|
Messages
April - May 2008 E-Zine
Jan - Feb 2008 E-Zine
Fragmentation Following THE CALL
Pray for Our Port Cities
Salvaging Faith
Let There Be Joy
Feuds & Disagreements
The Year Of The Woman
The Marriage of the Prophetic and Faith
The Lord of the Rings
House of Prayer
Saul's new Armor
From "Sin to Signs"
Today's Man
Handwriting on Wall
True Justice
Turning Things Right-side Up .... |
Articles, Studies, & Prophetic Words
Subscribe To Our Newsletter !!!
Feuds &
Disagreements -- How to End the Strife
My heart has been
troubled by the feuds and disagreements within the Body of
Christ. In a day when there is so much darkness occurring
around the earth, and the anointing for harvest is so
apparent, the enemy has successfully breached the walls of
the Church again – from WITHIN.
This enemy – strife -- must be put under our feet if we are
to move forward into GREATER WORKS, because the Lord
revealed to us in James 3:16 that where strife is present,
so is every evil work.
How would the Lord have us to do it? What is the strategy
for defeating strife?
Prepare yourself. To our natural ears, it is a difficult
thing that the Lord asks. However, the Lord's ways are
higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our
thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8)
Starting Over
There is a human mentality that says, "I deserve what I've
worked for." Many of us have spent a long time, if not a
lifetime, preparing for this day. Some have saved, worked
hard, gone to school, served others or paid their dues in
various ways, but most all have been through a process that
says, "This is mine. I'm not starting over." Even if we're
"not there yet," we're still unwilling to start over.
This sounds quite reasonable; the problem is that it is
contrary to what the Lord is actually saying at this time.
To many, He is saying, "Start over."
We don't want to hear this. Instead, we search out promises
of glory – a hope and a future better than this.
Therein lays the subtle deception. In our subconscious, we
think we know better than God, and God couldn't possibly be
leading us to "that!" The truth is that ALL of God's words
are promises of glory, whether they look that way or not.
I'm sure the stable didn't look too glorious 2,000 years
ago, but we know now in retrospect that the world was
changed as a result of what God did in that little stable.
Even when the Lord asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on the
altar, it WAS a promise of glory. I'm certain it didn't seem
that way to Abraham. He had waited his whole life for this
promise to come to pass, and now the Lord wants him to give
it up! Is He crazy?
Had Abraham not been willing to lay his promise on the
altar, he – and his descendants (including you and I) –
would not have been inheritors of the promise. Had Abraham
not opened the door on earth for the ultimate sacrifice –
his son, then the door of heaven could not have been opened
for God's ultimate sacrifice – His Son.
Starting over – laying aside what we've attained thus far –
can ultimately be the greatest thing we'll ever do. And many
of our squabbles are over holding onto our own. Much of the
strife ends right here before going any further.
The Key of David
The Lord has been speaking to me a great deal about the key
of David. We have many ideas of what that means. In light of
today's message, let me put forth this aspect of the key of
David: We hold the key in our own hands for our prosperity
or our demise.
Regardless of whether we say it or believe it, it IS on
earth as it is in heaven. Why? Because heaven is either
opened or shut for us based on the key we put in the lock.
We shut doors that no one can open, and we open doors that
no one can shut.
What does this have to do with feuds, disagreements and
striving?
We hold a key in our hands that will either fuel this
contention in our lives or shut the door to it in heavenly
realms, resulting in the doors shutting in the earthly realm
as well.
We can hold onto what we perceive is ours – our gain, our
spoil, our wage, our reward – or we can do as our Heavenly
Father so beautifully modeled and give.
The end or the beginning?
In a recent meeting, I shared about the new beginnings the
Lord is offering to His people. It is troubling to many,
because these new beginnings look like starting over, and
not many of us want to start all over again.
Starting over is the perception. The reality is that you
stand at the threshold of something new and better. You are
not losing or giving up all you had before; you are simply
moving forward into something else. What appears to be a
loss or a demotion is really an opportunity. You are simply
standing at the foot of a ladder that will propel you higher
and further into God's plans and purposes for your life than
you've ever before been.
To hear the message on Ladders of Opportunity, you can
click here to this link and click on
the appropriate message title..
So, here you are. You're staring at two possibilities. You
can stay where you are, doing the same thing, or you can lay
it all down, walk away, and find yourself at the foot of the
ladder.
The ladder that the Lord showed to Jacob was set on the
earth, and it reached to heaven. Selah. (Pause and meditate
on this.)
The sky is the limit on this new opportunity!
There is no loss in God. He is a God of forward motion. He
does not lose ground; He does not get smaller. When He came
to earth as a man, He was not lesser; He was getting ready
to multiply Himself many times over!
So, what do we do? Stay at this place, or take a chance on
the new thing?
Strategy
Now, here's how the ladder of opportunity fits in with the
end to the feuds, disagreements and strife.
The Lord revealed a strategy in scripture that He has
highlighted for this season. Here it is:
When Abraham traveled to the land he did not know to follow
this unknown God who had suddenly made Himself known to
Abraham, Abraham brought his nephew Lot with him. He had
treated Lot as his son, and Abraham's prosperity had
extended to Lot. Lot's tent grew with Abraham's. (This means
that as Abraham increased, Lot increased.)
So much growth and prosperity took place that the land could
no longer contain the both of them. They would have to
separate. Notice that I said "separate" and not "divide."
There is a big difference. The Lord separates; satan
divides. Separation can still mean friendship; division
usually means war, hatred or at the very least bitterness
and resentment.
What was the Lord's strategy that He gave to His man,
Abraham, at that time? The herdsmen of the two men were in
strife, and there was continual conflict between the two
camps. As it became clear that a separation had to take
place, what was God's man led to do?
He gave. (This is God's example to us. He gives.)
Abraham showed Lot the land set out before them that he had
been given by the Lord, and do you know what he did? Instead
of choosing the best part for himself and giving Lot the
other part, which he rightfully could have done, he gave Lot
the choice. He offered it all to Lot and told him to choose.
Abraham allowed Lot to choose the portion he wanted, and Lot
chose. He chose the choicest land for himself -- The green,
fertile lands of the Jordan so his herds would be
well-watered with plenty of pasture land, and the ground
would be rich for growing crops. In addition, the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah nearby provided opportunity for trade and
increased wealth.
I'd say Lot was showing respect and gratitude toward his
uncle for all he had done for him. WRONG! Lot was being
greedy and looking out for himself, taking no concern for
the well-being of his gracious uncle's household and flocks.
His move toward the cities of sin is symbolic of the choice
he was making. He was moving himself and his household
closer to the sin that was tempting his heart. Greed always
moves us closer to greater sin; it's a precursor to things
that hold hands with greed, things we might never do until
we've given in to greed. Greed is a sign of the contents of
our heart. Our motives are revealed by the choices we make.
Why This Strategy Works
Here's the moral of the story and the point of the article:
By allowing Lot to choose and allowing him to take the best
part for himself, Abraham actually stored up treasure in
heaven. It appeared that the younger man was going to
prosper for his greed, but actually, the Lord prospered
Abraham so greatly as a result of his self-sacrifice and
trust in God that his household multiplied to the extent
that he could later defeat four kings to come to the aid of
his nephew Lot who had been taken hostage by those warring
kings.
Abraham remembered the promise of God, and he knew that
Lot's choice of land would not hinder God's promise of
provision. Abraham knew the boundaries the Lord had promised
him, and just as no man could deliver that Promised Land
into Abraham's hands, no man could take it out of his hands
either.
We would do well in these days to remember the promises of
God and remember that mortal man cannot fulfill nor deny the
promises of God. It is our faith that inherits the promises,
and that faith is working hardest for us when it is the most
difficult to believe. Abraham hoped against hope for the
promise; We must do the same.
To put an end to strife, feuds and disagreements in the
Body, the Lord is telling us to give the choicest land to
our brother. Whatever it is that we are arguing over, refuse
to hold onto what you believe is yours. Give your brother
the choice. Offer up the land, and let him decide. It's a
win-win situation for you. If he chooses the lesser portion,
you have your reward without the strife. If he chooses the
better portion, the Lord will provide that plus so much
more. Either way, you are free of contention, which clears
the way for so many more of God's blessings, by getting the
garbage out of God's camp.
Jesus' Principle Too
This principle was reinforced in the life of Jesus when He
said, "If someone asks for your tunic, give him your cloak
as well. If someone forces you to walk a mile. Walk two with
him instead. If someone strikes you on the cheek. Turn the
other cheek to him as well."
The Lord's strategies are clear, and they work every time.
Man's ways will fail you, but God's ways will bring you
success. Every time.
Go in peace, and blessed be the name of the Lord.
Tracy M. Schellhorn
Jun 28, 2006
Notes from Journal
Entry dated June 12, 2006:
|
