Don’t Let Strife Open the Door to the Enemy
A stuffed toy lay in the road at the scene of the accident.
As we passed, the Lord spoke to me, “Okay, this is your last warning. Are you going to continue this? You know you are opening the door to the enemy.”
Gary and I had had a disagreement just before we had left the house for our family road trip. And there we were six hours in and we’d barely said a word to one another. You think driving from Ohio to Tennessee is a long stretch of highway? Try doing it while giving someone the silent treatment.
One word: torture.
Gary and I both felt the same conviction when we passed that accident that clearly involved children, but we pushed past it.
We knew what we were doing wasn’t good, but neither of us wanted to lay down our pride. I kept hearing the voice of the Lord, and I’d say, “No, I’m not going to fix this thing, because then I’ll have to talk to him.”
It was almost a competition to see who could hold our grudge for the longest.
But strife is dangerous stuff.
Whether it’s between you and your spouse or you and your child, you don’t want to let strife remain in your household. The Bible says that where there is strife, there is con¬fusion and there is every evil work (James 3:16).
Our small argument had gone unchecked and had escalated, and there were consequences for our strife and disobedience.
About an hour after we passed the accident, a car pulled out in front of our vehicle, and we were in what could have been a very serious car accident.
I started yelling the name of Jesus, and God supernat¬urally protected our entire family. Later, when I was recounting what happened, I said to someone, “I said the name of Jesus probably five or six times,” and then realized that there were five people in the car. The name of Jesus covered every person in the car!
Initially, it looked as though there were going to be seri¬ous issues. They told us our son’s spleen might rupture, and I was pregnant. The doctors worried that I might lose the baby. Through all these things we stood on the Word of God, and we all came out unharmed, including the young preacher’s son who had pulled out in front of us and was in rebellion at that moment.
Even in the midst of this difficult situation, through our prayers, standing on God’s Word, and our children’s words to the medical personnel, we had opportunities to minister and impact the little county hospital we had to visit.
The enemy set all of us up and tried to take us out, but he lost.
We were responsible for opening the door to the enemy, but the name of Jesus is more powerful than our circumstances and mistakes, and that is what kept us protected.
The battle in your mind can change the outcome of a situation—whether it ends in life or in death. When you’re put in a situation that tries to speak contrary to God’s Word, what rises out of your spirit in that moment makes the difference.
Situations may catch you off guard, but God is never surprised.
God has already made a way for you and orchestrated it in your favor. Keep a guard against strife and keep your eyes on the Word of God.
