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For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
- James 3:16 KJV
Several years ago, I was driving my son to the public library to return
some books he had borrowed for a project at school. I didn't like driving
this route because it meant that we had to travel to the downtown area of a
nearby city. I never felt comfortable having to deal with all the one-way
streets. But I had prayed and stood on Psalm 91, which promises believers
angelic protection, and I pushed my fears aside and depended on the Lord to
watch over us. A few blocks before the library, we got lost. Suddenly, I
found myself yelling at my son and blaming him for not knowing which way we
should go. A moment later, my car collided with another, and what started
out as a minor argument ended up in total disaster. No one was hurt, thank
God, but both cars were damaged considerably. I must confess that the
thing that bothered me most is that I had prayed for the Lord's protection
right before the accident. I began to earnestly seek God about it, and He
revealed to me that He allowed the accident to serve as a lesson about how
destructive strife can be. When I got into strife with my son, I opened
the door for Satan to come in and "steal, kill and destroy." (John 10:10)
This shouldn't surprise us because the Bible indicates that we may forfeit
angelic protection when we walk in disobedience. (Psalm 91:11 AMP; Exodus
23:20-21) The verse above from James gives some insight into strife's
destructive nature. The dictionary defines strife as "conflict,
disagreement, disharmony, discord, rivalry, contention, dispute, animosity,
friction, hard feelings, or bad feelings." Looking at this long list of
destructive behaviors, it's easy to understand why the Bible condemns strife.
Jesus said that the prayer of agreement has awesome power (Matthew
18:19). So we shouldn't be surprised when Satan works overtime to create
division and dissension among believers. The devil knows that if he can
disrupt the harmony of a family, church, or group, he can drastically
reduce their prayer power. What's at the root of strife? Animosity is one
cause. Proverbs 10:12 says, "Hatred stirs up strife." If we examine why
we have a tendency to get into strife with a certain individual, we will
often discover that we are harboring resentment or bitterness toward them.
But if we make a quality decision to forgive and love that person, peace
and healing will spring forth. Another cause of strife is pride. Proverbs
13:10 says, "Through insolence (pride) comes nothing but strife." The
fruit of pride is always rotten, and when we choose to take a prideful
attitude instead of one of humility, we are inviting trouble. One of the
most destructive aspects about pride is that it can be so subtle that we
don't even recognize it. When we find ourselves in conflict with someone,
we should promptly seek God about it and ask Him, "Lord, if I'm harboring
any resentment or pride in my heart, reveal it to me and help me to deal
with it Your way." Praying a prayer like this with sincerity and remorse
will touch the heart of God and move Him to begin making the changes in us
and our circumstances that need to be made. In 1 Corinthians 3:3 NASB, the
apostle Paul writes: "For you are still fleshly. For since there is
jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly?" Paul is saying here
that believers who have a tendency to cause strife are worldly and
spiritually immature. These people need to focus on cultivating a more
intimate, meaningful relationship with God so they will demonstrate more
Christlike behavior. The Lord calls us to "be imitators of God" and to
"live a life of love." (Ephesians 5:1-2) It's important for us to
understand that strife needs to be taken seriously. If you are
encountering strife in your family, church, or ministry, you need to
confront it and deal with it swiftly and surely. Work hard at pursuing and
maintaining peace, and know that when you do, you are engaging in powerful
spiritual warfare that will bring a harvest of victory!
Prayer: Lord, whenever I get into strife, convict me by Your Spirit and make me
quick to repent. Remind me that Your Word says, "A troublemaker plants
seeds of strife." (Proverbs 16:28 NLT) Give me a desire to seek You daily
through prayer, praise, and Bible study so that I'll become more like Jesus
each day. Thank You for teaching me to be a peacemaker, instead of a
troublemaker!
- J. M. Farro
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