Verse 1 - From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? People are fighting and quarreling among themselves. All have ambitions, desires of their own, and they are blaming others when their own personal desires are not met, nor fulfilled. It’s the typical, "It’s your fault I’m not satisfied." Don’t blame themselves, but they should. Exodus 20:17 - Don’t covet your neighbors things - Go get your own.

The reason people quarrel and have personality difficulties is because they have some sort of internal personality conflict of their own. There is something unresolved in their lives which they cannot or refuse to deal with. Their way of dealing with their own personality conflicts is to strike out at others. The argument they are having may appear to be over a matter entirely different from what the problem really is. When people get all their internal conflicts settled - that is - they believe that God will take care of them, and that He is with them in their conflicts, and that the result of all this "bad" things that happen to them is good - they will cause very few arguments. Instead of using the word "arguments", perhaps I should use the word discussion, because they really will be discussion, and not fightings and warring.

A personal lack of prayer leads to quarrels in church. Most church splits and divisions aren’t the result of doctrines, but personality conflicts. Prayer and trusting in God to fulfill our desires till stop all of this. There won’t be a looking to others to fulfill our desires, there will be a looking to God to fulfill our desires. This isn’t an empty hope, but a full hope, full of faith. If our desires aren’t fulfilled, we will know and understand that it isn’t God’s will for us. We will understand that God always gives the best to those that leave the choice with Him. When we don’t get what we want, we will understand that is God’s perfect will for us, and we will be happy, even when we don’t get those things we think will make us fulfilled.

The word "among" means more than two. If there was only two, the word would be "between". Fights and discontentment is breaking out all over the church membership.

"Lust" means desire, usually associated with sinful desires. This lust is within each person and it breaks out of the secret chambers of the heart into arguments with others. The person that is fighting shows to all that he has a problem within that they aren’t getting satisfied.

The above paragraph is based on the word "members" referring to the various parts of each individual person.

Verse 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. It is absolutely amazing to read verse 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. What an amazing verse. Notice all the work and labor a person goes to, yet is unable to obtain that which he desires. Notice all the unfulfilled desires and passions for earthly possessions and whatever else that a person has. The person will work hard to get all those things, yet will never have them for one simple reason. They have not asked.

There are three things that are happening, but there is a single solution!

Verse 3 - Some will say, "I have asked, and God didn’t answer." The reason is you are not thinking of God, but of yourself. Consume means to use it up for self, not for others, or for God, or the glory of Christ.

Verse 4 - Adultery? Is this too strong a word? NO! Saved people who are members of one of the local churches established by Christ are "married" to Christ spiritually, but fooling around in the world. We laugh and are disgusted at President Clinton for using "legalese" when he described his sexual encounter. We do exactly the same thing about our spiritual relationship with Christ and the world.

"Friendship" - fellowship? We cannot be a friend to the world and to God. Saved people can be the enemy of God. Enemy? - One who actively fights against. If we are not fully after God, then we are against Him. We don’t like to think like this. We don’t believe it applies to us, but it doesn’t take a very close examination of our lives to see that we fall into the category of being the enemy of God.