Category Archives: Conflict Management

We live in a divisive world of stress and high anxiety over a variety of issues which tends to produce agitated, defensive, and angry people who lash out at others. Unfortunately, it has also crept into too many churches. Such hostility produces conflict that dims our light and keeps us from being a people who can make a real difference in this self-centered, self-promoting, and self-gratifying world. To rise above conflict and restore our testimony, we need to . . . Continue reading To Rise Above Conflict, Go Back to the Gospel→

What do we do when we can’t agree with one another? What do we do when someone’s being antagonistic? What do we do with the hurt of someone’s betrayal or harsh words? What do we do with our disappointment or frustration over someone’s choices? — We could retaliate. We could engage in a heated debate or quarrel. We could pretend everything is okay while inwardly seething. Or, we could rise above conflict by relying on God’s grace. . . . Continue reading To Rise Above Conflict, Rely on God’s Grace→

We live in a broken world in which we will encounter trouble (Jn. 16:33), even in the church. Since we don’t always walk in the Spirit, we won’t always handle disagreements well. We may rise above but can’t control what others do. We may not be able to stop conflict from happening but as much as it depends on us, we can live at peace with everyone (Rom. 12:8). How? By walking in the Spirit. . . . Continue reading To Rise Above Conflict, Walk in the Spirit→

Before ascending back to heaven, Jesus prayed for unity among His disciples. Notice how Jesus prayed that would happen — by the power of His and the Father’s name. It only makes sense, then, that we call on the name of the Lord in times of conflict so we can rise above and remain united. . . . Continue reading To Rise Above Conflict, Call on the Name of the Lord→

Varying opinions can lead to a healthy tension as we struggle to arrive at the best decisions. If, however, those disagreements are fueled by selfish ambitions, the conflict tends to spiral into an unhealthy situation. To rise above conflict we need God’s help but even our prayers will be tainted if we do not pray with the right motives. . . . Continue reading To Rise Above Conflict, Pray with the Right Motives→

In Christ we who were “dead in our transgressions and sins” were made alive in Christ Jesus who died in our place and was raised from the dead. He “made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions” all because of His great love (Eph. 6:1-5). While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8) so we could be reconciled . . . Imagine the difference it would make in church conflict if we had this same kind of motivation to reconcile with one another. . . . Continue reading Motivation to Rise Above Conflict→

What a difference it makes in conflict when we view it from our position with Christ Jesus in the heavenly realms. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we, who were dead in our sins, are raised to new life in Him. Spiritually we are right now seated with Him in the heavenly realms. That puts us above all the pettiness, self-centered ambitions, and worldly pride that leads to quarrelling and conflict. We can rise above conflict because of His resurrection power. It gives us perspective . . . Continue reading Perspective and Power to Rise Above Conflict→

Though conflict may be inevitable, God has equipped the Church with power to resolve conflict and bring reconciliation rather than division. That power will flow through people with spiritual gifting needed for that moment. As leaders, we don’t have to handle all these issues on our own. We can pull on other people’s spiritual gifts to . . . Continue reading To Rise Above Conflict, Pull on People’s Spiritual Gifts→

We’re humans with varying opinions and preferences so we will at times disagree with one another. God, however, seeks to bring unity out of diversity so our differences have the potential of making us better when we take a Christ-like approach. When disagreements escalate to outright conflict, we have a problem. The enemy, Satan, will piggyback on our human responses, making insignificant issues into mountains. We then fight against each other. To rise above the conflict, we need to remember who the real enemy is. . . . Continue reading To Rise Above Conflict, Remember Who’s the Real Enemy→

We can read books about conflict management. We can get professional counseling to help us learn how to deal with our anger, hurt, resentment, and a host of other emotions that flare up from conflict. But, our best source for rising above conflict is following God’s Word. . . . Continue reading To Rise Above Conflict, Follow God’s Word→