Conflicts Bring Opportunities

July 25, 2018 | Darrell Hutto

Dear Friends,

Are you living life agitated, irritable, moody with a chip on your shoulder??

Are you driving people away with constant complaining, and negativity??

When life and people give you 'lemons', do not let emotions get the best of you!!

Take a moment; look at your situation through the eyes of God!!

      Our actions, responses, and words reflect our depth of submission to the Lord.  Jesus was faced with all types of conflict yet demonstrated self-control, patience (the fruit of the Spirit) responding to every conflict in a way that pleased His Father.

  See Conflicts as Opportunities.

      We have been given an ability called Grace, which enables us to live the Christian life, which honors both God and mankind.  When we allow our negative emotions to run their free course, we are rejecting the Grace of God.  Grace, God's ability must be embraced and put to exercise.  When a conflict arises and a negative emotion begins to rise up, STOP the negative emotion immediately. 

 Remind yourself,

 "I am a new creation in Jesus". 

"I have patience and will not allow my emotions to rule me."

 "I have Grace, God's ability to respond in a Godly manner."

              By God's Grace, we take every thought, every emotion captive that is contrary to God's nature.  Our new identity in Jesus is being allowed to freely exercise dominion in every conflict.

 Make a choice:

 No longer will we burst out in anger.

 No longer will we condemn and tear down with our uncontrolled words. 

No longer do we see conflict as a torment or just another hassle in life.

              We are learning to be alert to conflict and choosing to respond through God's Grace.  Conflict is an opportunity to grow in the Lord and exercise the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is our new way of living.

  Make a choice:

 Live the New Creation Life in Jesus. 

Embrace the Grace of God.

See every conflict as an opportunity to grow and demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit.

              As we daily choose to walk this way, we will experience the peace of God as never before.

 This is our new way of life.

 It is honoring God but submitting our spirit, soul and body unto Him.

 Enter into the "rest" of God, taking dominion over every undisciplined thought, word & action.

 Exercise the fruit of the Spirit in every conflict.

               You will be a testimony of how a Christian faces conflict.  No One is perfect, but we can all make a deliberate choice to be a disciple of Jesus and daily conform to what He had made us to be:  a new creation in Christ Jesus.  We are not our old self any longer but now a new person, with a new nature in Christ Jesus! 

Be the new person that you are!

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh i live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  I do not frustrate the grace of God:" Gal. 2:20,21a