I’m not Wrestling with you!

Have you ever had that friend…

you know that one

the one you were close to and you trusted them

and then

they turned on you.

and now you are in the middle of a conflict of emotion, relation and will.

Have you ever had a friendship come to the point of breaking apart?

Have you ever been a part of a church..

you know that one

the one that you loved,

the one you felt God working in

the one you found encouragement every time you went

and then

things changed

and people turned on each other and acted in ways that…

shocked you…

and now the church is in the middle of a conflict of emotion, relation and will.

Have you ever seen a church family come to the point of breaking apart?

I have… and chances are you have too.

So what do you do in those situations?

The first thing you do is identify the enemy, the one or ones that are causing the mess in the first place.

and guess what…

its not them

its not him

its not her

“they” the people involved are not the enemy…

they are just being used by the enemy as a war tool of destruction.

it is not them, the humans that are involved, that we are wrestling with…

its Satan, and his forces… the demons.

Seldom does he ever come to the forefront to fight. Instead he moves, and maneuvers people into states of being, moving them to feel a certain way pushing them to act a certain way, so they will go out for him and cause destruction.

He alway causes destruction and confusion… always.

To recognize this, that we are not wrestling with “them” we are wrestling with evil powers we cannot see. Prevents us from striking back at the person that is causing division… it helps us see them as people not enemies.

So,

our approach to handling the problem is better, it brings healing into the situation, healing that Jesus died for.

We go to restore the relationship, not to strike at it

We go with an offer of forgiveness, both in asking for it and giving it, we do not go to accuse.

We go with the purpose of working it out, thus judging the situation with the right set of eyes…

After all… they are not the enemy… satan is.

and our prayer is…

He will not win!

Ephesians 6:10-20; Luke 18:1-8