“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.”
II Corinthians10:3NKJV
Conflict and strife are unavoidable. We have to remember that our fight is not with people. We fight in the spirit. Unfortunately, the enemy is calculating in getting us to fight one another by creating strife amongst us. It is a spirit that we have to guard against.
In marriage counseling we tell couples they are not each other’s enemy. They are friends on the same side fighting against the evil one. We cannot allow our conflicts to spiral out of control creating enmity between our loved ones and friends. How do we guard against this? By loving others. This is why Jesus said the second command was to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are told to even love our enemies.
If we are able to recognize that the catalyst in our conflicts with other is actually spiritual then we can understand why we are told that we do not war in the flesh. One of our weapons is love. Jesus doesn’t commend us for loving those that love us back. We are encouraged to love all along with God. Actually, the Bible says if we say we love God and hate our brethren then God is not in us. Often times the proof of our love is how we resolve conflict and strife in our relationships. It is not always easy, but we have the Holy Spirit to guide us and if we walk according to the Spirit the fruit of the spirit will fulfill the law to love other.
So, remember our battle is not with people. We are to try and live in peace and harmony with others. Even if we are wronged, we are told to forgive others.
Reflections 