Strife has many dangers. But one serious consequence to walking in strife is that it will hinder your prayers by robbing you of one of the greatest promises ever given to us. You can find that promise in Matthew 18:19.

The devil hates agreement between believers. Agreement opens the windows of heaven to us, and it closes the door on every destructive thing he can do. So he will continually try to disrupt that agreement by causing strife and division in the two places where believers come together in the most powerful way: the family and the church.

Until now, you may not have thought of your family as a powerful force for God, but it is if you’re in agreement with one another. So make it your goal to stay out of strife and walk in love at home.

Oddly enough, home is often the most difficult place to be loving. I think that’s because we don’t have our guard up when we’re at home. We’re not worrying about our reputation or trying to impress anyone. At home, nothing will stop you from being selfish—except your commitment to walk in the love of God.

But don’t be fooled into thinking it doesn’t matter how you act at home. It matters a great deal. In fact, years ago, the Lord said this to me and I have never forgotten it: If you allow Satan to stop you with strife at your front door, you’ll be no threat to him anywhere else.

So make the commitment to keep strife out of your home. Learn to live a lifestyle of agreement with your spouse and your children. See to it that your prayers prevail by being in harmony with the members of your family. The moment you mess up and get in strife, make it right. Say to the other person, “Please forgive me. I love you. I don’t want to be in strife with you.” Then say to the Lord, “Father, I repent of that. I’m not going to be a strife person. I refuse to yield to strife. I choose to walk in love.”

You may have to repent quite a bit at first because you’ve probably developed habits that will take awhile to change. But don’t get disgusted with yourself and give up. Just keep acting on the Word, and you’ll continue to mature in love.

Speak the Word

« I keep strife out of my life by acting on the Word. My prayers are effective and not hindered. »  (1 Peter 3:7)