November 9th

Resolved: Fighting the Good Fight

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? ...Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:1,7-8

Let me clear your conscience right now-it is normal to have conflict in your marriage. You are two different people, from two different backgrounds, with two different upbringings, with different ways of doing everything from brushing your teeth to bringing up children. It is not possible for you to cram these vast differences into the same household, the same bed, the same marriage, or the same family without experiencing a measure of conflict.

The question is how you will handle those conflicts?

Our verses today remind us that the ultimate source of all conflict is selfishness-we want something for ourselves and therefore walk over someone else to get it. Granted, many times this is on accident, but it still hurts the person who gets walked on, hence the conflict.

So now we find ourselves in the middle of a conflict. I'm hurt. You're hurt. We're both angry, and now, without realizing it, a wedge has come between us. Our queen bed has become two singles. We are no longer standing together, and instead, we are opposing one another.

How do we come together again? We find something to pursue in common; we refocus our vision on something new, and that something is a someone called God. We submit to God, saying, God, I know You don't want this wedge in my marriage. Please help me to fix it.

Then we resist the devil, choosing to handle the conflict in a loving way that refuses to lower itself to accusation and pointing of fingers. We choose instead the high road of preferring one another and seeking the other person's benefit.

Then, together, we draw near to God and wait as He draws near to us, bringing His peace to resolve our conflict, restore our marriage, and heal our hearts. This is like revisiting your wedding day, when you and your spouse both independently approached the altar, yet left unified.

If your marriage is divided today, choose to come back to the altar. Submit yourself, your spouse, and your marriage to God. Resist the devil. Draw near to God, and watch as He begins to transform your marriage into all you dreamed it would be.

Prayer Lord God,

You are the creator of marriage, and I want to honor You! Come help me in my marriage and bring peace to our conflicts. Bring us back to the same side and heal our hearts. Thank You for healing my marriage!

Amen