The Cause and Remedy of Strife

UV 1110/10,000 The Cause of Strife

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

James 4 v 1


Strife at the individual level as well as wars at the national and global level occur due to the basic lusts that operate in human beings. We see it in the race between powerful nations to become superpowers. We see it also in the sibling rivalry between children in the same family. We see a so called spiritual jealousy between different men and women of God. It began with the rivalry between Cain and Abel. The desire of both was to please God with their sacrifices. Abel offered a better sacrifice that was more pleasing to God and that angered Cain and it led to his plotting to murder Abel.

When Cain was unhappy that God was more pleased with Abel’ s sacrifice, God chided him saying, “ If you do well, will you not be accepted? Sin lies at the door waiting to enter. But you must rule over it.” Our own desires tempt us. Sin lies at the door of our hearts, waiting to enter our lives and rule over us. When we feed and foster our evil desire, sin gets permission to enter and rule our lives. Evil is packaged as something that is seemingly good for us, necessary for our well being and happiness. It brings more harm than good for where evil desires rule, confusion and every type of evil work prevails. We need to bolt the door of our hearts securely and not allow even the toe of temptation in our doorway. We need to pray for a hedge of protection around our hearts, homes and children that we do not allow sin to enter and rule. God’s will is that we do well and are acceptable in His sight. St James wrote that we do not have what we need as we ask with the wrong motives. The principle is : trust God for our need and not for our lust. Abel made a costly, precious and wholesome sacrifice to God. He was killed by Cain but even in his death, he became a blessing, a fore-type of the Messiah to come, Jesus.


Scripture aptly sums up the three elemental drives of sin and strife: lust of the eye, lust of the flesh and pride of life. Lust is the uncontrollable innate desire to be something more or have something more. It puts us in direct conflict with those who desire the very things we want. We need the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome these fundamental drives in human nature. We need to first settle the war within our own being. Contentment and thankfulness to God for what we have and what we are should replace contention and covetousness. Humility and meekness should replace godless ambition, pride and aggression. This presupposes that there is something called godly ambition. Godly ambition is doing all one can in faith and diligence to fulfil God-given potential and God-ordained purpose.


Prateep V Philip