Luke 11:17 “But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house faileth.”
Wiktionary says that to “divide and conquer” is: “A combination of political, military and economic strategies that aim to gain and maintain power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy.”
Satan is a master divider. Pride makes us prone to division. The world tries to get us to rebel and so discord. If our churches, our homes, and our relationships become divided, then they can be more easily conquered.
How do we fight against division?
- Be humble. Pride is the great cause of contention. Proverbs 13:10 says, “Only by pride cometh contention…” If we are humble, we will be quick to admit when we are wrong, slow to speak words that we may regret, and eager to find common ground with others. If there is constant contention in my life, my church, or my home, it must be because there is alot of pride there. Is that not what the verse says?
- Be truthful. If we are willing to be honest about how we feel and how we have done wrong, we can more quickly work toward a resolution. Unity should not be unity for unity’s sake; it should be unity for the truth’s sake. We need to be united around the truth.
- Draw close to the Lord Jesus. Confess your sin to the Lord. If two people are both walking in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, then they will have good fellowship with each other as well. 1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another…”
- Pick your battles. Not every battle is worth fighting, yet some battles are worth fighting. Make sure the hills that you choose to die on are hills such as the deity of Christ, the authority of Scripture, the atonement of Christ, and others areas that are clearly taught in God’s Word. Don’t fight over your personal opinions, ideas, or preferences. In areas of liberty which the Bible does not spell out clearly, let every man be convinced in his own mind. Don’t judge your brother; God will judge him one day, if he is wrong.
- Don’t try to be friends with an angry man. Some people you will always be dividing with because they are angry people. Proverbs 22:24 says, “Make no friendship with an angry man…” You can try to live peaceably with them, but it sometimes will not be possible. Better to just avoid that person than to try to have a close relationship with them and end up causing more division and strife.
I hope these are some ideas that will help us as we seek to have churches, homes, and relationships that are united and strong.
Read more at bcwe.org.
Filed under: Church, Devotionals, Family, Leading Others 
Read more from the original source:
A House Divided
Related posts:
