Strife is Satan’s playground
James 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Have you ever been involved in what people call major sins? Perhaps you have not. But you need to know that one sure way that leads to major sins is strife. Strife means conflict or trouble between people. There are some people who boast of never having being involved in what people call the major sins like murder, sexual immorality and devil worship. But all the while they dabble in strife.
What they do not know is that major sins are birthed from minor sins. Strife may appear a very small matter in human sight, but in the eyes of God it is a very big issue. The reason God sees it so is because strife has a great potential of leading to murder, and every kind of evil if it goes unchecked. The wisdom of God where strife is concerned is to be careful to nip it in the bud. It is written in Proverbs 17:14, “The beginning of strife is as when water first trickles (from a crack in the dam); therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.”
Probably you have heard a few stories about a commuter omnibus conductor being involved in a fatal strife with a passenger. What intrigued me most about such incidents was the amount of money that was involved. In all the cases I heard the amount was less than five rand. You would not think two rand is worth dying for. But what the people involved failed to understand was that strife could lead to a very tragic end.
Many families, marriages, political parties, churches and business partnerships have been torn apart by strife. A marriage often saddled with strife will usually end in divorce or tragic separation. Thank God for new churches; they are helping expand the kingdom of God in new ways old churches could not do. However, most of the new churches were formed after leaders were separated by strife. And unless steps to forgive and harmonise relationships are taken Satan will always use the opened door of strife to keep believers in spiritual bondage.
God commands us to stand against it because where strife is there is confusion and every evil work. In other words, strife is the playground of Satan. God dwells in peace but Satan dwells in strife. It is very difficult for you to fight a winning battle with a crocodile in water. Likewise, it is very hard for you to fight Satan in his domain and win. God knows that we cannot live in strife and successfully stand against the onslaughts of Satan. It is a must that we avoid strife or stop it for us to overcome the devil.
A piece of advice from Gloria Copeland can help us to deal way with strife. She wrote, “So, I urge you today to take a big stand against those little opportunities for strife. If you have a tendency to let things irritate you, decide to overcome that tendency. Arm yourself against them with the knowledge that this world isn’t perfect, that there are people in it that aren’t going to be nice to you. There are people who are going to stir you up and annoy you – on purpose or by accident. Make up your mind that, by the power of God, you are not going to let them get your peace. Peace will put you in a place where God can guide your steps and save you from some very grave mistakes.
For prayer and counselling call 0772889766 or email mairos78@yahoo.co.uk
