The Bottom Line, Ministries Christian News, Articles, & Poetry 
“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)
Conflict is everywhere. It is in our workplaces, our friendships, our churches, and yes, even in our homes. In fact, some of the most hurtful conflict occurs in our homes. The places that are supposed to be the “safe places” in our lives can become so volatile that we do not even want to be there.
Jesus came to teach us how to resolve our conflict. And even though it is never the same in each and every situation, the general premise is the same, and will never change. We must utilize the very character traits that Jesus Himself set before us to emulate. When we do that, we will not only gain wisdom in each situation, we will also learn to practice self-control.
Galatians 5:22-24 says this:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”
When these things are employed in the little and large battles of conflict, we show a united front to those who are pressing against us. When we are united with Jesus, there is none who can overcome His influence, or His plans. He will bring us through each situation, and even if we may bear some residual effects, the lessons and the joy from facing the conflict with Him by our side will outweigh everything else. But the important thing here is to realize that when we place our trust and faith in Him, we will never be disappointed. He always delivers on His promises to us, but we must stand tall and strong and show Him that we are willing to step out in faith, use His teachings, and believe.
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Galatians 5:25-26
Once we begin to use Jesus’ ways to face the conflict in our lives, we may easily go off track and begin to believe we, I say WE, are the ones who have succeeded. Once we have crossed over that line, we have not only marched on without Jesus, we also have robbed Him of His glory. And we have set ourselves up for the fall, the big one–you know–the one before the fall.
Pride has no place facing of our conflict. Pride will destroy and deter. It will cheat us of the victory we seek, it will inhibit any restoration of peace between others, when we allow it full throttle. What we should do, instead, is remember Who it is that paves our way. We do well to give the credit, every ounce of it, to Jesus. We can take none, but when we do, we must immediately repent and ask forgiveness. Only then will we be able to truly walk with Him, and then see Him work in our lives in this and every area.
Jesus is Our Hope. And because He is, we must show adoration and total commitment to Him. He will never let us down, and He will never leave us to fight our battles alone when we include Him in our pursuit of peace. Remember, to walk on water we must have faith. To face conflict, we must also have faith. Without faith, we will surely sink.
“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Romans 14:19
Blessings!
Have you faced conflict on your own, and wondered why you failed to beat it? Please go to www.mystoryofgrace.com and share your testimony with us
