Have you ever wanted to do the right thing, but didn’t? I can remember a time when I knew the right thing to do was to treat a kid at church with kindness. But my desire to be liked by the other kids at my church was greater than how I was making this particular kid feel. So I chose to make others laugh over what I knew was right. I ended up hurting another kid’s feelings rather than doing what was right and treating that kid kindly.
How about you? Have you ever had two desires fighting in you? Maybe you had the desire to do good, but also had your flesh that wanted to do something that was against God and the Bible? If so, you’re not alone. James describes this in today’s verse.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? – James 4:1 (NIV)
We often have conflicting desires. We want to do what’s right and good, but sometimes, the desire for laughs from friends, acceptance or something else seems more important at the time. And while we all fight those two battling desires, part of being mature is knowing how to handle them.
It takes maturity to say no to what feels good, and do what’s right. It takes courage to stand up when someone is being bullied. That maturity comes the more you spend time with God. The more you get in His Prescence, the more you want to please Him and live for Him. As you know God more, what He wants becomes more important than anything else.
So if you struggle with battling desires, consider spending more time in Bible Study, worship and prayer. As you spend time with God, your desire to please Him grows.
