A Prayer for Strife in Friendships - Your Daily Prayer - September 25

A Prayer for Strife in Friendships
By Emily Rose Massey

Bible Reading
“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:16-17, ESV).

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Several years ago, a dear friend of mine began to embrace certain theological beliefs. Since our former similar views were what we initially bonded over, it felt like a personal betrayal. Instead of talking to her directly about these issues, I began creating social media posts and blog posts in response to her changing theology and talking to others about what was happening. She was sharing these newfound theological views with her 20,000 followers on social media, and I wanted to silence her somehow. I became so frustrated and burdened by the whole situation that it was physically impacting me in negative ways. It consumed my mind daily. I wanted to be the right one, and that was not how it should have been handled at all. In fact, it was not Christlike whatsoever.

James 3:16 says:

“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”

My deceived heart was convinced that my behavior was justified by my “righteous anger” for the sake of truth, but, honestly, I was more concerned with the fact that I would be the one with the better theology.

I did not pay attention to the truth found in James 3:17:

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”

We are incapable of walking in purity, peace, gentleness, mercy, sincerity, and impartiality without God’s grace. As Christ followers, we are to turn from jealousy and selfish ambition and ask the Lord to help us fight the temptation when those fleshly desires try to take root in our hearts. We can be certain that if we allow jealousy and selfish ambition to exist in our hearts, our relationships will be gravely affected, bringing strife and chaos. Jealousy and selfish ambition are cultivated in our hearts the more we focus inward and ignore how our thoughts and behavior might affect someone else or how we view them. We remain bound in self-centered thinking when we do not reach out to the person for an open and honest conversation, especially when there is a disagreement or misunderstanding. When it comes to a disagreement about truth, we need to be more concerned with God being right (because He is) than with winning an argument. Unfortunately, the damage from my selfishness and stubbornness severed my relationship with my friend. I distanced myself from her, the friendship drifted apart over time, and communication between us ended. I have since repented and received the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness. It has served as a major lesson in how to handle disagreement and differences in my relationships as I seek to be others-focused, offering the peace and gentleness of Christ and not allowing my emotions to rule me. By God’s grace, I have grown in my relationships by depending upon Christ and spending time in His word to renew my mind. I fall short every day, but God’s grace is sufficient as I abide in Him and seek to walk in His perfect ways, showing His peace and love to others. Oh, how we need His grace moment by moment to love as He loves!

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father,

I know because of Your Son’s sacrifice on the cross, I have been freed from the power and punishment of sin, but until I see You face to face, the presence of sin still exists here on this earth. That means I will often be faced with the temptation to choose either my own way or Your way. Lord, I do not want strife, division, and chaos to rule in my heart and life. I long to walk in Your wisdom by becoming others-focused and show Your mercy and pure peace to all my friends. Forgive me when I choose selfishness over selflessness, especially in disagreements with others. I need Your empowering grace to help me fight that temptation to be the one who is always right. Your truth matters, but only because You are the One who is right, and I want to point others to You, not to myself. Thank You for Your mercy that is new every morning. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Photo Credit: GettyImages/Prostock-Studio

Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a homeschooling momma of four boys, while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in God’s written word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.emilyrosemassey.com.

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