1 Corinthians 11:19 TPT
Differences of opinion are unavoidable, yet they will reveal which ones among you truly have God’s approval.
Beloved,
As said last time, disagreements are inevitable in any human relationship. It then behooves us to know how to manage them. A good leader ensures that conflicts get resolved to allow for the furtherance of God-given vision. To resolve conflict, deploy the following godly wisdom:
- Pray in the spirit to arrest the negative influence responsible for the altercation. Disagreements are not always mild difference of opinions that can be easily dismissed. Sometimes, they are sponsored by the devil. Sometimes, the devil takes advantage of what was just something minor and it turns into a raging fire. Therefore, manage the spiritual atmosphere of any disagreement.
- Get rid of bias. Be truthful in dealings. Be willing to reach a resolution.
- Identify what exactly is responsible for the conflict. We identified some cause of disagreements last time. You can’t deal with every conflict the same way. By tracing and identifying the source, you will know how to resolve that conflict.
- The parties must be ready to hold a mature and wise conversation, Colossians 4:5-6 MSG, Proverbs 25:9-10 MSG.
- Listen to understand, don’t listen to defend or to attack.
- Deploy agreement and submission. At times, it is necessary to trash out the issue until all parties come to a place of agreement. Other times, one party will have to submit to the other for the sake of peace.
- Control your emotions and reactions.
- Remember that God has given you the ministry of reconciliation, not condemnation.
- Note the lessons learned to avoid future repetition.
In all of this, monitor the conversation by the Holy Spirit and keep flesh under control.
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace.
I call you blessed. I call you NATIONS.
