sinful nature

of human beings

leads us to commit sins

if we can, while it

surrounds the world

 

 

and makes us constantly

deceived and cooperate

with the power

of darkness.

 

 

Therefore,

Apostle John urges

 us as follows.

 

 

"Do not love the world

or anything in the world.

 

 

If anyone loves the world,

the love of the Fathe

r is not in him.

 

 

 For everything

in the world

--the cravings of

sinful man,

 

 

the lust of his eyes

and the boasting of what

he has and does--

 

 

comes not from the

Father but from the world.

 

 

The world and its

desires pass away,

 

 

but the man who does

the will of God lives

forever.  (1 John 2:15-17)    

 

 

 

However, the more

we try to get closer

to God, the more we

tend to do what the

Lord hates.

 

 

Rather, the more

we try to reduce

the greed, selfishness,

honor, or ambition

 

 

that sometimes

arise in our minds,

the more we fall

into a pit of sins.

 

 

So 'Apostle Paul'

having the same

nature as ours, 

 

 

honestly confessed

his feelings to God

 as follows:

 

 

"I do not understand

what I do. For what

I want to do I do

not do, but what

I hate I do.

 

 

And if I do what

I do not want to do,

I agree that the

law is good.

 

 

As it is, it is no longer

I myself who do it,

but it is sin living

in me.

 

 

I know that nothing

good lives in me,

that is, in my

sinful nature.

 

 

For I have the desire

to do what is good,

but I cannot carry

it out.

 

 

 For what I do is

not the good I want

to do; no, the evil

 

 

I do not want to do

--this I keep on doing.

 

 

Now if I do what I do

not want to do,

it is no longer

I who do it,

 

 

but it is sin living

in me that does it.

 

 

So I find this law

at work: When I want

to do good, evil is

right there with me.

 

 

 For in my inner

being I delight in

God's law;

 

 

but I see another law

at work in the members

of my body, waging

war against the law

of my mind

 

 

and making me

a prisoner of the law

of sin at work within

my members.

 

 

What a wretched

man I am!

 

 

Who will rescue me

from this body

of death?

 

 

Thanks be to God

--through Jesus Christ

our Lord! So then,

I myself in my mind

am a slave to God's law,

 

 

but in the sinful nature

a slave to the law of sin.

   (Rom 7:15-25) 

 

 

In addition, to us

who are in endless pain,

the apostle Paul finally

presents us with the

correct answer

he has learned.

 

 

"Therefore, there is

now no condemnation

for those who are in

 Christ Jesus,

 

 

because through

Christ Jesus the law

of the Spirit of life

set me free from

the law of sin

and death.

 

 

 For what the law

was powerless to do

in that it was weakened

by the sinful nature,

 

 

God did by sending

his own Son in the

likeness of sinful man

to be a sin offering.

 

 

And so he condemned

sin in sinful man,

 

 

in order that the

righteous requirements

of the law might be

fully met in us,

 

 

who do not live

according to the sinful

nature but according

to the Spirit.

 

 

Those who live

according to the sinfu

l nature have their minds

set on what that nature

desires;

 

 

but those who live

in accordance with the

Spirit have their minds

set on what the

 Spirit desires.

 

 

 The mind of sinful man

is death, but the mind

controlled by the Spirit

 is life and peace;

 

 

 the sinful mind is

hostile to God.

 

 

It does not submit

to God's law, nor

can it do so.

 

 

Those controlled

by the sinful nature

  cannot please God.

 

 

You, however, are

controlled not by

the sinful nature

 

 

but by the Spirit,

if the Spirit of God

lives in you.

 

 

And if anyone

does not have the

Spirit of Christ,

he does not belong

to Christ.

 

 

But if Christ is in you,

your body is dead

 

 

because of sin,

yet your spirit is

alive because of

righteousness.

 

 

And if the Spirit of him

who raised Jesus from

the dead is living in you,

 

 

he who raised Christ

from the dead will

also give life to your

mortal bodies through

his Spirit, who lives in you.

 

 

 Therefore, brothers,

we have an obligation-

 

 

-but it is not to the

sinful nature, to live

according to it.

 

 

 For if you live according to

the sinful nature, you

will die;

 

 

but if by the

Spirit you put to

death the misdeeds

of the body,

you will live,

 

 

because those who

are led by the Spirit

of God are sons of God.

  (Rom 8:1-14)

 

 

In the end,

if we are in Christ,

all conflicts and

problems will

be solved.

 

 

In order not to

throw ourselves into

the world, first of all,

we must live a

consecrated life.

 

 

To this, the apostle

Paul once again

presents a clear

answer to us.

 

 

"Therefore, I urge you,

brothers, in view of

 

 

God's mercy, to offer

your bodies as living

sacrifices, holy

 

 

and pleasing to God-

-this is your spiritual

act of worship.

 

 

Do not conform

any longer to the pattern

of this world, but be

transformed by the

renewing of your mind.

 

 

Then you will be able to

test and approve what

God's will is--his good,

pleasing and perfect will."

   (Rom 12:1-2)

 

 

We must not turn aside

to the right or to the left,

 

 

and we must live

sensitively to the flow

of the world

 

 

as shrewd as snakes

and as innocent as doves.

 

 

If so, what should

we do to keep our

minds and find peace?

 

 

1) We must live a

   balanced life.

 

 

Above all, in order to

be able to properly

practice God's words

and actions,

 

 

it is necessary

not to be biased to

either side,

 

 

but to make a

'balanced life' first.

 

 

2)  We must keep our

   spirit clean.

 

 

 

When we fully receive

God's good will

and maintain a

clean spirit,

 

 

we will lead a life

of real victory while

 living in the world.

 

 

Therefore, we must

ask the Lord constantly

so that we may

remain in Jesus,

 

 

and he may

  remain in us.

 

 

 For this, we should

always ask the

Holy Spirit so that

 

 

we can no longer be

discouraged in our

struggles with

ourselves,

 

 

and that we

can only be united

 with Christ.

 

 

Prayer

 

 

Thank you Lord.

Like the apostle Paul,

 

 

who learned the whole

thing of life, help me

to gain freedom

in you the Lord

 

 

and live a life of

completely obeying

God without any

 further conflicts.

 

 

This will be done,

not by might nor

by power but by

the Spirit of the Lord. 

 

 

Let us be with you.

 

 

Amen

 

 

 

 

2009/05/04

 

 

/ By Priscilla