A Great Question!

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?  James 4:1

It is a GREAT QUESTION with a great answer… Is it not????

And this is a GREAT TIME to ask and answer! Not only because it is Yom Kippur (a time to consider the last year, make amends for those times, people and things that have not been our best moments, and a time to offer up **AGAIN** your vow to God to BE HIS… 2 Chronicles 7:14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.)

Yom Kippur… a yearly high holy day to take inventory and assess your sins (of commission and omission) and offer atonement. Back in the day it was two goats… He (Aaron) shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting. Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the Lord fell, and make it a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.  Leviticus 16:7-10 

Today, Jesus is our atonement and the final sacrifice for the remission and forgiveness of our sins. Though we no longer offer animal sacrifice, we are indeed called to come before God to confess our sins and vow before Him that we do indeed NEED forgiveness, CANNOT make the payment (Atonement).  We therefore, confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord and believe with our heart that God raised Him form the dead. Jesus is both our scapegoat (our sins were place on Him and He died on the cross to fully pay our debt (the wages of sin is death).

Today, and everyday is the BEST TIME to take inventory, assess our ways, and humble ourselves before the throne of our Lord and Savior. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

But some of us like to wander around in the wilderness looking for another “scapegoat” we can attach our sins to. Someone or something that cannot or won’t say to us, “You need Jesus for that!”

We are so used to scapegoating… “He/she/they made me angry, violent, confused, depressed, sick!” We are so used to claiming our innocence, our naïveté, and even the unfairness of the consequences of our own actions. The question, what is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?

We find the answer, “It is I!” MY pleasures that wage war in my members is uncomfortable and embarrassing 

But true… We lust and do not have; so we commit murder. We are envious and cannot obtain; so we fight and quarrel. We do not have because we do not ask. We ask and do not receive, because we ask with wrong motives, so that we may spend it  on our pleasures.  James 4:2-3

Therefore, there is a more important question, “What is the solution to the source of our quarrels and conflicts? 

We must turn form this wickedness – If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.  1 John 1:10 – we must speak the truth, ESPECIALLY to ourselves!

Confession of sin is necessary but ASSESSMENT of our participation in it is the ACCOUNTABILITY and the OPPORTUNITY to HUMBLE ourselves and LIVE THE CLEANSING of all unrighteousness as we PRAY for our complete healing and the healing of our land.

We DESPERATELY NEED someone other than ourselves. We NEED The RIGHTeous person!

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  James 4:8

Most of us think, or at least act like it’s all a game we ourselves create. We play by the rules as we make up as we go!

But it’s a real struggle, not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 A danger from the pit of hell… Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

When we confess, and assess, and hold ourselves accountable, and take the Holy Spirit’s opportunity to live in righteousness, we have the ONE chance, the ONE answer, the ONE solution to the source of our quarrels and conflicts… 

Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.James 4:10

He IS the GREATEST ANSWER to our great question!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.