Count it all Joy! (James 4:1-10)

1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust , and have not: ye kill , and desire to have , and cannot obtain : ye fight and war , yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask , and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith , God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted , and mourn , and weep : let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up . 

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS:
1) What is the source of wars and fights (v.1)? 
2) Why does mankind kill or quarrel and fight (v.2)?
3) Why don’t we have what we want, and if we ask God for what we want why don’t we receive what we want (v.2-3)?
4) How do we become enemies of God (v.4)?
5) What is God jealously longing for (v.5)?
6) How does God respond to the humble (v.6)?
7) What must the believer do to demonstrate humility before God (v.7-10)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:
1) Consider the last argument that you may have witnessed or been a party to, what may have been the root cause of for the strife, according to James? 
2) How do you resist the lures of the world and the devil?
3) How do you maintain humility before the Lord?

LIFE LESSONS:
1) The believer who values what the world values is an enemy of God.
2) The Lord will never grant us what we want if our motive is self-serving.
3) God resists worldly believers because they are prideful.
4) The grace of God is always available to the humble.