Deal with Division
By Greg Sanders

Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

It takes no spirituality to spot a problem. It requires no discernment to see an issue or to give a complaint. What takes the power of God is to be part of a solution. Division is a scheme of the enemy to amputate and separate the body of Christ in hopes to keep her from accomplishing the mission of God. As a believer, you must guard against division in your own life and help protect the body of Christ. Here are a few ways Romans teaches you to deal with division.

Mark those which cause division. The instruction is this: Don’t ignore them, don’t pretend they do not exist, and do not think they will just go away. Mark them. That means confront them and if necessary expose their work through the proper channels. Division never goes away on its on. It requires the help of God and prayerful agreement among God’s people.

Avoid those who cause division. People who cause division are always looking for alignment from other people. Once the person has been marked as one who causes division, they must be avoided until repentance has occurred. The reason someone shares their grievance is that they are hoping you will take up their cause and exacerbate the problem. When division is the purpose of a conversation, a refusal to participate must be our response.

Today’s Challenge: You will be marked by something. You will be marked as a healer or a divider. Determine today not to give the enemy an inch of room to work in your life or your church in the area of division.