In Luke 1:26-38, the Bible tells us about the angel visiting Mary and delivering a powerful and life changing prophecy. Every part of the prophecy would have been overwhelming enough, but all the elements of this prophecy put together were truly amazing!

There are a few things that are remarkable to me. Having grown up in a Middle Eastern nation, one would rather have anything happen to them than getting humiliated and ashamed by carrying a child out of wedlock. The fear of man and the opinion of man have such a control in people’s lives that make it debilitating and paralyzing for most people. The fact that Mary didn’t bring up that concern to the angel is amazing. Additionally, she was going to be married to Joseph soon. What if he didn’t believe her? Will he break up with her? She didn’t mention that concern to the angel either.

Mary could have protested the angel’s message by saying, “By the way, we come from a poor family. We have no political, financial, or religious clout to make this boy qualified for the throne. Have you considered my cousin Elizabeth or the Chief Priest’s daughter for this assignment? We don’t have any skills or resources to raise a king. Joseph is a carpenter, and that’s about the only thing we can teach him as a career.”

Mary in simplicity of her faith believed the angel and everything the angel told her. She exclaimed, “Let it be to me according to your word.” She received the seed of life through the prophetic word right at that time. She didn’t say that she had to pray about it. She didn’t declare,” I agree only with part of the prophecy.”  She accepted the whole counsel and made herself available to the Holy Spirit to do His work on her.

I hope we can receive the word of God with simplicity of faith without trying to analyze it or understand it. Mary didn’t try to make a plan for how this prophecy was going to get fulfilled. Based on various scriptures, it is clear that the Angel continued to give counsel to Mary and Joseph in order to guide their path, keep them in unity, and protect baby Jesus.

I love the song, “Mary Did You Know” because it beautifully describes the extent of the work of Jesus. Mary could not have imagined His awesome work when she received the prophetic word and became Jesus’ mother. You can use the link below (cut and paste if needed) to listen to the song on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPsgIhlYQmM

Thank you Lord for Jesus coming and for His obedience to the cross. Thank you Lord for your word. We receive it in simplicity of faith. Give us the courage to trust you with the process.

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” Luke 1:26-28

A young lady named Mary minding her own business is getting ready to be married to her fiancé. She hopes to start an ordinary life like all the other young girls her age. This young lady though is not going to have an ordinary life neither will she be an ordinary wife and a mother. Mary is highly favored by the Lord.

Whenever God highly favors someone, His spotlight is on the individual, and they become subject to God’s process and purpose. Mary was a perfect example of this situation when the angel interrupted her ordinary world to announce that she will be with a child.

“But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:29-38

Mary received an amazing prophecy. The entire prophecy would have been beyond Mary’s imagination let alone trying to help others understand it. How could this be!?

First of all she was going to be with child. Wait! She is a virgin. She’s never heard of any virgin conceiving, and she’s had a pure relationship with Joseph. How is this possible?

Secondly her child was going to come through the Holy Spirit. Did she really know much about the Holy Spirit at that time? The presence of the Holy Spirit upon individuals was rare before Jesus’ arrival. Additionally, we know that God was silent for about 400 years prior to Jesus’ birth, so there were no visible or audible manifestations of God for a long time.

Thirdly, the baby someday was going to take the throne of David. The Israelites hadn’t had a king for centuries. While Mary’s ancestry went back to King David, she wouldn’t have considered herself a royalty. The Bible doesn’t even mention her father being a priest.

Finally the angel tells her that her older cousin Elizabeth who had been barren was going to be with a child as well. What changed? Why now?

Do we believe God in simplicity of faith when He speaks to us? I’m sure Mary never imagined the process the Lord had for her and for her dear son, but she just accepted the promise and believed God.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. Psalm 133:1-2

Psalm 133 tells us that the unity of the brethren is like oil flowing on the Aaron’s head, his beard, and down to the edge of his garments. This oil makes us softer. Others’ personalities don’t become sandpaper that rub against us. The offenses fall off faster because the anointing of unity causes issues not to stay and fester in our hearts.

God calls unity among the brethren good and pleasant. It’s interesting that Aaron who was a priest is used as the analogy to the concept of unity. The Bible calls each of us “Royal Priesthood”. There is an anointing that comes upon us by being in unity with our brethren!

The secular world in some cases does a great job with unity. Every employee in a company works for the benefit of their company’s  success. Sports teams come together and play united.  Some players may even have differences or disagreements among themselves, but when it comes to winning, everyone does their part to help the team succeed. Who plays the best game or who will get the credit is not their primary focus or goal. The main goal is the success of the team regardless of who will be the star of the day.

Are we willing to let God break through our individuality and bring true unity in the body of Christ? Some think that we only need to be united with the head. That’s is not true. Our unity starts there, but it doesn’t end there. We still have to do our part to put aside our personal preferences and prejudices, so we can walk in unity with our brothers and sisters within the body. When we are willing to do that, then the anointing of God will be upon the body. I believe, when we come to greater unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we will become more effective in reaching the lost because we have practiced accepting people who are different from us. 

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; Ephesians 4:11-13

God has given us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry and to also build up the body of Christ in order to reach the unity of the faith. According to this scripture, the unity of the faith is just as important as equipping the saints. If we are only focused on equipping the saints, we will develop an individualist mentality about  ministry. However, we cannot forget that we are also called to be built up corporately until we reach the true unity of the faith.

It’s possible that in our individualist American mentality, it is easier for us to take on the assignment of being equipped for the work of ministry rather than work on maturing through unity. These scriptures are a call to those operating in five fold ministry gifts as well as leaders and church members. Every one of us needs to seek God’s wisdom to be part of the solution to unity of the body. 

Lord, we need your supernatural wisdom and revelation to see the body united. You came to tear down the walls of hostility between people. Tear down the walls of prejudice, individualism, competition, &  indifference that keep us at a distance from others. Help us to mature in this area. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Misconceptions About Unity

Misconception #1: There must be complete agreement to have unity.

We don’t have to see everything the same way in order to have unity. For example, in a marriage God generally brings the opposites together to form a union.  Problems actually occur when one or both spouses try to change each other and make the spouse like himself/herself. The difference in a marriage can be a great blessing. If the difference is handled well, it brings balance and completeness to the marriage. If both spouses operated the same way, it may work great in some areas. However, other areas can suffer or become off-balanced. The same is true in the body of Christ. The scripture tells us:

from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:16

Each part is important and each joint supplies. We don’t need everyone to be “eyes” in the body, and we don’t need everyone to be “ears” in the body. Each person has been called to fulfill their purpose in the body of Christ. That means we will not always see what someone else sees, and we will not hear what someone else is hearing. More importantly, God will give us different burdens for the church, ministry, people, and the community. Just because we don’t see or hear what someone else is seeing or hearing, it doesn’t mean they are wrong. Their burden may be a very valid burden, but it just hasn’t been revealed to us at the moment. Obviously, if something is unscriptural, then it must be dealt with appropriately.

Misconception #2: Conformity is unity.

Conformity is not unity! As a matter of fact, conformity produces a counterfeit to unity. That is man’s attempt to unity. People in their urge to express unity make compromises to the voice of the Holy Spirit in order to conform to the voice of those in power or in majority. Conformity is carnality, and it is based on fear of man. The scripture very clearly speaks against conformity but commands us to be transformed (See Romans 12:1-2).

Unity is a lot harder to achieve because it requires a transformation by the Holy Spirit. Unity stems from humility and love towards God, the body of Christ, and authority. Each of those elements are important to have a healthy unity. We cannot get united to people in a healthy way apart from being united to Christ first. If we are united with Christ, but we choose to either unite ourselves to authority or only to the body of Christ,  we will eventually cause division.

Unity requires humility. It brings a lowliness that puts aside our stubborn individuality and allows the spirit of God to flow and bring something that we on our own cannot bring to the table. We have to suffer the loss of own opinion or preferences at times and value people regardless of how different they are from us!

To have unity in the body, we also need to have an attitude of thankfulness for those in authority over us. We are called to pray for them for they have a great responsibility before God to shepherd the people of God. We will not always agree, but we don’t need to agree to follow the leader or be submitted to them. They just need to be following the finger of God and what the Bible prescribes.

Lord, we need a renewal of mind in the area of unity. We want our hearts and minds to be aligned with yours. Help us to catch the little foxes that cause disunity among us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The unity of the body is very important to the Lord. God sets the example of unity in trinity; the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit working in one accord with one another. Each have their unique work, and at the same time they work in unison to reveal the Godhead and to bring the Kingdom of God to the earth.

Paul exhorts us to unity in the below scriptures:

Therefore, I the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:1-6

We have much in common

The Apostle Paul urges us to unity because we all serve the same God, who has given us the same Holy Spirit. We all have the same hope for eternity, and we are all part of the same body who is the bride of Christ. We have the most important things in common.

Although as believers, we have much in common, the unity is still going to take work. Paul calls each believer to enter in this unity with lowliness and gentleness. Unity requires humility. If we come with an attitude of pride or harshness, we create an atmosphere of separation, resistance, and even hostility.

Christ has bought us unity by destroying the power of the enemy whose main work is to separate people from God and to separate people form one another. As people of God, unity is available to us, but  it will still require work and effort on our end to partner with the Holy Spirit.

Unity will demand dying to self and personal preferences.  It will require being patient and long suffering with one another. Unity will insist in overlooking each other’s weaknesses. That means we are not just tolerating each other, but we choose to love. Out of love for the individual and love for the body, we will do our part to go through the pain of bearing with each other’s immaturity and issues. In this way, we are keeping the bonds of unity recognizing we are all imperfect people who serve a perfect God!

Sectarianism causes disunity

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 1 Corinthians 1:10-13

If we shift our focus from Jesus, we are bound to concentrate on the natural and become political! A natural person will want to get close to those who he/she deems important or popular. Some will join the “loving” club. Others will join the “truth” group. A few will want to belong to the “elite” club who only a privileged few can enter in. Any of these groups includes some people but rejects or excludes many. All of this is carnality, and it is sin because it indicates that Jesus is not at the center of attention any longer.

God uses people in our lives to help us grow and mature. However,  they are not designed neither are they capable to take the place of Jesus. We are not baptized in any one’s name except Jesus. No one has died for our sins except Jesus. No one can open the door to heaven except Jesus. No one can define our destiny and future except Jesus. For all of those reasons and a whole host of other reasons, we cannot join ourselves to a person or a group to the point of causing disunity, separation, or division.

Think about your associations, attitudes, and words. Examine them to see if they create an atmosphere of unity for the greater body. If your attitude or actions are in the line of  “us versus them” chances are division is being brewed in you and around you.

Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts. ”For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Hebrews 4:6-10

The Lord fulfilled his promise by giving Israelites the Promised Land. They entered God’s rest according to Joshua 21:44. Joshua exhorted them to follow the Lord and to obey His commandments. However,  the book of Judges reveals that Israel fell away repeatedly after they inhabited the Promised Land.  The Promised Land did not give them a true rest for their souls and as a result did not give them rest with God nor with the surrounding nations.

God’s promises are not a destination to be reached. It is not reaching the destination that fulfills God’s promise in one’s life, but it is an internal attitude of faith and trust that gives us rest and assurance in the promises of God.

What are we holding on to as a promise from God? Has that promise been a blessing in our lives? Have we seen God’s hand bringing it into fruition in our lives? Has the promise brought peace and rest to our souls? Has the promise increased our capacity to love others better? On the contrary, has God’s promise turned into a curse because of us mishandling it? Have we grown bitter, impatient, or envious because the promise hasn’t been fulfilled? Have we developed a hardened heart by losing compassion for others? Do we have a sense of entitlement with God’s promises that makes us feel superior to others? Have we caused division in the church because we haven’t gotten our way?

Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15

At the end of the Age, our work will have to pass through the fire of God. Anything that is made of wood, hay, and straw will not make it to the other side. Only the things that are made of gold and silver will be able to go through the fire. We need to ensure we are majoring in eternal things, and we are not fussing over things that in a year or in fifty years won’t matter.

Some of us will sadly be surprised by the things that took up so much of our affection and attention but didn’t make it to the other side.  Some are looking to have the bigger house. Others want their kids to go to prestigious schools. Some desire promotions. Others are looking to write a Best seller book, and the list goes on.  We may feel those are the things God has promised to us, but the question is: What are we going to do to get them? If we lose our peace, unity with others, friendship with those we care about, or develop hatred towards some, no Promised Land will deliver what we expected.  None of those things are going to matter in eternity.

Canaan is not a goal to be reached, but it is a transformation process on the journey to reaching Canaan. Because of unbelief  a generation of Israelites didn’t even make it to Canaan. Others reached Canaan but soon found themselves in the same predicament as their forefathers, fearful, rebellious, and insecure about their future. While reaching Canaan was a great victory, they only enjoyed it for a short time. On the other hand, Joshua and Caleb believed God; they enjoyed God and grew in Him in the midst of the desert while everyone in their generation died in their unbelief and discontentment. Joshua and Caleb were ready when God was finally ready to take them into Promised Land. Their readiness was a spiritual strength and stamina they had gained over the years as they trusted God and walked with Him.

In His mercy, God gives us promises and destinations to help us stay focused on Him and not get derailed, but they are never intended to become the main priority in our walk with Christ. He still cares about our character more than our destination. He still cares about us loving Him and loving our neighbors more than anything we can accomplish for Him. He delights to give us His peace and rest. He is not impressed by the applause of man, but He desires for us to have the applause of heaven.

Let’s listen to the Lord today and allow Him to make the necessary adjustments in our hearts, minds, and priorities. We need Him to soften our hearts, so we can receive from Him the true rest He desires to give us on our journey to Canaan!!

As believers, we have a Canaan promised to us. This Promised Land is not a location but an internal transformation.

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:11-12

If we are left with an inheritance from a parent or grandparent, we can read the will as many times as want to, but that does not appropriate the will in our lives. We still do not enjoy the benefits of the inheritance until we put it to work.

The Scripture tells us that we have the inheritance of Jesus’ riches.  It’s as if Jesus wrote a will and made us the beneficiaries.  God’s riches of His inheritance are available to us to partake by appropriating what has already been purchased for us. We must believe them to walk in them and see them come alive in our lives.

In our old Adamic nature, we had the inheritance of sin and death. This is how the scripture in Galatians 5:19-21 in the Message Bible describes it:

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

Praise God that we no longer have to live that way any longer. If we’ve  made Jesus our personal Lord and Savior, we have a new nature operating in us.  Jesus gives us the inheritance of His kingdom and His righteousness. We have the forgiveness of sins. We have freedom from guilt and shame of the past. The bondages of the old nature don’t have to hold us hostage anymore. We have hope for our future and for our eternity. We have the Holy Spirit as our resident 24/7 wise counselor and comforter that we can call upon. We abide in Christ who is humble and gentle. We can develop the fruit of the spirit  according to Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control). This is our Promised Land. This is our inheritance to let go of the old nature and its bondages and come to the freedom of the new nature made available through our inheritance in Jesus.

Praise God that there is no scarcity in the kingdom of God. That means the Lord doesn’t need to take something away from us to give it to somebody else. You and your best friend or your colleague both can enjoy the benefits of being in the Kingdom. There are plenty of blessings and riches available for everyone. We can all sit at His banqueting table and enjoy the benefits of belonging to His Kingdom. This can eliminate a lot of competition, envy, jealousy, and backbiting in the body of Christ.

Let’s praise God for being beneficiaries of His inheritance. Those are the true riches that money can’t buy and moth and rust cannot destroy.

In the Old Testament, God promised Canaan to be inherited by Abraham and his descendants (the Israelites). In the New Testament, our inheritance is a spiritual inheritance. I will share in the next devotional how Canaan, the Promised Land did not deliver as the Israelites expected.

Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. Genesis 37:1

Two generations later, after many years of fleeing from family, Jacob started dwelling in the land of Canaan. Jacob was the third generation, and he was still only dwelling in the land of Canaan. He and his family had not possessed the land yet. 

What are we going to do when we get to our destination? The first three generations, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not possess the land; they just occupied it. Isn’t that what we do with our faith sometimes? We can declare God’s promises in our lives, quote scriptures, look confident, minister to others,  but we still don’t possess those promises. We are just dwelling in the tents. We haven’t made it our permanent home yet.

If we continually question our value in the kingdom, we are just dwelling in God’s truth; we don’t have possession of it yet. It’s as if we’re a guest in our father’s house; we don’t believe we belong there. We’re uncertain of our inheritance . We’re fearful somebody else may take it away from us because we don’t believe we possess it. 

The believers and unbelievers are looking for people who truly have possession of what they declare. The world lives in the tents of insecurity and uncertainty. If we are going to be people who are seen as believable and authentic, we must come to possession of God’s promises. It will not just be our words or our actions that will indicate our possession, but an internal heart attitude that will be seen in our aura and how we live and interact with others. 

Lord, help us to have a confidence in Christ that is not easily shaken. We want to be solid and secure people. We don’t want to continually question our value in the kingdom or keep performing out of fear of feeling inferior. Lord, guard our hearts in times of disappointments. We don’t want to get bitter but better. Instead of questioning your love, we want to press into your love even more. We want to see with eyes of faith even when our natural eyes see something completely opposite.  We want to have the courage to love people in the midst of disappointment not because they deserve it, but because you deserve our undivided devotion. We need your grace Lord! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It’s beautiful to see God calling us to Himself and then starting a lifetime process of shaping  and molding us into the person He’s called us to be.

Many times what motivates us to change or stay in the process are His specific words to us because we want to have a purpose in life and desire to make a difference in His kingdom. However, God is not too concerned with the destination as He is with the journey.

Each generation has to find God and get to know God for themselves. It is a great privilege when we have a heritage of faith especially when faith was represented well. However, each person and each generation has to come to the conclusion that Jesus is my savior and He died for my sins. God is good. He is holy. He is who he says He is, and He expects obedience as a proof of our love to Him.  Dying to self will always hurt, and trusting God will be painful at times.

The Promised Land known as Canaan was something the Lord spoke about to His people over and over again to give people a vision of their future and what He intended to do in their lives.

Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Genesis 12:5

Abraham left his father in Haran and came to the land of Canaan. He had no previous knowledge of this place. He was going because God was asking him to go.

Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:8

The Lord gave Abraham a promise that all the land of Canaan was going to be given as a possession to his descendants. That’s a huge promise. That was a great territory but even greater was his challenge of not having the promised child. Abraham’s issue wasn’t reaching Canaan but seeing the fruition of God’s promises regarding having descendants. Abraham’s faith was tested over the years to believe God and to trust Him.

God’s promises come so large that you can’t even make them happen if you tried. Man’s effort would just leave one frustrated and exhausted. God’s promise has to come God’s way!

We have challenges with the promises that God makes to us. It is not about getting to the destination, but it is about trusting God on the journey. Are we obeying him? Are we taking short cuts, so we can get there faster? Are we running over others, so we can get there first? Are whining on the journey saying, “Are we there yet!?”

What is the Canaan in your life? How are you doing on your journey?

Lack of peace can produce strife

Better is a dry morsel with quietness, Than a house full of feasting with strife. Proverbs 17:1

Sometimes people have their internal struggles such as insecurities or false expectations that causes them to have an internal strife. They have no peace, so they cause strife in their relationships with others. This is a spiritual issue first. If this is your pattern, confess it to the Lord. You can also confess it to someone else (James 5:16) and ask Him to heal your heart condition. Chances are even if you win a debate or a disagreement, that will not keep you satisfied because it is a matter of time before another disagreement comes along.

Mis-handling offenses causes strife

Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.? As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife? Proverbs 26:20-22

A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends.? Proverbs 16:28

Sometimes strife is caused in relationships because people do not follow the mandate of Matthew 18:15. They decide to talk about their offense to someone other than the offender. They can portray the offense as a need for wisdom or prayer. Now, people who were not part of the offense are poisoned and gossip is spread.  Strife and division becomes the by-product of an offense that was fueled by the  fire of gossip. This  could have easily been stopped if the offense had been handled through the Biblical protocol.

Our relationships regardless of how close they are, cannot negate God’s mandate on how to deal with offenses. He has not given us the permission to cause strife by sharing information with people who were not part of the offense. As the scripture tells us, strife will cause relational fires that can burn down relationships, families, companies or churches. We are called to put out fires not kindle the fire of strife, contention, anger, or hatred.

Being religious fuels strife

Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high.? Isaiah 58:4

God was not pleased with His people because even in their fasting, they did not cease from striving, being harsh, mistreating people,  or from arguing. The fasting actually increased strife because it gave them another reason to feel superior or more mature compared to others. They were just fasting as a nice religious tradition to parade their self-righteousness before others. They did not see their own need to cry out to God for mercy or to deal with people mercifully.

Favoritism stirs up strife

When we look at the Biblical Characters such as Esau and Jacob, and Joseph and his brothers, we see there was strife between the siblings. One major reason for the strife was because the parents favored one child over the other ones.

It‘s easy to say favoritism is wrong if we are on the side of not being favored. The question is,” What do we do if we are the favored one? Do we just enjoy the benefits of it without considering its impact on those around us?”  While God’s plan for  Jacob and Joseph was not thwarted, they still paid a painful price by being separated for years from their loved ones because they were favored by their parents. Is your favoritism causing strife in your relationships?

Whenever we find ourselves striving, it should be a flag for our soul that something isn’t right. We need to pay attention to what is going on inside of us. Others may not be innocent of striving, but we can’t put out fire with fire. The one who is willing to die to self and not feel the need to win the argument can allow the Holy Spirit to pour water over the fire of strife and let it cease in Jesus’ name.