“These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren” (Prov. 6:16-19).
If you’ve made a commitment to keep strife out of your home, you may have noticed a new front-line battle: more pressure than ever to get in strife in your church!
Maybe the devil has provoked someone to be rude to you and hurt your feelings. Or maybe he made sure you found out about something someone else did wrong, and then you talked about it to others.
When he presents you with that opportunity, turn him down – fast! Treat that temptation to gossip and stir up strife like you would a poisonous snake, because in the eyes of God, participating in strife in the Church is one of the most serious of sins (Prov. 6:16-19).
God considers stirring up strife such a grave sin that He lists it alongside murder and lying. So stay away from it. Ask God to reveal to you if you’ve entered into strife inadvertently. He may remind you of a time you passed along some gossip or criticized the pastor.
If He does, repent, and be more conscious of those things in the future. Determine in your heart that from now on, if you see your brother sin, you’ll believe God for him and pray for him instead of perpetuating that brother’s problem by talking to everyone about it. I realize sometimes that seems extremely difficult to do.
But here’s something that will help you. When you’re tempted to get in strife by judging a fellow believer, remember Romans 14:4 and ask yourself, “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant?”
The devil will try to push you into making a decision about that person, to say whether he’s guilty or not guilty. But don’t give in to that pressure. It’s not your job to judge others. (Isn’t that a relief?)
First Corinthians 4:5 says, “Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”
If you’re in a church where the pastor has done wrong, and you feel you don’t want to follow him, that’s fine. I don’t blame you. Leave that church and go to one with a pastor you can trust and respect. But do it quietly.
Don’t sow discord before you go. Most important of all, wherever you go, be sure to go in love. Go in love and guard diligently against strife. When you do, you will keep your faith strong and your blessings out of the devil’s hands. Walk in love and you will always live in victory!
Speak the Word: I determine to walk in love. I do not sow discord among the brethren for that is an abomination to God (Prov. 6:16,19).
For Further Study: Proverbs 26:20-21; Romans 14
Daily Scripture Reading: Job 12-13; Revelation 5
Excerpt permission granted by
Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc.
aka: Kenneth Copeland Ministries
For the last 50 years Kenneth and Gloria Copeland have been passionately teaching Christians all over the world how to apply the principles of faith found in God's WORD to their lives.
They have seven ministry offices around the world: United States, Canada, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Ukraine and Latin America. Their God-given directive is to preach and teach the uncompromised WORD of God on every available voice, which is being accomplished through a variety of channels, including our Believer's Voice of Victory TV and radio broadcasts, podcast and magazine; Believers' Conventions, Victory Campaigns and Living Victory meetings; published books, website, and social media channels, to name a few.
With the expansion of technology, they have more work to do now than ever. They are determined to let the world know Jesus is LORD, and they are not slowing down anytime soon!