4 1Do you know where your fights and arguments come from? They come from the selfish desires that make war inside you. 2You want things, but you don't get them. So you kill and are jealous of others. But you still cannot get what you want. So you argue and fight. You don't get what you want because you don't ask God. 3Or when you ask, you don't receive anything, because the reason you ask is wrong. You only want to use it for your own pleasure.4You people are not faithful to God! You should know that loving what the world has is the same as hating God. So anyone who wants to be friends with this evil world becomes God's enemy. 5Do you think the Scripturesa mean nothing? The Scriptures say, "The Spiritb God made to live in us wants us only for himself."c 6But the kindness God shows is greater. As the Scripture says, "God is against the proud, but he is kind to the humble."d 7So give yourselves to God. Stand against the devil, and he will run away from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. You are sinners, so clean sin out of your livese. You are trying to follow God and the world at the same time. Make your thinking pure. 9Be sad, be sorry, and cry! Change your laughter into crying. Change your joy into sadness. 10Be humble before the Lord, and he will make you great. aScripture Part of the Scriptures or ¡°Holy Writings¡± - the Old Testament. bSpirit See ¡°Holy Spirit.¡± c4:5 ¡°The Spirit ¡¦ himself¡± Other possible translations: ¡°God strongly desires the spirit that he made to live in us.¡± Or ¡°The spirit that he made to live in us is full of envious desires.¡± See Ex. 20:5. d4:6 Quote from Prov. 3:34. e4:8 so clean sin out of your lives Literally, ¡°so wash your hands.¡± |