Transform Your Conflict into Deeper Connection
“… if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin.”
1 John 1:7 (TLB)
Conflicts don’t have to divide us. In fact, God can transform our conflicts into deeper connections with others. To turn our conflicts into deeper connections instead of disconnecting and distancing our relationships, we must know the difference between a fight and a fellowship. What is a fellowship? Maybe you’ve heard the simple answer - “A fellowship is two people in the same ship.” I like to look at a fellowship as two people on the same side of a struggle. You know what they call two people on the opposite side of a struggle? A Fight! (or Democrats and Republicans) I hoped you laughed at that! It was a joke … lighten up already!
Seriously though, when you are convinced the other person is wrong and you are right, it’s easy to lose your fellowship with them and your joy in the relationship. But what do you value more – your opinion or your relationship? Learn to fight for the relationship instead of with one another. How do you do that? Get on the same side of the struggle. Identify who the real enemy is in the conflict. Your real enemy is not your spouse or friend. The Bible says we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood. Our real enemy hides behind and sometimes within those with whom we are in conflict. So, how do we maintain fellowship and deepen our connection when we are in a conflict? In 1 John 1:7, an aging apostle offers some wise counsel. If we want to have “wonderful fellowship and joy with each other,” John says, we must “live in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does.” To live in the light of God’s presence, I must learn to practice the presence of God in my life. How consciously aware are you that as a Christ follower, Jesus came by the Holy Spirit to indwell you 24/7? He promised never to leave us or forsake us. He said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20 (TLB). His presence is always with us, yet how often do we live as though He is not there?
As we cultivate the presence of God, His Spirit enables us to experience fellowship and joy with others. That fellowship and joy flow out of a common denominator. It’s not that we agree on everything, but that we are both sinners in need of forgiveness. What enables us to have wonderful fellowship and joy with one another is the fact that the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from every sin. We may not connect in agreement on every issue, but we find our deepest connection in Christ and the blood He shed that our faults, failures, and sins could be forgiven. His sacrifice builds the bridge that reconciles our lives with God and one another.
If you find yourself out of fellowship with others, ask yourself if you are walking in the light of God’s presence as Christ does. What portion of the conflict do you need to own and confess? Then celebrate the joy of forgiveness and get on the same side of the struggle. You’ll see God transform that conflict into a deeper connection.
To read this devotional online or catch up on past ones, visit https://kerryshook.org/blog.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.
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