Conflicts in Life
After a teaching session in a training program, a missionary approached me and said, “I have conflicts in my mission field with my co-workers and others. It is due to caste problem”. When I heard the statement, I was shocked, because I never expected these problems and conflicts among the missionaries. I counselled him for some time and sent him to another leader who helped him to solve the problem.
On the same day, I went to the Library. There I read a book, which gave me the secret behind the conflicts in the life of missionaries. In that book, I read that the missionaries had left their jobs, their friends their relatives, their security, their loved ones and even their culture and went to a distant place, but they took with them one thing the self or flesh which was the root cause for all the relationship problems among missionaries.
Somebody said, “We can very easily manage many unbelievers. But it is very difficult to manage a few believers involved in a ministry”. The main reason for conflicts among believers is due to the dominion of the flesh or self. The Bible says that the proper place for the flesh is the Cross ‘And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires’ (Gal 5:24). When a believer fails to crucify the flesh on the cross, and keep it at the center of his life, it leads to conflicts among believers. Let us study the effect of flesh on the lives of believers and the steps to be taken to overcome it.
A)Effects Of Flesh
- Produces evil works: “Now the works of the flesh are evident which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions dissensions, 43heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19-21).
- Dominates the mind: “Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others Ep. 2:3
- Forces to commit sin: “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do, the things that you wish, (Gal. 5:17).
- Makes to reap corruption: “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption” (Gal. 6:8a).
B) Steps To overcme the flesh
- Make no provisions for it: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts” Rom.13:14.
- Do not walk in the flesh: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but accordingbto the Spirit” Rom. 8:1.
- Do not live according to the flesh: “Therefore, brother we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” Rom. 8:12,13.
- Crucify the flesh with its passions on the Cross: ‘And those who are Christ’shave crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” Gal. 5:24. Even in the midst of revival in the first century, there arose conflict among the believers. It was due to the partiality between believers based on the race (caste) and the physical needs. So the twelve disciples called others and chose seven men of good reputation and delegated the responsibility of solving the problem to them. They solved the problem and the outcome was three-fold (Acts 7:7).
a) The word of God spread.
b) The number of disciples increased in Jerusalem
c) Many priests were obedient to the faith.
Shall we give priority to solve the conflict as per the Biblical strategy of delegation and give priority to prayer and the ministry of the Word of God?
(Dr. C Barnabas, Translated from True Discipleship July 1993)