You are influenced and become like those you spend time with and what you open your heart to. But I always tell people, “Make sure you are affecting the people you spend time with instead of letting them infect you.” There’s a big difference. Now, we aren’t supposed to cut ourselves off from everybody who isn’t a Christian, and there will be people you need to reach so you can lead them to Christ. Do they gossip? Are their attitudes generally negative or positive? I want to ask you a question: What kind of character do your friends have? Think about the people you eat lunch with at work or those you consider your closest friends. Two Ways to Keep Strife Out of Your LifeĬonsider who you spend your time with. It is a lack of trust that God will provide what is best for you ( Psalm 37:4). You can get critical of others real quick, but it’s not other people or circumstances that make you unsatisfied.

Think about how easy it is to be resentful and stir up strife when you don’t get what you want. When people are dissatisfied, they tend to cause trouble. James 4:1 says, What leads to strife (discord and feuds) and how do conflicts…originate among you? Do they not arise from your sensual desires that are ever warring in your bodily members? You are jealous and covet and your desires go unfulfilled (AMPC).Ģ. 'If I only had (fill in the blank) I'd be happy.' Think about this for a moment: How consistently content are you? Are you constantly telling God, “If only I had (this or that) I’d be happy”? Many times people get into “works of the flesh” (trying to achieve things in their own power instead of God’s). Your wants can cause strife, whether it’s for a promotion, a material thing, or even a ministry. People who are greedy-who are never satisfied with what they have and always want more-stir up strife for a couple of reasons. If you believe God loves you and has a plan for your life, and if you believe that His timing is always right, there is no need to envy a single person. Now, if you truly trust God, I can tell you there’s no need for you to ever be jealous of anybody. Proverbs 28:25 (ESV) says, A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched. Many things can cause strife, but two causes the Bible mentions are jealousy and greed. It’s very important to understand strife, how dangerous it is, and how to stand against it. Strife is a trap the devil lays to destroy marriages, businesses and even churches. You can sense it in the room, but nobody wants to confront it. It makes you miserable and causes bickering, arguing-all sorts of things that offend people. Strife is a terrible evil spirit that creates this atmosphere, and it’s one of the greatest threats to the body of Christ. The dictionary defines strife as “bickering, arguing, a heated disagreement, or an angry undercurrent.”

Scriptures on strife