By Josephine Lim-Weston
In the midst of disagreement, discontentment or conflict, it's more natural and easy for our flesh to start resenting someone. No man can totally comprehend another human being not even a parent toward their child or a wife toward her husband. When we fail to understand someone in the behaviour and decisions they make we can either choose to trust and still love that person or we can choose to resent, hate and disregard the person henceforth.
Our natural tendency will be the latter but if we pause to ponder a moment and not react on impulse, doing it prayerfully we will realise that we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against principality of darkness (Ephesians 6:12) whose purpose is to kill, steal and to destroy - our peace, harmony, love, trust, unity, relationship, health, etc (John 10:10)
That's what "principality of darkness" is after - trying to break us apart by making us having bad thoughts toward one another, to resent, criticise that leads to hatred, bitterness and vengeful thoughts.
Do we ever consider why God puts us together as a family in the first place or bring someone to be our friend or colleague or boss or leader even though He's an all knowing God and would have known the future? He knows who can get along with us and who would not and yet he puts us together. All strong and purposeful relationships must go through the fire of testing. Without it a strong and unbroken bond cannot be established. It's only by us knowing the good and "bad" of someone and still choose to accept and continue to love them that's called love. No two human beings are the same and neither are their characters hence we can either choose to disregard, discredit, resent, give up, leave or divorce; or we choose to pray and believe God to turnaround, revive and restore our relationship or marriage. God wants us to choose love and forgiveness believing that yes with men it is impossible but with God all things are possible.
The "principality of darkness" wants to separate us from one another (he wants us to respond on impulse - as anyone with or without God can easily do). Disunity is his goal on human race. He wants families, marriages and relationships to fall apart and lose our faith with one another and worse with God. Hence let us be careful not to let him any foothold into our hearts and minds by stopping hatred taking root.
By loving one another it's a sign God is reigning in us. God reigns when we forgive, love and be gracious to one another. Lets envision our loved ones transformed to God's likeness and give each other chance after chance to see God's transforming grace takes place as we pray for one another in love and faith. Nothing is impossible with God. The change might not be immediate but we can choose to have faith in God to do the impossible.
John 13:35
(Jesus said) By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
