Q: What can I do about strife in my church?

We can take a lesson from the church at Corinth. Because of strife and division, Paul had to write to them, “When I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life” (1 Corinthians 3:1).

Even though they were Christians, through envy and strife they had opened the door to confusion and every evil work (James 3:16). Believers who walk as carnal, natural men and do not consistently practice the love walk make themselves available to be taken captive by Satan at his will (2 Timothy 2:20-26).

We encourage you to take your spiritual authority and bind the spirits of strife and deception. Then loose the love of God to rule in your church. Be prepared to spend time in prayer.

Make the quality decision to walk in love yourself and avoid arguing or gossiping with anyone. Take the Word of God and pray the end results, not the problem (Colossians 1:9-14). James 5:16 assures us, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” You can make a difference as you stand on the Word and pray for your church until you see the answer.

As long as there is more than one person in a church, there will be opportunity for disagreement. Through prayer and a commitment to love, your church will rise above such disagreements and become an effective witness to a lost and dying world!