THE STRUGGLE WITHIN
James 4: 1-8

           I want to talk about conflict. Conflict is not something most people like to talk about. It is often easier to “sweep it under the rug” or pretend it doesn’t it exist, rather than acknowledge it and deal with it.

           What comes to your mind when you hear the word conflict? The best definition I have found describes conflict as “a struggle resulting from opposing needs, wants, or desires”. There are plentiful examples of conflict in the world today. We see it in our homes, our church, our community, and our world. Ultimately, though, all the conflict in the world can be grouped into one of two categories: interpersonal or intrapersonal.

           Interpersonal conflict is much easier to see. It is the kind of conflict that occurs between people. It can be conflict between two people, two groups, etc., or it can be conflict between several people, groups, etc. In it, we see multiple “sides” struggling to have their wants, needs, or desires met and satisfied. This conflict can be as simple as a parent and child haggling over bedtime, or nations seeking their own interests, either diplomatically or militarily. Whatever it is, this conflict is usually easily seen by others.

           Intrapersonal conflict is much more difficult to see. It is an internal struggle; a struggle people engage within themselves. The reality is that within each of us, there are competing desires and wants. For example, one part of us wants to look after the wants of the self, and another part of us wants to make our spouse happy. We find ourselves in conflict with ourselves. There are times, like this example, where intrapersonal conflict can cross over to become interpersonal conflict, though. Often, though, intrapersonal conflict remains a struggle an individual has with themselves.

           James gives us a clue that both kinds of conflict were present in the early church. In fact, if we look throughout the history of the church, there are few moments where the church is not involved in some sort of conflict—either a conflict within the church or a conflict between the church and the world or the church and another group. One of the earliest conflicts was whether or not Gentiles could be a part of the church or if they needed to become Jewish first; the list goes on and on of the these conflicts. Given the opportunity, conflict can lead to destruction…of the church, of relationships, or of the soul of the individual.

           It was said earlier that conflict was the result of competing desires. Those competing desires come from the presence of sin in the world. Conflict was not an original part of Creation; however, when Adam and Eve sinned, conflict ensued—conflict between human beings and God. Don’t get me wrong, there is much conflict that has nothing to do with spiritual matters. My wife is a Cardinals fan and I am a Cubs fan—in the grand scheme of things, that conflict doesn’t have eternal consequences. When I’m trying to decide what I want to eat at a restaurant, it really doesn’t matter beyond that moment. There is, however, much conflict that is directly related to the soul and that has eternal implications.

           Within each of us, there are “godly desires” and there are “human desires”. In essence, our soul/life is a battleground between spiritual forces. Within us, there are the forces of God that are competing with the forces of evil for control over our thoughts, actions, etc. If the human desires are allowed to take over, we become separated from God. It is at that point that God looks upon the human creation as, to use the wording in one translation of the Bible, “adulterers”; because we have strayed away from our relationship with God. It doesn’t mean that God loves us any less, just that God’s heart is broken because the human desires have gotten the best of the Godly desires in the internal struggle for control.

           The question we must deal with and answer, then, is “what do we do”? How do we deal with that inner struggle? There are all sorts of resources available for dealing with conflict. However, few of them take the spiritual side of things into account. Our Scripture from James offers us to ways to help us deal with the struggle within.

           The first is to recognize God’s jealousy. We often don’t use that word to describe God, but God is jealous. God’s deepest desire is for God’s Spirit to be in us and dwell in us. We have, though, a multitude of other things competing for attention as well. How many of you had siblings? Remember when you felt your sibling(s) was/were getting more attention than you? I remember how I was as a young child and my younger sisters came along. It was not a pretty sight! I couldn’t stand for my sisters to take away from the attention that I wanted. God is pretty much the same way. It’s not because God wants to be a bully or something like that; it’s because God knows what is best for us and our straying away from God doesn’t allow for our relationship with God to blossom and grow. Just like a child who is willing to do anything to get the attention of their parent(s), God will also do whatever it takes to make a reality out of God’s desires. God never stops pursuing a relationship with us! God might take a back seat and do things passively for awhile, but God is insanely jealous for our love and affection and will do whatever it takes to ensure that happens.

           In addition to recognizing God’s jealousy for us and God’s desire that the Godly desires in us win out, we also can deal with conflict buy submitting ourselves to God. Submission, though, is not really a word we like. It means yielding to one other than ourselves, and it is often used in a negative way. However…submission to God gives us the freedom to live in grace and joy, even when our desires go unfulfilled or we wait for their fulfillment. It involves allowing God to invade us and God’s grace to be our guide, rather than our desires being our guide. When we submit to God, it forces Satan and the human desires to flee from us. At the same time, it allows us to remain connected to God and maintain our relationship with God.

           Conflict is part of life. We will all deal with it at some point or another, both internally and externally. The key is how we deal with those struggles we face. Will we allow them to tear us down and separate us from God and one another; or will we deal with them in a way that allows our faith to shine through? May God bless and strengthen us in all our struggles, that we might surrender ourselves to God and we might witness to faith, AMEN.

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