Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. James 4:7-9
How do you respond to conflict? Are you more likely to respond with fight or flight? Throughout this passage we have seen that God’s method of dealing with conflict is different than the ways that come naturally to us. He starts with addressing the sin in our hearts and calling us back to relationship with Him. It is not by fixing other people that we fix the problems in our lives. Rather, it is by first submitting to God, coming to Him, and living with Him as we were designed. With this process there will be struggle and grief, but it is not a grief of despair but of sincere repentance from a desire to live in God’s way over our own.
At the end of the day, we can try to find many solutions to get through the problems in our lives, but God has given us the best way—being made right with and walking with Him. This is often less convenient and requires more intention, but it is the way we find peace in short-term conflict and healing from the lifelong sin struggles we face.
- What is your default way of addressing conflict? How is that different from the way God calls us to address conflict?
- What does it look like for you to submit to God? What are some things you turn away from when you choose to submit to God?
- Pray and thank God for the way He has given to live. Ask Him to show you the areas you still need to submit to Him.
