Hi everybody!

It’s been a while, but I got the urge to write to you all this evening and decided to give in J

A Moment Apart…

If you are like me, you may not notice all the little ways each day that Satan grabs a foothold in your life.  It may even seem like he’s not there (I’m sure he prefers to do his work unnoticed – it’s more effective).   If you were to consider how he has been working to trip you and your fellow mankind up, what would be the common thread?

 Conflict.

Think about it:  ever since the Garden of Eden – and even before at the fall of angels – Satan has been creating discord.  At the fall of angels, Satan went against the Lord himself, wanting to take over.  The very first sin of mankind was the division between God’s perfect will and man’s will.  Since then, brothers have been pitted against brothers, friends against friends.  War, family strife, internal Church conflict…  it is to Satan’s delight. 

In contrast, what does the Lord require of us?  “Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God.”  (from Micah 6:8)  Jesus’s most important commandments are to love the Lord and love your neighbor as yourself.  Do you tend to love yourself by being in conflict with yourself?  Hopefully not.  The Lord desires that we walk together with each other and with him.  The further we delve into conflict, the farther we tread from our Lord and from each other. 

When we allow conflict to divide our relationships, when we allow our frustration with each other to overcome our love for each other, we allow Satan to have his playground.  But, if we are all intent on doing the Lord’s will, then we will be of the same mind and body.  In the Lord’s Prayer, it says, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  One mind, one will – the Father’s.

That’s not to say that conflict is always avoidable – we are sinful and thus will disagree.  Sometimes, two people in sin will even disagree with each other!  It is so important to be vigilant in making sure our will complies with the Father’s.  If two or more people disagree, then they should come together before God in love, asking Him for guidance down His path, not their own.  And then – don’t forget to listen!  Don’t forget to modify your choices and behavior to follow that path.  Especially in a church, where we should all be here to serve the Lord, this is vital. 

~  Where has conflict been in your life?

~  Have you asked the Lord to reveal His will?

~  How can you best participate in the conflict to resolve it?

~  If others are not interested in the Lord’s will, how can you still help?