You can’t fight the enemy if you don’t recognize the enemy. God has given us the armor and the victory, but we can’t use the armor if we don’t recognize the strategy and attacks of the enemy. We fight from a place of victory, and we’ve got everything we need to walk boldly in it.
It’s critical for us to recognize how the enemy operates. Deception is one of the tools in his arsenal. Pride is another. If he can deceive us into believing we’re not getting something we think we deserve, then the result is discord and broken relationships.
Where pride comes in is when we’re unwilling to talk to our brother or sister about what’s going on. Deception causes us to believe it won’t make a difference and pride can cause us to walk out of the very place God sent us to because He wanted to bless us, and bless others through us, there. It’s about connection. When the enemy can keep us disconnected then we’re not as powerful as God created us to be.
“How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! It’s like costly anointing oil flowing down head and beard, flowing down Aaron’s beard, flowing down the collar of his priestly robes. It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon flowing down the slopes of Zion. Yes, that’s where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life.” (Psalm 133:1-3 MSG)
It’s in unity that we are blessed. That’s one of the biggest reasons the enemy wants to destroy relationships, familial and spiritual. We should not become pawns of the devil! None of us would knowingly allow ourselves to be used by Satan, yet every time we choose offense over love, leaving overstaying, fighting the good fight of faith over giving up, that is exactly what we’re doing – advancing the kingdom of darkness.
Yes, people are going to treat us wrong – on purpose and by accident. We’re not responsible for how they act but we are responsible for how we act and react. We must do everything we can to preserve unity.
"If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." (Romans 12:18 AMPC)
Unity is so important Jesus prayed that we would be one which means He has given us everything we need to walk in unity.
“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.” (John 17:22 NLT)
If you have allowed a spirit of offense to sever a relationship, say you hate someone, wish them harm, cut them out of your life without making an attempt to choose peace and healing then you may want to question if you really have a relationship with God.
“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?” (I John 4:20 NLT)
It’s easy to love the lovable, however, God calls us to love everyone. As believers we don’t get to pick and choose! For believers to choose discord over restoration then somewhere along the line someone’s connection to God has gotten weaker or may have been severed altogether. I don’t care who you are, if you’re not walking in love, then you’re not walking with God! To be disconnected from God is not a place to be.
Stay tuned, because God isn't finished with me yet!
Be Encouraged! ❤