I Want You

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel…” (James 4:1-2) 

Let’s just say it! Sin sucks. Sin removes us from fellowship with God. Sin clouds our judgment. Sin frustrates our soul. Sin calls down the Lord’s discipline-sin breaks God’s heart. So why do we do it? If all this is true, and we know it’s true, why are we still doing it? Let’s just say it! We want sin more than God. It doesn’t matter what sin it is, it doesn’t matter what promises we’re believing, when we sin it’s a matter of wanting that more than God.

When we desire anything more than God, that “anything”, becomes our god. Pride is desiring our-fame more than God’s fame. Envy is discontentment with God and His providence as we look to our neighbors. Quarreling, fighting, murdering all happens, as James says, because we desire something other than God and we don’t get it. Sin is the crafting of idols. Idols that; because they have eyes but cannot see, ears but cannot hear, and feet but cannot move, therefore they make promises that they cannot fulfill.

So how do we fight these false gods? I believe one of the best ways to fight them might be found in three simple words—I Want You. When I’m faced with temptation what should I do? Often times, temptation clouds my ability to articulate a thoughtful prayer recognizing the truth of what we’ve just stated. Often times I can’t see that I’m experiencing the throws of idolatry. So what can we do? Well, I’ll tell you what I’ve had some success with – uttering the simple prayer—I want You.

These three simple words might be easy to say but their meaning is profound. I mean that, if I truly say these three words, they can remind me of the idolatry that I’m being confronted with. If I’ve been confronted now with my idolatry then I have a better chance of realigning my worship towards the one true God. It’s not going to work every time because we are fallen people. But I have found that this grants me a fighting chance at overturning my hearts natural propensity. John Calvin, the French reformer of the 1500’s said this, “Man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols.” Let’s put those factories out of business. Let’s remove the idols from before us. Let’s want Christ more than everything else. Let’s just say it! We want You God.