Dealing with Conflict
Conflict breaks out between two people
Philippians 4:1-7
Vs. 2 There is dissension between Euodia and Syntyche
Vs. 4 Told to rejoice in the Lord
- Rejoicing is a choice that one makes; the manifestation of what is going on in our minds.
- Complaining is the opposite of rejoicing.
Vs. 5 Told to be gentle because the Lord is at hand
Gentleness means laying down my opinions for Lord’s truth. Not being gentle means
speaking what I think (my opinion).
Vs. 6 Told to not be anxious
Anxiety, worrying, fretting, despair, being troubled about something
Vs. 7 Peace of God will guard hearts and mind in Christ Jesus
This peace is missing when there is conflict, it is the opposite of conflict or dissension
Jesus addresses a potentially explosive situation
Luke 10:38-42
Notice the pattern that led to anxiety:
Vs. 40 Martha was distracted
She didn’t focus on the true, noble, just, pure, lovely, things of good report, things of
virtue, praiseworthy according to Phil. 4:8
Vs. 40 Martha became discouraged
Vs. 41 Martha got disgusted
Vs. 40 Martha was in despair
Martha was anxious and troubled. If she had continued to express her opinion there
could have been conflict. However, Mary did not get caught up in the conflict because
she was too focused on the Lord. Her gentleness kept her silent.
| Horizontal focus on people | Vertical focus on Christ |
|---|---|
| Conflict, dissension | Peace guarding the inner man |
| Being anxious, worrying, despair | Praying faithfully |
| Talking about our lives, giving our opinion | Being gentle – laying down my opinion, speaking of Christ who is at hand |
| Complaining | Rejoicing |
When there is conflict or dissension between you....
- Confess that you have become anxious by becoming distracted (due to thinking wrong), discouraged, disgusted, in despair.
- Confess that you have not laid down your opinion, that you have not been gentle. (Eg. Husband, confess that you have not spoken the truth or washed her with God’s Word.)
- Confess that you have complained instead of rejoicing.
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