Do you consider yourself a Christian? Do you follow the teachings of Jesus Christ? Jesus said, He who belongs to God hears what God says (John 8:47). Jesus teaches us about love, which means you should have a brotherly concern for others, he teaches us about peace, which simply means that there should be harmony in your personal relationships, and he teaches us about understanding which translates into having an adjustment of differences. How good it is when brothers live together in unity (Psalm 133:1). We can disagree without being disagreeable.
When you find your emotions taking control and you are about to quarrel with someone, you should take the time to examine the relationship. You should ask the questions. “Why are we about to quarrel? What is this really about? Is this really important, will it matter tomorrow or will it be forgotten? What am I trying to prove? Is this how Jesus would act?” What ever happens conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. (Philippians 1:27). Your conduct reflects your belief in God. What message does your conduct reflect? Even a child is known by his actions by whether his conduct is pure and right. (Proverb 20:11)
There are times that you may feel it is necessary to defend your position or give your opinion, but it is not necessary for you to become verbally abusive or argumentative. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. (James 1:26)
You really should attempt to understand the methods Satan uses to disrupt your Christian walk. Satan enslaves us by our emotions. He uses anger, he uses bitterness, resentment, jealousy, and fear. He tries to destroy our faith and our effectiveness. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31, 32) The Devil fights an invisible war. He wants you to discard him and make statements such as; you can’t blame everything on him, the devil doesn’t exist, or he’s not that powerful. We should not glorify him, but recognize him for what he is. He is the father of all lies and he hates God’s people.
I overheard a statement that went like this. “You and the Devil cannot be happy at the same time.” Why is that you ask. Well, think about it. When you are happy, the Devil is mad because you’re happy. When you are mad, the Devil is happy because you’re mad. As long as you are quarreling with someone, mad at someone, upset, hurt, or angry, the Devil is excited. He’s probably having a picnic with his cronies. He doesn’t have to work as hard while you are in that state of mind. After the quarrel comes hurt, bitterness, resentment, frustration, and lack of communication. The Devil’s intentions are to keep you that way. It doesn’t have to be like that. “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:26, 27).
If you were hungry and someone offered you a plate of food, would you eat it? Well the Lord is offering a full course meal. How about a plate of Salvation, a plate of Restoration, a plate of Joy and Righteousness, along with Wisdom, Patience and Understanding?. There are many side dishes, such as peace, compassion, hope, love and joy and there are plenty leftovers.
