The Book of James Week Four Lesson One

“Motives”

“What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.”

 James 4:1-3

Some people love a good fight. Me, I’d rather not! But, I do find myself in the midst of some doosies. We learn what causes quarrels and fighting from our passage today. It all has to do with our motives. To understand why we do battle is found in the condition of our hearts.

Read James 4:1.What causes fights among you?

The deep seed of self-fulfilling desire dwells within each of us and too often takes root and grows if we let it take the place of the holy desire to be obedient to our Master Jesus.  

We all struggle with desire. Desire can be good or bad. Two forces, righteous (right relationship with God) and unrighteous (no relationship with God) desires pulls at us. In 

James 4:1, he says, “they come from the evil desires within you.” This desire is self-seeking, self-fulfilling and self-focused. 

Here is an equation that will help us see the energy that is unleashed when we succumb to our desires versus our Master’s desire for us.

Passion + Desire = Pleasure

1. Passion is the emotional energy we have.
2. Desire is the affection unleashed.
3. Pleasure is delight or enjoyment.

All three of the emotions are given to us by God. It’s how we use them that shows what our true motivation is and if we are sinning in our behavior. 

Read Galatians 5:16-17. What does the Apostle Paul teach us about how we should live and why?

What does the sinful nature desire?

What does the Spirit of God desire?

There is a spiritual conflict between the sinful nature and the Holy Spirit’s desire. This conflict generates emotional energy that can spill out in our response to each situation we find ourselves in. It’s in how we respond that we find the key. Are we succumbing to our sinful nature or are we submitting to the Holy Spirit that dwells within us? 

The equation; Passion + Desire = Pleasure can help us evaluate how we respond in tense situations, like in an argument. It can also help us evaluate our behavior in any situation. 

Here’s an example of unrighteous versus righteous motivation: 

Unrighteous Motivation:

Passion (emotional energy spent): Anger towards another person I am in an argument with.

Desire (affection unleashed): To be right and win the argument.

Pleasure (enjoyment): To make the other person involved in the argument see that I am right by winning the fight.

Righteous Motivation: 

Passion (emotional energy spent): Loving others according to my Master Jesus’ command to love one another.

Desire (affection unleashed): To be obedient to my Master Jesus.

Pleasure (enjoyment): Being blessed by my Master Jesus when I act in accordance with His will.

Read Ephesians 4:26-27. What does these verses say about anger? Why is this so important to know?

When we allow our sinful desire to override our Master’s desire, we allow satan to take hold of our actions causing us to sin. This is why our fights end up with everyone hurt. Even if we have a righteous reason to be angry. It’s who we depend on to do battle for us which determines the end result. We can depend on ourselves and fail or we can depend on our Master Jesus and live in righteousness.

Read James 4:2-3. What often is the result of not getting what we want?

Why do we not receive answers and direction from God?

Our desires do battle within us. Selfishness is our motivator. If it is allowed to reign in our hearts, then it becomes our master. Thoughts are consumed by our selfish desires and lead to destructive behavior. Days become overrun with thoughts of how to get what we want. We go everywhere to find fulfillment, but we don’t go to God. When we do go to God, we don’t receive because He sees the ruling master of our hearts. He knows our true motivation.

Do you ever feel like your prayers don’t reach God? They seem to hit the ceiling and fall back down unanswered. You know that you’ve prayed and feel like you’ve believed and still your prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling like a rubber ball. James tells us the reason, “you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” 

Give an example of an unrighteous motive.

Give and example of a righteous motive.

Unrighteous motives wants what we want and not what God wants. Jesus taught us to pray, “Your will be done.”

 That means God’s will, His plans, His purposes and not ours. Our will should be being obedient to what God wants. It takes faith, which is actively believing God for direction. 

Another motivation behind our actions is fear. We fear the unknown. We want to know the end result before things happen. Our motives mimic knowing the end result. Scenarios play out in our minds, kind of helping us see the future. We depend on what we think things will turn out or we want them to turn out.

Read Luke 12:4-7. What does Jesus say about fear?

Who knows you better than you know yourself? Who gave His only Son to pay our penalty of sin? Why can’t we depend on this love from our God to provide even in the unknown? It seems rational when you read it, but living faith is hard. Fear must be replaced with God’s perfect love in order for our motives to line up with His.

Greed is yet another common motivator. We want what we want when we want it, which is NOW! This begins at birth and goes on throughout life. It is the desire to meet all the cravings of our sinful nature instead of God’s perfect nature. 

Read Luke 12:13-15. What does Jesus say in verse 15?

Jesus warned us to watch out for the greed of our sinful nature. We are to behave as He did, humble towards the Father’s will. We should always have the desires of God in the forefront of our minds. It takes doing this over and over and over again. It takes stepping out in faith even when everything within us screams to do what we want. 

Read Romans 12:19. What does this verse say about revenge?

What are we to leave room for?

Revenge is a major motivator. When we are hurt, or someone we love is hurt, we want to take matters into our own hands. Instead, we must allow God to take the action required against the one who caused the pain. Allowing God to act on our behalf is the best way to receive complete and true justice. 

There are many motives that lead to sin. There is only one motive that leads to sinlessness and that is being an obedient servant of our Master. Going against God’s will for our lives blocks blessing from the hand of God. He wants our best. Our ultimate purpose in life is to bring glory and honor to Him, not to ourselves. He desires a pure heart and mind. Our focus must remain on Him even in hard times. This is faith, acting on His will even when we don’t know the end results first. 

Consider your motives when you find yourself in tough situation and need to know what to do. Don’t rush into a fight with guns blazing. Open your heart and ask God, with a humble heart, to guide you in the way He wants you to act. It only takes one step, one act of faith in our Master Jesus.