It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. John 6:63.
For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 1 Corinthians 3:3.
For where jealousy and strife (selfish ambition) exist, in that place there is disorder and every evil thing. James 3:16.
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions. Proverbs 10:12.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
My Son told you that the flesh is useless, it is the spirit that gives life. When I refer to “flesh” or the “carnal man” and walking in the flesh, I am not just referring to your human body. Your body is tent or house that enables you to live on earth and houses your soul and your spirit. The fleshly body is not immortal as your soul and spirit are, but it is very useful, and you cannot live on earth or have dominion authority thereon without it. That was why My Son had to take flesh to win you back dominion authority. And one day I will raise up your mortal body and clothe it in immortality so that is it glorious with My own glory. Jesus is in that now.
But when I speak of flesh as opposed to spirit, I am speaking of the old man mindset versus the new creation or new man mindset. I am speaking of the inclination to sin versus the inclination to live righteously. The flesh is a way of thinking that is dominated by self-centeredness. Strife is a result of self-centeredness. And strife is the basis of every evil work.
Flesh is self-centered and it produces strife. It only looks at what a person needs and wants for themselves with no regard for the needs of others. If you are in the center of everything in your mind and the interests of others find no importance in your heart, then you will be in strife with others. That will be the result. Especially if you live among fleshly people who all are just seeking themselves. Then you are all grabbing everything away from each other. Selfish and coveting.
The first step in getting out of strife is examining your heart to find your location, that is, if you put yourself in the center of everything as the most important concern of your life. If you do so, you are self-centered and unless you move your location and make Christ the center of your life, you will never advance in living the true life that is life indeed. You will be short lived and full of trouble. To really enjoy life, you must die to self and live your life through Jesus, seeking to promote His glory and doing the work of the ministry of reconciliation. If you live only for yourself and your needs, you will destroy yourself. And the sign you are self-centered is that you will stay in strife, offense, bitterness and anger. You will be dysfunctional. You have to get full of the Word, fast from the flesh, and center your attention off yourself. And the amazing thing is that you will find joy when you die to that self-centered mindset. You will be so free and uninhibited you will wonder why it took you so long to deny yourself, your moods, and taking offense.
Recognize who the real enemy is. It is not flesh and blood—that is, the person you are in strife with, but actually demonic forces. The devil made Eve and Adam center on themselves and their exaltation and glory above Mine. They listened, focused on themselves and their promotion and lost their exalted position of dominion authority to one crafty spirit who was supposed to serve them but got the serving him. All by going after them from the flesh. If you want to defeat the devil’s schemes you have to stay in the Spirit and not let him pull you out into the arena of the flesh. The arena of the flesh is living by your emotions and limiting yourself to only seeing into the natural, which is temporal and subject to change, with your five senses, but never looking into the spirit realm, which is immortal and does not change.
To stay out of strife, focus your aggression against demonic forces and not against your family members, co-workers, and supervisors, and especially not against Me. This may not be something you will admit to, but many do this, accusing Me of the curse that is operating in their lives. But that is not the case. In Christ, I have redeemed you from the curse of the Law and given you the BLESSING of Abraham. I am for you and can bring you out victorious. I equip YOU to fight. I fight with and for you, but you have to go out to the battle and not just stay hiding in your tent. I give you My armor and My Word, which is the most powerful force in the universe and Heaven, and I am with you. Who can be against you and win? No evil force of sickness, disease or terror can conquer you if you stay in My Word. I am your refuge and your fortress.
Every time you lower yourself to carnal, fleshy warfare against others, that is, backbiting, anger, murder, lying, cheating, revenge, and the like, you are fighting without Me and will lose even if you think you win. You are merely cooperating with the devil to destroy yourself.
You overcome strife by focusing on Jesus rather than yourself and His interests in saving people and not destroying them, filling yourself with the Word and taking up My armor and weapons. Stop indulging your flesh and instead get filled with My Spirit and let Me pour My love in your heart, and then walk and operate in My Love. For example, look for the good and not the bad, see yourself on assignment as ambassadors of reconciliation in bringing the people who come into your life into relationship with Me through Jesus. You really cannot be an effective ambassador to someone you are treating in an offensive or rude manner. You are representing Me and reconciling others to Me. So pay attention to how you live, not as foolish fleshy men but as wise Spirit-filled men. I have given you My Spirit to dwell in you and lead you 24/7.
And worse yet, My power cannot intervene in your life when you are operating in strife rather than in Love. Love never fails but strife always fails in the long run. You may seem to be losing at first when you operate in love, but you are not. When the dust settles, you win, for love never fails. Good overcomes evil. Light drives out darkness. Just keep going and don’t grow weary in well doing and you will have a great reward. I can do nothing for you when you are operating in envy, strife, anger and unforgiveness. These will shut you and Me down in your life.
It is not all right for you to tolerate strife in your life. Not speaking to people because you are mad does not solve the problem. You are still in strife even if you don’t express it. You have to get rid of it. And to do so you have to humble yourself by casting your care on Me rather than keeping it in your heart. Humility is submission to My Word. If you are worrying and carrying the care of things and people in your life, you are not humble, and I can do nothing about your problem because you are keeping it yourself. You may not think of worry this way, but you are exalting your abilities above Mine to solve the problem. You only worry when you fear I will not solve it or come through.
You need to not just look at your own interests but also the interests of others. Sometimes I ask you to yield to others so you can end the strife, such as with a boss at work or a family member. Like when I told Hagar to go back to Sarah and humble herself. Some people stay in strife and destroy their lives by maintaining they cannot let something go because of “the principle” of the thing. Really, they are getting even and hurting the other for what they have done. Seek justice but not to exalt yourself. If you think you are always right and that you are perfect while the other is at fault, think again, there is some reason you got in strife with them in the first place. It takes at least two to fight due to a differing opinion. A gentle answer calms wrath. Strife is not gentle and escalates problems.
I love you. Please open your heart to Me and let Me cleanse you of strife. A peaceful man takes the city, but a strife-filled man loses all.