Strife

"...Our conscience accusing or else excusing us.." is a verse that the Lord has used to prick me greatly concerning my own conscience. Truly, as the conscience accuses, it can as well excuse! How many times have i sat down and held the remote, all the while struggling with myself whether to watch tv or read God's Word, and finally given in and pressed the "on" button? And, fact is, it gets easier and easier to excuse ourselves if we keep on resisting the Holy Spirit! O Lord, keep me close to You, i pray.

It is truly a time of trial for the Church when strife and contention takes place between her members. Can we imagine what would happen if the members of our own body were to disagree? Even if just the 2 legs disagree, we would never get to the place we wanted to go. Truly, instead of the Church being united against the common enemy- the devil- , her members are now pointing their guns at each other! And the devil is left freely stalking about
"like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

O, that we would realise that we
"do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places"!]

And how does one see that another is being led by the Spirit, yielded to the Spirit? God's Word tells us how! "For the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..."

The Law of Liberty (Rom 14:1-12)
"Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: “ As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way."


"Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled."(Heb 12:14-15)


Concluding Religious Directions
"Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct."
"Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."(Heb 13:7, 17)


1 Corinthians 3
Sectarianism Is Carnal
"1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building."

At a time when strife occurs, let us be prepared for it with the Word of God, lest we are swayed from side to side as indignation, frustration, incredulity mounting to anger -all stemming from carnality- causes us to yield to the flesh instead of the Spirit! For "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."(2 Tim 3)