Have you ever done something you wished you could take back? Maybe you made a bad choice and wished you could have a do-over. I know I have a ton of times. How often do we sin and do things we know we should not do? Probably more times than we can count.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably envied someone and tried to get what they had, only to find out that it was empty. Or that you were pursuing the wrong thing. James makes an interesting point in today’s verse. 

You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.  – James 4:2 (NIV)

Often, we do things that aren’t good because we don’t really get God involved in our lives. If we’d reach out and ask God about the things we want and the things that we’re unhappy about, wouldn’t that help us? I think that’s what James is trying to point out.

If we’d just go to God with our desires, and listen to what He has to say, maybe we wouldn’t go out and do the things we know we shouldn’t do.

So today, if you haven’t already, begin to develop your relationship with God. Go to Him. Talk to Him about the hard parts of your day. Let Him know how you’re doing. Ask Him for wisdom and advice. As you do, you’ll realize that your desires line up to His desires the more you know Him. Also, you’ll realize that He wants to help you and give you what you need. So lean on Him, go to Him and let Him fill you rather than doing sinful things.

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.

Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. – James 3:18 (NIV)

James is such a practical book. I’m reading through it right now, and it really addresses so many practical life issues. Today’s verse talks about peacemakers. That’s something we often don’t think that much about. Being a peacemaker.

It’s so much easier to stir things up, isn’t it. When your friends are gossiping, it’s easy to add your thoughts on the topic. When someone is mad at someone else at school, it’s easy to chime in with something bad that person did to you also. Or maybe when someone is being bullied, it’s easier to look the other way an pretend that you don’t see it.

However, there’s power in being a peacemaker. It isn’t easy to choose the path of peace. It can be way more tough and feel like less fun than stirring things up. However, when we choose a path of peace, we are sowing good things for us and for our future.

The more we can sow peace, the better we will feel, but most importantly, the more like Christ we will become.

So today, if you haven’t been a peacemaker, decide to live your life differently. Choose instead to promote peace in your life and you’ll being to reap a good harvest!

Today’s Truth: Choose to practice making peace!

I want you to think back to when you were a kid at Christmas. When it was Christmas, did you hold back at all asking for all the toys you wanted? I know I sure didn’t. I would find a catalog that was mailed to our house full of toys. I’d spend hours looking through the pages, and very carefully circling all the toys that I would like.

Then I’d be sure to tell my parents that I left the catalog full of ideas for them to get me for Christmas. I’d also be sure to give some great hints of toy ideas to my grandparents as well. Why? Because I knew they loved me. And because they loved me, they wanted to get me the things I wanted.

That’s a little like what James is talking about. Now, he’s not saying treat God like vending machine or some kind of automatic toy machine that will just pop out every request or desire you have. However, the Bible tells us that we can ask things according to God’s will.

And just like our grandparents and parents want to get us the things we desire, God does too. And if you ask according to His word, He hears you and goes to work.

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. – James 1:6 (NIV)

So today, ask God for what you need. In the context of this verse, James was talking about wisdom. So if you need wisdom at school or how to deal with a friend, don’t be afraid to ask. Know that God loves you and wants to help you. Ask in faith without doubting and know that He wants to help you out!

I’ve always struggled with anger. I don’t know why, but for some reason, my go to emotion when things don’t go my way is to get angry. For whatever reason, anger is where I struggle. On the other hand, I have no desire to steal or sin sexually. Isn’t it funny though how each person is different when it comes to their struggle with sin?

Maybe you’re like me, and anger is your hang up. But it could be that there’s another area where you struggle with sin. Here’s what James 1:14 says about sin.

but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. – James 1:14 (NIV)

Isn’t it interesting how James tells us that each person is tempted. No one is immune to it, and that should be somewhat encouraging. When we’re tempted, it doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with us. It just proves that we are human, living in a fallen world.

And when it comes to temptation, being tempted isn’t wrong. What’s wrong is when those desires entice you and you act on those desires.

As Christ followers we should be trying to be more like Him. And how did Jesus combat temptation? When He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, He quoted scriptures back to the devil. So if there’s an area that you struggle with temptation, do what Jesus did. Find out what the Bible has to say about that area, and begin to speak God’s word over your life. Know that His word has power. It can help you overcome the temptation that you face.