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Expectant Prayers ®

Jennifer Jo Weiss

Whose Side Are You On?

A friend was involved in an altercation with a fellow sister-in-Christ recently.  This situation had been brewing for some time and I have spent much time in intercessory prayer over the situation.   Because I have  dealt with similar things, I felt led to discuss the topic of "Whose Side Are You On?"  in today's journal entry in hope that it may be a revelation to some of my online friends.

Most of us have experienced situations in life where we are torn between two sides of an argument.  I can recall as far back as elementary school where a girl would get in a tiff with another girl and they'd insist that everyone else decide who (which side) they were going to be friends with.  Most of the time, when such situations would occur over seemingly stupid reasons, I would totally remove myself from association with either side and refuse to align myself with either group.   In the back of my mind, I realized that it was only a matter of time until both sides would abandon their anger and resume friendships.  Within a week most playground disagreements were resolved.

Besides the kids who would choose sides, or the ones like me who refused to even get involved in other's disagreements, there was another class of kids... those who tried to play both sides of the fence.  You know, it never seemed to work and usually those who took this approach were soon disliked by everyone.  They tried to befriend both sides, talking negatively about the other or entertaining such talk.  Again, that approach never worked.  

In adulthood, we are still faced with disagreements and confrontations from time to time.  We reason with more complexity and tend to weigh situations more carefully than we did in our youth.  We look at both sides and try in our best efforts to make good judgments.  The events can still be as unpleasant as they were back in grade school days, but hopefully maturity and the Spirit of God have taught us how to handle such things as they arise.

AND hopefully, we have grown enough in our spiritual walk with the Lord to consider another "side" to align ourselves with... the Lord's side. 

Being on God's side means that you are FOR God's will and purposes in your life and  hopefully others, too.  You actively seek His Word and will. 
 When thinking about the "Lord's side", some scriptures came to mind.  The cut and dry "choose your side" approach was declared by Moses in Exodus 32.  He tells the children of Israel after descending from Mount Sinai and finding them worshipping a golden calf, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me!"  The account of Joshua compelling the Israelites to "choose this day whom you will serve" in Joshua chapter 24 also is an example.  Later in that same chapter he declares, "as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

GOD IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY AT ALL TIMES!  There is none better to align with.  He is always the righteous judge, the ruler, the supreme truth, and our biggest advocate.   He is the one we should be trying to please.  It is only when we come to the realization that we are to fear(serve) God and not man that our "position" concerning the affairs of life become completely clear.  Under the spotlight of the Holy Spirit, we are not left in the dark concerning any topic in any area of our lives or our dealings with other people.   He can make a way in the desert... He can rebuild... He can restore... He can bring revelation into ANY situation.   And technically, if everyone is FOR the Lord's side, then we're all on the same side, right???



Being on God's Side in Regard to:

Friends:  When it comes to our friends who are involved in an altercation: this doesn't make us any less a supporter of our friends (especially when they would like for us to choose sides).  This empowers them to know that you are praying for them and for God's will to be done in their lives.  God doesn't want you to take on someone else's offenses.  Pray for the situation to be resolved and how you can be a help or encouragement.

Yourself:  If you are the one involved in the disagreement, know that your position MUST be one aligned with God's "side".  If you are in the center of His will, the battle will not be yours, it will be the Lord's!

The Church:  One of the hardest things for us to stomach in the church today are arguments and disagreements.  Our natural thought is that as Christians, we perpetuate love, joy, and peace.  While that is true for the most part, as in any "family" we're bound to get into disagreements once in awhile.  That's because none of us are perfect... we're continually being perfected in the image of Christ.   There are also times where sin must be confronted, which is a separate topic all together. 

Our reaction to arguments/disagreements as the body of Christ is vitally important.  I've heard many a wounded Christian accuse the church of "wounding their own".  This can be so true.  The  impact on the church as a whole can be devastating, especially when offenses involve the Pastor (directly or indirectly).  Many church splits happen over matters that amount to little importance, but people just decided that they needed to pick sides!   Again, it's God's church and we should be on His side.

Being on God's side in your church empowers the church and creates a spirit of unity.  The Word says, "How can two walk together unless they be agreed?"  Amos 3:3



So, if you are faced with a challenging situation at work, in your family, or in regard to your own well being... I would say to you... stay on God's side and He'll be on yours!  Ask Him what He would do in this situation.  Seek His Word on how to respond.       God's side is the best place to be in any situation.

Blessings to you today friend and may God's peace rule and reign in your heart today!

  

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