Skip to main content

Approaching Conflict

Deuteronomy 31:6
“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
People will always disappoint us. It does not matter our relationship or our position, our world is so terribly fallen that we as people are bound to fail one another. This does not give us the right to disregard them because in the moment of disappointment we oftentimes forget that we have been on the giving side also. Uganda has allowed me to realize that my teammates are not perfect and that ministry truly does start in the home. It is so easy to walk away from conflict and allow bitterness to harbor in our hearts but let us not forget that what we hide in our hearts will soon be revealed through our actions. In turn, our relationship with the Lord suffers and our hearts become hardened towards those around us. Christ has called us to love others the way He has loved us and when we allow the pride of our flesh to whisper into our hearts that we are entitled to our self-pity or our anger, we are only deceiving ourselves. Christ was more than entitled to His feelings when He was beaten, bruised, and sent to die on the cross, but in humble submission, He remained faithful to His Father’s will for His life of sacrifice. Why? Because the Lord knew that we were in desperate need of a Savior who on our behalf could wash us with His cleansing blood, taking away the sins which we are not capable of overcoming on our own. Therefore, we no longer have to hide in fear of confrontation, we no longer have to be afraid in the midst of those who have wronged us because it is no longer our battle, it is the battle of He who remains victorious. So let us be quick to keep short accounts because even the midst of the most difficult confrontation, our Lord is there and as Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “He will never leave us nor forsake us.” 

Application
Today, I will approach my teammate who has wronged me in sincere forgiveness. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overwhelming Conflict

Psalms 91:2 “I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.””  This past Sunday, team Uganda had the privilege to lead the two church services. From worship to the sermon, the Lord was present. Having never sung in front of really anyone to being on the worship team and having not one, but two solos, was rather frightening. In addition to having a spirit of fear, the morning of, I was faced with a myriad of conflict as a glob of toothpaste dropped slyly onto the shirt I was planning on wearing, I did not have a necklace to match the shirt I then had to put on, and I ran out of time for curling my hair and ironing my skirt. I knew the enemy was seeking to do whatever he could to focus my eyes on myself rather than on what the Lord was attempting to do in and through me for that day, but I was already defeated and left wondering how a day that had begun so terribly could have a positive outcome. I needed a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spir...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Transformation

Mark 7:17 “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the thins which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.” As I was reading my devotional this morning, it touched on something that I had said early on in my time here in Uganda: “You can’t run from sin because you can’t run from you.” Sin truly does live in my heart and it is only when I run to Jesus, who is the only One who can deliver me from myself, that my heart can be radically transformed. I can and have attempted in my own strength to change my heart, but this has only led to condemnation and failure. The Lord never asked me to fix myself, He has asked me to do nothing other than cry out to Him at street level so that He can fix me in my most broken state. That is how He wants me: battered, bruised, and broken because this is when I am honest; this is when I want nothing more than for the Father to fix what I have ruined, again. But, when I attempt to change what only the L...
Post a Comment
Read more

Slaves for Christ

Romans 6:16 “Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”  Slaves. Most people cringe at this word because they do not want to be owned by something or someone. However, what most people are not aware of is that they are slaves to their sin, which has complete and total ownership of everything that they are. But, where there is fault, there is always redemption. Jesus Christ brought hope to the hopeless so that they might be free, free indeed, from the chains that they are unable to break free from on their own. To be a slave for Jesus is to be a servant and I would much rather be a servant for the Lord than be under the ownership of the things of this world. Before coming to IGNITE, my fire flared vibrantly for everything other than God. I made it to church every Wednesday and every other Sunday - I worked ev...
Post a Comment
Read more