“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” —1 Corinthians 14:33, ESV
Because of sin, conflict is a natural part of life. But regardless of the highly practiced worldview, “Conflict is healthy,” God clarifies that He is never present in disagreements, arguments, confusion, or strife.
“Be alert and of a sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
Because Satan is shrewd, dissension presents itself in various [covert] ways. Something as simple as, “What are we going to eat for dinner?” can escalate into a tug of war when our hearts are not filled with Christ’s love.
“And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:36). Do not be deceived by describing conflict as “a little disagreement.” Little conflicts invite the unrighteous spirit of confusion into our homes.
Dissension changes the atmosphere of our homes and our minds, characters, and personalities, which become instruments that Satan easily manipulates.
The Spirit of Strife not only destroys our internal peace but also separates us from God, placing us on the same unrighteous level as unbelievers. To “Agree to Disagree” is one of Satan’s deceptive theories of compromise, and is not Biblical, or a Righteous Principle.
Our earthly lives are the only opportunity given by God to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to transform us into the likeness of Christ. Through humility, surrender, and faithful obedience, the righteous are covered with Christ’s garment of spiritual peace.
“If possible, to the best of your ability, live at peace with all people” (Romans 12:18, CEB). God’s expectation for every Christian believer is that we possess a pure, loving heart that reflects the Righteousness of Christ. A home that is peaceful and righteous is the home where the Spirit of God is always present.
“Careless words stab like a sword, but the words of wise people bring healing. (Proverbs 12:17, GWT).
Satan’s most effective conflict strategy is to use people to provoke us, so we will react with angry thoughts and words, or impatiently blow our vehicle horn, an unholy substitute for irate spoken words.
Do not give Satan control of your mind and mouth by speaking emotionally charged words. Unrighteous responses are one of the easiest ways to sin.
Angry sarcastic words are thoughtless words that not only escalate the situation but are also hurtful. Fact: Apologies do not soothe or heal wounded hearts.
Seeing Conflict Through Spiritual Eyes: There are only two powers in this world, God, who is Good, and the Creator and Giver of Peace, and Satan, whose evil schemes always produce conflict with the intent to destroy harmony and peace.
Overcoming Satan’s Schemes of Conflict Requires the Teamwork of Human Effort and Divine Intervention.
“The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent” (Exodus 14:14, NASB).
How to Handle Conflict With Unfamiliar People: Immediately pray for strength, remain silent, and walk away. No discussion is necessary. Walking away is our witness.
Handling conflict with familiar people [family, friends, coworkers] who are also believers is the true test of our love and loyalty to Christ. Unless they are immediate family living in the same home, we must separate ourselves from those whom the enemy is using to persecute us.
Throughout the Holy Scriptures, God reveals boundaries in interaction with our family and friends. Husbands and wives must pray together when animosity arises between them, and parents must be a godly example for their children when dissension arises.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32). Never harbor grudges: We must extend mercy as God extends Mercy to us.
The first response in the Christian home is not to hear what happened first, but to engage everyone present to immediately pray a prayer of repentance, and with humility invite God to resolve the conflict. Only then, when the Holy Spirit is present, should they hear the rest of the story. An effective way to resolve conflict and evaluate with fairness is, after the prayer, have each person write about their experience.
Dissension is often fatal to our spiritual growth and transformation. We must never forget that we accepted Christ to live righteously and cooperate with the Holy Spirit for a complete spiritual makeover of our mind, character, and personality. One thing is for certain: There will be no conflict in heaven.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:10-12, NIV).
The Truth: Quick and intemperate responses reveal that our hearts are unconverted, and we do not possess the righteous character traits that align with the Fruit of the Spirit.
The Righteous Attributes of Christ: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Whether strife arises with familiar people, or strangers, remain silent! God has gifted us with the power of self control, React by breathing a silent prayer. Ask God for Divine Help. Using self-control, Stand down your anger!
Prayer and Silence accomplish two spiritual goals: We learn to totally depend on God to fight and win our battles, and our character is transformed daily by the power of the Holy Spirit necessary for us to receive our reward of the Crown of Life.
Lord God, we ask for forgiveness for the many times we have thought or spoken angry words that did not reflect Your love. We ask you to give us the strength and the guidance to cultivate a spirit of meekness and to extend mercy when experiencing the persecution of conflict for serving You. In Jesus’ Righteous Name, we pray, Amen.
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