Keep the peace!

I've said this many times before, but we need to work together if we want to accomplish anything significant. I get it; God will weed out the "fake" from the "real." I do believe in healthy and necessary separation. But we must first look at the reasons we separate; most of the time, it is more EMOTIONAL than SCRIPTURAL.

We need to be careful that our decision to move on or push others away is not based on our offenses. Our offenses are often tied to the lies of the enemy. He will do whatever it takes to cause division amongst the body of Christ, and to be honest; we make it easy for him to do it. If someone says the wrong thing, looks at us the wrong way or makes us feel a certain way, we become offended. At the same time, the enemy is speaking to us, influencing our minds and hearts. "They don't really like you. They hurt you on purpose. They don't see your value." These lies will begin to spew from his mouth and will get us all worked up. Once we have given into these lies, a wedge has started to drive into our relationships.

Instead of being looking for a reason to divide, we should be FIGHTING for unity. I want to be a peacemaker, not one who breaks relationships based on my emotions or the enemies' lies. So how can we keep the peace? First off, we must be intentional about it. We have to defend our unity as the enemy attempts to destroy it. So here are three things we can do to keep unity.

1. Love one Another.

I know this is simple, but if we truly lived out the love of Christ, we would forgive easier, apologize faster, and sacrifice for others more often. LOVE will bridge the gap!

2. Honor One Another.

Instead of fighting to receive the honor, we should be fighting to give the honor. I love the way Paul puts it in the book of Romans. He says, " Outdo one another in showing honor."

3. Keep Our Eyes on the Mission.

If we all keep our focus on saving souls, we may not have enough time to let the little things bother us. If the devil can get us distracted, it's easier to get us divided. We should be cheering one another on as we move the Kingdom of God forward. Let's stop focusing on all of each other's mistakes and keep our eyes on the Mission of Jesus.

Don't let the lies of the enemies and your emotions cause division. LEt's fight for unity! Honor one another. Love one another. And keep your eyes on the mission of Jesus.