Topic: Our Journey with Christ: Point 8- Strife
Good evening, ladies, and gentlemen! How are you doing? Hope you had an awesome day! Last year, we started the series- Our Journey with Christ- however, we were unable to complete the series. This year, we are hoping to complete this series. We hope to be more consistent and publish more thought-provoking statements by the Holy Spirit, by God’s Grace.
Let us recap what the other point we explored last year! We started this journey to understand our journey with Christ much better. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we have learnt about the Call and Commission (from God), Obedience to the Call, Revelations, Obstacles along our journey, Rewards and Calling on to Christ throughout the journey. In today’s post, the Holy Spirit will teach us about Strife! Yes, as we go along our journey, we would experience some strife.
[It is our hope that you would pay attention this journey as you go through the year! This year is the Year of God’s Will; it is important to understand the dynamics of our relationship with Christ- and our journey with Him!]
Are you ready for today’s post? Let us get right into it!
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word “strife” means being angry or having a bitter disagreement over fundamental issues. As Christians, we will all experience some strife. This is very important to take note of because strife is a conflict we experience with/ against people who are close to us, i.e., family, close friends, etc. These times are critical because we are sometimes driven by emotion when this happens; it must not be so! During these times we must be in tune with God and fall back to Him for Help. It is easy to confuse the person and the spirit behind the assignment! These are two different entities and must not be confused with each other!
One may ask, “Why does God allow for strife?” Well, the answer is quite simple. We go through this because God wants to ensure that we have zero allegiance to anyone and/ or anything else: apart from Him. We go through this because God wants to teach us to depend solely on Him and on no one else! Now, let us go to the Bible to see an example of this!
In Genesis 13 from verses 10 to 15, we see the strife between Lot and Abram and their herdsmen as well. This was because of the increase in each party’s wealth. The land could not support them. In verses 8 and 9, we see that Abram went to Lot and asked that the strife between them come to an end. Abram suggested that they separate- “If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
From this story of strife, God teaches us many things. A few of them include.
1. Act based on God’s direction and not emotion. If Abram was not a diligent servant of God, he would have used his emotions to handle the situation. The strife could have ended up in a war between the two families. Instead, Abram offered a peaceful solution.
2. We must not be driven by the physical. Lot’s blessings (wealth) came from his decision to follow Abram. God rightfully honored him for the sacrifice. In return, Lot’s was not as focused as Abram. This made it very easy for the enemy to use him as a paw against Abram- leading to Lot’s “downfall”.
3. We must strive to live Christ-like lives. Abram was focused on His assignment and fellowship with God; it reflected in the way he lived his life- he never reacted in various situations but instead acted on God’s Word and direction. We must all strive for this so that the enemy does not find loopholes and have the license to destroy us.
Hallelujah! As you ponder on this message, know that God is available anytime, anywhere- in fact, He is everywhere, at every time. Just call out to Him now!
God richly bless you for reading and I pray this message blesses you!
Being a child of God is a wonderful thing. The road might not always be easy, but God is with you each and every step of the way. Guiding you, helping you and encouraging up. You will never regret this decision; I can assure you of that. Two things I would recommend for you to do are;
1. Get yourself a Bible (in a version you understand) and meditate on it day and night. In Joshua 1:8, we are told that when you meditate on the Word day and night, you will be prosperous and successful.
2. Find a Bible- believing church to attend and fellowship with other Christians. This would help you grow spiritually.
I am excited that you made this decision. Welcome! If you would like some help or more understanding into anything, you can leave a message (adding your email address) and I would be willing and happy to help you out!
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