Reference

James 4:1-12

God has stamped his image in us and created us for relationship with him and others. This is not a theological platitude. The Holy Spirit dwells in our being. And when we attempt to live with one foot in God’s kingdom and one in the kingdom of darkness God is jealous. We belong to him. He has a righteous jealousy when he sees us flirting with the world. God, our Father, yearns for us to be in complete communion with him and with others, unadulterated, untainted by the many things that try to distract us from loving him first above everything by loving others. Do, you kind of get a sense of what James is describing here? There is an intense battle that is rages within us. Paul described this battle within himself in Romans 7. We don’t have time to go there, but Paul expresses this forceful conflict in his soul between his old and new natures. I think we can all relate to this battle. What it comes down to every single time is, am I going to trust God and do it his way, or am I going to give up and do it my way?