PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Yesterday, a post on a Christian social media channel infuriated me.
I immediately responded with a comment about how disappointed I was in the divisiveness of the post and unfollowed the channel.
I thought about it several times yesterday, convinced that I was right and mentally planning a post today about how those who call themselves Christians need to be careful with their words and attitudes.
While that is true, I need to be careful with my own attitude too.
I still disagree with the post, and I disagree with the way this organization handled it.
But they are not my enemy.
The real enemy is laughing and rubbing his hands together as he watches Christians argue and divide.
He loves it when I get on my high-horse soapbox and in my self-righteousness, create as much divisiveness as the organization whose social media content infuriated me in the first place!
As I got ready to write MGFL this morning, I realized I need to pray more than anything else.
While I don’t plan to resubscribe to the page, I can pray for wisdom and the Holy Spirit’s direction for this group.
As I write all this, it occurs to me that this is only an appetizer of what’s to come.
The next election season is gearing up and honestly, I dread it.
The last one was horrible with online battles between friends and strangers arguing over candidates and issues.
During the last election, I defriended several people on Facebook and shortly thereafter, the Holy Spirit convicted me about it.
I no longer defriend people on Facebook but that’s another post for another day…
I do plan to tell y’all about it though.
Let’s look at Luke 11:17 and 23 this morning.
Jesus had cast demons out of a possessed man and the Pharisees actually accused Him of being in league with the devil.
This was Jesus’ response to their asinine accusation: “But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters’” (ESV).
We can’t be divided.
We can disagree, but we have to be respectful.
And while I struggle with the various attitudes and responses to certain political issues, no one has to answer to me.
My biggest obligation to my fellow-Christians is a commitment to pray for them.
Not to argue with them.
On a different side note, I really think our country needs a mandatory course on Debating 101.
The seemingly preferred method of “You’re wrong, I’m right, and you’re a stupid dummy head” is really ineffective.
But getting back to the point…
We have to pray for each other, even when we argue and disagree.
And beyond that, we have to pray for ourselves and our own attitudes so that we don’t fall to the temptation of judgment, anger, ungracious attitudes, or unforgiveness.
As Christians who may have nothing in common except a mutual love for Jesus, we are called to gather, not to scatter.
Today, as you pray, thank God for reminders that attitude checks start inward.
Thank Him for reminders to check ourselves before we condemn others.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray for others, even when you disagree.
And that no matter who or what—ask the Holy Spirit to remind you that the real enemy isn’t a person, but a spirit named Satan, who wants to divide us and keep us from gathering in the name of Jesus.
One Response
Very good. Jesus tells us to love our neighbour. Who is our neighbour?
Everyone is our neighbour.
The more Christians argue with each other, the less influence we have in the world. The ‘old enemy’ knows this, and thus, as you say, the enemy laughs when Christians bicker. Let us be aware of those who sow division in the body of Christ.