Responding To Conflict – Part 4 — A ‘Time With God’ Audio Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning,

Welcome to a new day and welcome to a few minutes in the Bible. That’s what we do at this time each day. We open the Bible and say, God, what do you have to say to us about life?

God is very practical about the things he teaches us in the Bible. If you don’t spend much time in the Bible, it can seem like just so much mumbo jumbo, and who could ever understand that, and you think of some weird or difficult passages you’ve read. But do you know that most of the Bible is so readable and so practical? It’s put in real life situations. It’s not just airy-fairy teaching, it’s in life situations that people are encountering God and encountering situations and learning to trust God in those situations, and here’s what God does when they do this or when their reaction is this, and in all of that you learn about life, so don’t put the Bible on a shelf and think well it might be interesting one day. No, get it off the shelf and read a little bit of it every day and let God do His thing in your heart and life, revealing Himself to you, revealing his view of life to you, changing the way that you respond to life.

In doing that, you will become more and more like Jesus Christ. You will get to know God Himself in a much deeper way, and especially if as you come to the Bible, your heart is open to God, and you’re saying, God reveal yourself to me, speak to me, guide me, shape my life. I want it to be all that you want it to be.

We’re talking this week on the theme of responding to conflict in life. And I want to take you to a few verses in John chapter 14. This is where Jesus has been telling the disciples, look, I know you’ve built your whole life around me being here with you, but I’m not here with you forever. I’m going away. Don’t worry, I’m sending the Holy Spirit who’s going to take up my role in your life. I’m not leaving you on your own. I’m going to be there with you through the Holy Spirit’s work.

And here’s what he says about life without him. They must have been panicking a little bit thinking about what that would be like, he says, starting in verse 25.

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These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you, but the helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. You heard that I said to you, I go away and I will come again to you. If you loved me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father.

Well, what an awesome promise of Jesus. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Now just think about the peace that Jesus had. So often people would come with all sorts of angry intentions against Him. They’d try to trap him in what He said. They’d present difficult situations to Him, or sometimes they came to actually physically injure Him, or He would be out with the disciples on the Sea of Galilee, and the storm would come up. The disciples are all panicking because they’re about to drown. And in all of these circumstances, do you ever see Jesus anxious, wringing His hands, nervous, His stomach churning. No, you find Him always at peace, always at rest, because He trusts the Father.

And He knows He’s doing the Father’s will in his life, and He knows the Father’s going to give him wisdom and discernment in responding to people and so He’s at peace, and now He says, My peace I give to you. It’s not like the world gives peace, which is just based on your circumstances. And certainly when conflict arises in our lives, our circumstances tell us no peace and in that moment we need to turn to God and ask Him for a quiet spirit. Not just leap to defense of ourselves.

But to take that moment to focus on God, breathe deeply and say, God, give me the confidence that you’re in control. Take the sting out of this conflict. You know, seeing God involved enables you to respond with peace rather than just react to the moment.

I’m John North.