• Home
  • About This Blog
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • Comment Policy

Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
Home Bible Reflection Remember the real enemy – it may not be who you think

Remember the real enemy – it may not be who you think

Posted on June 8, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments


EnemyThere is no perfect church. Every church is populated with people who struggle with pride and selfishness just like you and I do. Every church has leaders who struggle with pride and selfishness. As a result, conflict is inevitable. It’s going to happen. In James 4:1-3 we see that such conflict was an issue in the First Century church.

When conflict happens, we should keep in mind who the real enemy is. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us that our real enemy is the devil who prowls around looking for those he can devour. Unfortunately we, as church members, sometimes aid him in his devouring. We, knowingly or unknowingly, participate in behavior that creates conflict.

It is important to keep in mind that the church member or church leader who creates the conflict is not the enemy. The real enemy is far more nefarious (this word just sounds creepy) and subtle. The real enemy wants you to think that your brother or sister in Christ is the enemy so that he can continue his work of destruction undetected.

If we keep in mind the real enemy, it should make it easier to forgive the one with whom we’ve had the conflict and work toward reconciliation. Even if the conflict cannot be reconciled, forgiveness takes the conflict off your plate and frees you up to move forward without being bogged down.

Keep the ultimate source of the conflict in mind, deal with your part of it before the Cross, forgive and move forward. The concept is easy to understand, but is so difficult to do.


Filed Under: Bible Reflection Tagged With: Conflict, forgiveness, James, Leader, Peter

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

Follow Attempts at Honesty

Honesty in your Inbox

The Skill of the Craftsman

I was reading Augustine’s Confessions this morning where he mentions a treatise by Cicero called Hortensius as the means by which God began to change Augustine’s heart. Thinking that it would be interesting to read this work, I searched for a copy only to find out that Hortensius is a lost work. My initial reaction […]

Along the right paths

One of the advantages of reading a different version of the Bible, one that you are not familiar with, is that a different reading can trigger an insight that you never saw before. This happened to me this morning as I read Psalm 23 in the Christian Standard Bible. In that translation the verse 3 […]

Sheep

Coining a new term – Sociopastor

Why do we think a good outcome will be obtained when we put someone with any of these traits in charge? Do we really need someone who will drive his agenda for the organization so hard that there is no concern for the individual members?

Forgetting the past

The blessing of forgetting

Perhaps forgetting is choosing to no longer let those things determine our path forward. The choice is to not let those things define us but allow God to give us a fresh start.

Love and Fear

The truth is that I am not strong enough. And it is not my ability to love that will cast out fear. It is a right understanding of who God is and how much he loves me that will take away my fear.

Post Series

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
April 2023
SMTWTFS
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30 
« Feb    

Categories

Archives

Blogger Grid
Follow me on Blogarama

Copyright © 2023 · Focus Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in