Don't Let Strife Steal Your Joy

What is strife? Strife is an argumentive spirit of the devil. He uses strife to tear Christians down everyday. Then he gets a foothold in on their lives, because when strife is present then the devil is present in your heart. How do we stay out of strife? It ain't easy. But then Jesus never said being a follower of Him would be easy. In fact, He tells us just the opposite. He tells us that if He, Himself was persecuted, then we will be persecuted as well. Some people are just jealous of what you have as a Christian, if you are living like you should, then you have JOY, ABUNDANCE OVERFLOWING, PEACE, FAVORTISM just to name a few.

They are jealous and they want what you have but they don't want to do what you to do to have that. They don't want to lay down their lives for CHRIST and live for Him. Oh sure, they will go to church on Sundays, sit in a pew, smile and pretend they are all about JESUS, but then when they leave and some one cuts them off in traffic or steals their parking place closest to the restaruant door, then that spirit bucket they tried to fill up at church just fell over and spilt all in the floorboard of their car. Silly as that may sound, that is about how it works with a lot of church goers. They go once a week, and that is the only time they give to the LORD, their SAVIOR, whom they say they love??? So it is no wonder that the devil works through these people to cause strife with other Christians.

How easy we as Christians make it for the devil to cause us strife. He likes using Christians against Christians because then everyone else is looking at you and thinking why would I want to be a Christian if that is how they behave. They act as if they hate each other. WOW!!! I see it in the workplace everyday. I watch and listen as those who tell others about how they go to church, sit and tear down the people around them. I listen as they talk disrepectful to others, or mostly about other people. Then come Sunday, they go and sit on their pew and smile and pretend and play the game of being a CHRISTIAN.

We have to learn to not be easily offended. We have to practice everyday to stay out of strife. We have to have the word of GOD in us and in our hearts so that when situations arise and strife rears its ugly head, we can walk away and not fall into Satan's trap. Paint this picture. Satan is standing there with a piece of fly paper which is strife, just waiting for us to stick to it. Then he will take you and examine your heart and see where else he can cause you harm, because you let him in when you got into strife with your neighbor.

It is a choice we have to make. We can choose strife just to prove ourselves right about something whether we are or not, or we can choose JESUS. Which will you choose? Will you choose to sell Jesus out just so you can make that snide comment about someone behind their back? Will you choose to sell Him out, just so you can win an argument?

What is Jesus worth to you? Is He worth some of your time everyday in His word, or is He just worthy of a pew seat on Sundays?

Romans 13 v 13-14......Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkeness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, an make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts......

1 Tim. 6 v 4-5.....he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourselves......

John 15 v 20a......Remember the word that I said to you, A servant is not greater than his Master, if they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you....

Lord, I pray today that you will keep strife away from me. I pray LORD that you will not let any thing that would cause me to get into strife enter my hearing. I pray LORD that you fill me so full with your word and your Spirit that nothing of this outside world can penetrate the walls of my heart. I pray LORD you help me to be more like JESUS in everything I say and do and think. I pray LORD that you will protect me from strife in the workplace. I pray LORD that you will help me to love those who would want to cause me strife. LORD, I pray for those who want to cause strife, that the devil would lose his hold on them, and they would be free of strife as well. I pray these things in JESUS NAME, MY SAVIOR. Save me from strife LORD. AMEN!

RTB.....Mark 13-15......