Ouch! Have You Been Hurt?
ICS Daily Devotions
James 5:13,16 (NKJV) Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms…. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Conflicts are inevitable in Christian communities due to the different personalities, cultures, backgrounds, and social standings. If we are offended by someone’s remark or action, we must guard against having a pity party, and talking behind their backs. Instead, we should follow God’s way of resolving the conflict.
It will help us if we reposition our lives based on the Bible. We need to practise walking in love if we have conflicts with fellow Christians. Scripture says that it is the responsibility of every believer to pray when they are suffering. Therefore, pray for the person, but also check our hearts if we are overly sensitive to the issue. Then, we should approach the person and talk to them face-to-face to resolve the comment or action that has caused us harm. If the person refuses to settle, then bring a godly person to talk to them. The last resort is to call for the pastor to intervene. Normally, the case could be resolved easily between two spiritually mature Christians who are willing to lay down their lives and their rights to be offended, crucify their flesh, and walk in love.
Thereafter, take time to pray for one another over the unpleasant experience and close the gap so that the devil cannot divide and conquer. It is when we deal with the misunderstandings squarely, confess the trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that we can be healed. No amount of hurt and pain that people have brought into our lives can be fully healed unless we confront it and bring closure to the issue, and pity parties only prolong it by keeping the wound open by dwelling on the problem. It is better to deal with it and bring closure to what is keeping us down and oppressed through the help of God.
Because we live in a fallen and broken world, we will inevitably be hurt by other people, but the more weight we ascribe to other people’s opinions, words, and actions, the more easily we will be hurt and offended. If that person is yourself or a loved one, don’t dwell in a pity party but look to God and draw strength from Him. We need to choose God’s view of us and what He says about us over what other people say, and God has already chosen to see us in Christ. Therefore, if God’s opinion matters the most to us, what other people think and say doesn’t matter as long as our conscience is clear regarding our speech and actions. The new creation realities of who we are in Christ, what we have in Christ, and what we can do in Christ are liberating!
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