"The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out" (Prov. 17:14).
Have you ever prayed that God would let you know whether a certain action you want to take is agreeable to His will or not? If you have, let this peace of Christ be your guide. Let it help you settle the issue. Well, if you already started to take action and you realize you don't have peace about it, don't do it.
The primary way God speaks to us is by what the Bible calls an inward witness. Remember, though, that this inner leading of the Holy Spirit, this subtle sense of uneasiness or peace He gives us, is something we have to watch and listen to carefully.
So, we have to listen. We can't be so busy about the things of the world that we don't have time to listen. We have to give Him time and attention. Also, we have to watch out for strife. If we're irritated and upset easily about things in our life, it will be very hard to receive that quiet guidance from the Holy Spirit.
Throughout the scripture, God warns us about the danger of strife. Yet, it's still one of the most common problems among believers. We let it get into our social activities, our place of employment, our churches and our homes.
Interestingly, we don't purposely let it in. So, we have to take a big stand against those little opportunities for strife. If we have a tendency to let things irritate us, we have to decide to overcome that tendency. We have to arm ourselves against them with the awareness that this world isn't perfect, that there're people in it that aren't going to be nice to us. There're people who're going to stir up an argument and annoy us, on purpose or by accident.
Therefore, we must make up our mind, by the power of God, that we're not going to let them get our peace. That peace is so important to our wel-being. It will keep our body healthy. It will keep our relationships strong. It will put us in a place where God can guide our steps and save us from some very grave mistakes.
If you spend a lifetime getting your feathers ruffled over every little thing, it may take a while for you to break that habit. You may have to work at it a moment at a time. But you can do it.
If you come from a family of worriers, that you worry without even thinking. when you understand that worrying goes contrary to the word of God , you'll have no alternative but to give it up. With the help of the Holy Spirit, every time a worried thought comes to your mind, overcome it with the word of God; taking "every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2Cor. 10:5). Then you'll be able to brake that worrying habit for good.
You can do the same thing with strife. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you, and being obedient to the word of God, every time you start to get upset about something, rebuke it. Say right out loud, "I am walking in the Peace of God today and I'm not going to let anyone steal my joy." You'll be surprised how much more wonderful living can be.
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