🎥 Video 2B: What Feeds the Wildfire?

Hi, I am Haley Steiner, a CLI presenter.

This course is taught by Professor Brian DeCook.

The Wildfire does not spread by accident.

It needs fuel.

In conflict, that fuel often comes from what is happening inside us.

Someone says something.

Someone does something.

Someone forgets something.

Someone changes something.

Someone challenges us.

Then we interpret it.

Maybe we think:

They do not respect me.

They are trying to control me.

They always do this.

They never listen.

They are against me.

I have to defend myself.

I have to win this.

I have to make them understand.

Some of those interpretations may contain truth.

But some may be assumptions.

Some may come from old wounds.

Some may come from fear, pride, insecurity, or anger.

The Wildfire grows when we treat our first interpretation as the whole truth.

Then desire begins to rise.

I want respect.

I want control.

I want comfort.

I want approval.

I want to be understood.

I want the outcome I planned.

I want the other person to feel what I feel.

Again, not every desire is wrong.

Many desires are understandable.

But when a desire becomes a demand, the Wildfire finds more fuel.

Galatians 5 contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit.

The flesh produces hostility, jealousy, anger, selfish ambition, division, and envy.

The Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control.

Conflict reveals which source we are drawing from.

The Wildfire may be fed by anger.

Anger says, I will make them pay.

It may be fed by fear.

Fear says, I must protect myself at all costs.

It may be fed by pride.

Pride says, I must be seen as right.

It may be fed by gossip.

Gossip says, I will tell the story to people who will take my side.

It may be fed by control.

Control says, I must force the outcome.

It may be fed by bitterness.

Bitterness says, I will keep rehearsing what they did.

But the Wildfire can also be fed by religious language.

We can say, I am just speaking truth.

But we may be using truth without love.

We can say, I am standing for what is right.

But we may be acting from pride.

We can say, I am protecting peace.

But we may actually be avoiding obedience.

That is why we need the Holy Spirit.

We need God to search us.

We need Jesus to show us what is really fueling our response.

Before moving on, ask:

What usually feeds the Wildfire in me?

Is it anger?

Fear?

Pride?

Control?

Bitterness?

Gossip?

Self-protection?

Write one honest answer.

Then pray:

Jesus, show me the fuel before I add more.