Video Transcript: Three Things Every Conflict Firefighter Must Know

Welcome back.  In this lecture, we're going to talk about three things that every conflict firefighter must know in order to stay focused on the Peacefire.  When the twelve spies came back from the land of Canaan to give their report to Moses, ten of them, gave him a bad report, there's no way we can talk to that land.  Two gave a report based on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and His power, and His ability to enable the nation of Israel to take the land.  

When you're in a conflict, and the Wildfires raging around you, how do you stay focused on the Peacefire, the biggest challenge in the midst of conflict, because our emotions are involved, our money's involved, our property is involved, our relationships are involved.  And we're pulled to take our attention from the Peacefire and put it on the Wildfire and just try to put it out in our own strength, pursuing our own purpose, using our own power.

So in this session, we want to talk about three things that equip you to stay focused at the Peacefire.  Three things that are I hoped you will by the grace of the Lord remember every time a conflict, Wildfire ignites, and I pray that they will become second nature to you.  That when you see a conflict in your life, or the life of someone you're serving, or someone you're living with, that these three things will come to mind.  And then if they do, when they do, they will turn your attention to the Peacefire.  The Lord can use you, reveal His purpose to you His power in His presence.  

So let's talk about the first thing that every conflict firefighter must know.  And that principle is the Lord is always at work.  The Lord is always at work, even in the midst of conflict.  

In Psalm 121:4 we read, “Indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber or sleep.”

John 5:17, “Jesus said to them, my father is always at His work to this very day, and I too, am working.”  

The Lord is always at work.  In every conflict you face, and the rest of the time as well.  But it's something to remember when conflict ignites because when conflict ignites, we tend to think sometimes, when the fire’s intense, where's the Lord?  How could He permit this to happen? How is this? Why is this happening to me, Lord, when our reputation is at stake, or our relationship, or our future, our job, our marriage.  

When these things are at stake, it's easy to get distracted and look at the Wildfire, and think that the Lord has somehow forgotten us.  But that's never the case.  The Lord is always at work.  And so if the Lord is always at work the question is, what's He doing?  And just one of the privileges we have is, as His children, to pursue His purpose in the midst of conflict, to understand what He's doing, to ask Him to reveal to us what He's doing, so that we can partner with Him and change our priorities in responding to the conflict.  

But let's talk about, I want to talk about three things that the Lord is always at work doing in every conflict.  And I want to preface before I talk about these three things that the Lord is doing in the midst of your conflicts, that these aren't the only things He's doing.  There are always going to be things that are pertinent to your conflict, specifically to your life that He's doing, that He is at work doing and accomplishing in your conflicts.  So these three things I'm going to mention to you now are general things that the Lord is always at work doing in the midst of conflict.

And the first thing is found in 2 Chronicles 16:9 where we read, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”  So one thing the Lord is always at work doing is he's looking for somebody that He can use.  He's looking for you to turn to Him and say, Lord, here I am.  What do you want your servant to do? 

Just like Joshua did in Joshua Chapter 5. 

So that when a conflict ignites in your life, you remember, the Lord is at work here.  I don't have to get bent out of shape, I don't have to give up, I don't have to react.   I can go seek the Lord.  He's looking for somebody to use here and I want it to be me.  I want him to use me.  So the Lord is always looking for somebody to use.  

The second thing the Lord is doing in the midst of conflict, always at work doing is transforming His people into the image of Jesus Christ.  And this is one of the greatest things that I've learned about conflict.  That the Lord has taught me that He never stops working on His workmanship, and you are His workmanship.  And everything that happens to you and your life He wants to use and take.  Remember that verse in Romans 8 that we read, “All things work together for good to those who love Him, and who are called to His purpose.”  So He's looking for someone to use, and He's transforming His people into His image.  

Let's look at a few scriptures: 

Isaiah 6:8, “I heard the Lord's voice of the Lord saying, whom will I send, and who will go for us and I said, here I am.  Send me.” Looking for someone to use.  And as we make ourselves available to him, He changes us.   

In Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God's handiwork, His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  

Romans 8:29, “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.”

The Lord is at work transforming you into the image of Jesus Christ, and He uses the conflicts that we face to accomplish that purpose. 

2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all who, with unveiled faces, contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His image, with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the spirit.”

The Lord is always at work transforming you into His image, and that work never stops.  And it's never completed in this lifetime.  

Philippians 1:6,“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  

1 Thessalonians 5:24, “The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.”  You know, the Lord is going to complete His work in you.  And we can either partner with Him in our conflict, and let Him have His way and transform us and we can experience that peace that passes understanding, we can experience that transformation in the midst of conflict, and we can become His ambassadors in the midst of those conflicts, or we can continue to pursue our desired outcome, and be motivated and respond to the conflict by what's happening in the Wildfire.  

So, two things the Lord is always at work doing:  He's looking for someone to use, and He's transforming His people into His image.  And the third thing:  He is always at work accomplishing His purpose and good pleasure.  

In Philippians2:12-13 we read, “Therefore my dear friends, as you have always obeyed not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.”

Romans 8:28, we've referenced before, “But we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose.”

And Jeremiah 1:12, “The Lord said to me, you have seen correctly for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.” 

The Lord desires to accomplish His purpose through His people.  And He's looking for those who He can use, and those who will let Him use them He will transform more and more into His image as we make ourselves available to him at the Peacefire.  So that's the first thing that every conflict firefighter must know.  The Lord is always at work.  

The second principle, the second thing that every conflict firefighter must know is a principle that has to do with correction.  Correction is often a negative term in many people's minds.  We don't like to be corrected, our pride gets involved but if I told you that there was a thing, that if you did this thing, saying that you could do that you would be counted among the wise, that you would receive honor, that if you did this thing, the Lord would pour His spirit out on you, and confirm His love for you, would you do it?  And if you didn't do this thing, I'd give you a warning that if you didn't do it, it would mean that you despised yourself that you would lead others astray, and that you'd be considered a fool if you didn't do it, would that make you want to do it? Well, all of these blessings and these warnings have to do with responding to the Lord's correction.

In Proverbs 6:23, we read, “For this command is a lamp.  And this teaching is a light and correction and instruction, are the way to life.”  Correction is part of the Lord's will for us.  It's how we grow.  It's how we're changed.  The Lord shows us something that needs to change in our life and then He comes in and changes.  And all He asks of us, is to let Him to acknowledge it, to confess it.  And then by His grace to do it.   Be encouraged by these proverbs.  in Proverbs 1:23, “Repent at my rebuke, then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you My teachings.”  The Lord will reveal His Word to us when we respond to His correction.

Proverbs 3:11-12, “My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline, and do not resent His rebuke because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father, the son He delights in.”  

If you aren't receiving the Lord's correction, how do we know that the Lord loves us?  Because He disciplines us.  We should be regularly disciplined, regularly corrected regularly the Lord showing His love to us by leading us and guiding us, and showing us those things that He wants to change in us.  And He often uses conflict to do it.  

Many of the reasons we have conflict is because we're walking in ways that the Lord wants to change.  And those conflicts are opportunities for the Lord to expose to us what he's doing, to expose to us what He wants to change in us, if we will but listen, come to the Peacefire, give him our attention, and let him have His way with us.  

Proverbs 13:18, “Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.”  

Proverbs 15:31, “Whoever heeds life giving correction will be at home among the wise.”

Proverbs 15:32 “Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.  Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.”

Finally, Proverbs 12:1 “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.” 

Now, I've been stupid in my lifetime.  And I don't want to share these Scriptures with you to think that if you have not responded to the Lord's correction in the past that is over for you.  I want you to know that the Lord never gives up on His people.  And He never gives up on those who don't know him yet.

He's always calling us to relationship with him, calling us to let him have His way with us, calling us to let Him change us.  Let Him reveal himself to us.  And use us in the midst of the conflicts we encounter.  

So if you have been one who has not responded to the Lord's correction, who's always thinking that you're right, and that everybody else is wrong, spend some time with the Lord and ask him to give you ears to hear what He wants to change in you, because no matter how much you walked, or how long you've walked with the Lord, how much you know His word, there are things in all of us that the Lord still is at work changing, and that he'll continue changing in us until we see Him face to face.  

It's nothing to be embarrassed about to know the Lord needs to change me.  I have no problem telling someone you know there are things in me that the Lord still wants to change.  And there are things that I'm not even aware of, at this point in my life that I know someday the Lord is going to reveal to me that He wants to change.  He's always at work, transforming His people into His image, always at work looking for someone to use.  And His correction is the path of life.  

The third thing that every conflict firefighter must know is a simple principle.  That in its simplicity, it may seem of no worth to you.  But the power in its simplicity, can change everything about the dynamics of conflict in your life.  And that principle is the principle of giving thanks.  

First Thessalonians 5:18 reads, “Give thanks in all circumstances for this as God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Let's say we're fighting over the lantern today.  And I want it and you want it, we both think we should have the lantern.  And so what, what often passes in the world today for conflict resolution is will, if we can't settle this matter ourselves, we'll have someone come in and help us resolve the matter.  And we'll divide up the lantern.  Maybe I'll take the candle, and maybe this handle, you'll get the rest.  And what happens is, I'll get out to the car, to my car with my candle and handle and you'll get out there with the rest and we may walk out of the door thinking I got the better part of the deal.  

By the time we get home, I'm starting to think well that you know, that part that you got really is, is nice.  And I got a candle, I don't have anything to put it in, and what can I do with a handle and a candle.  And some people will call that a win-win scenario, you got a little bit I got a little bit.  

But what's happened is we've lost the opportunity to restore our relationship in the process of deciding who gets what.  We've just focused on that lantern, and resolved our conflict thinking that by resolving who gets the lantern will resolve our conflict.  

That's the deceptive nature of the wildfire.  We think it's about this lantern.  But the Lord is always at work.  He's always doing things.  And so as I go before him, and give thanks, when I give thanks, I have to do something.   I have to take my eyes off the lantern.  And if I'm just focused on the lantern, I can't give thanks to the Lord.  All I'm going to do if I'm focused on the lantern is ask the Lord to give me the lantern.

But if I remember the third thing that every time that firefighter must know, and that's to give thanks in all circumstances, and I go before the Lord and I meet him at the Peacefire, and I say, Lord, I want to thank you for this brother sister who wants this lantern as much as I do.  And I thank you that you’re at work in this situation.  I know you're at work doing something, I want to know what it is.  I want to pursue your purpose.  I want my priorities to be governed by your purpose.   I want to resolve this conflict in your power, not in my own.   Lord, if you don't want me to have the lantern, I don't want it.  

And as I give thanks to the Lord, I have to look at him.  And as I take my eyes off of the lantern, He can change me, He can reveal His purpose to me, He can reveal His power to me, and show me what He wants to do.  Now He may want me to give you the lantern.  Or He may want me to wait.  But what He's after, is changing me and changing you.  And using this little lantern to do it.  And as I spend time with him at the Peacefire, giving thanks for the situation, giving thanks for you, the person I'm in conflict with giving thanks for all that He's doing, He's going to change me, He's going to speak to me, and my response to that conflict is going to be vastly different than if I stay focused on the Wildfire, and what's happening there and just trying to achieve my desired outcome of getting the lantern.

Philippians 4:6-7 we read, “Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  That's another benefit of giving thanks.   The Lord's peace and Him guarding our hearts and minds, even in the midst of conflict, even when we're anxious, by prayer and petition seeking the Lord's presence and giving thanks.  

Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.  since as members of the body you were called to peace.”  Isn't that awesome? We're called to peace, and be thankful.    

Three things every conflict firefighter must know.   Three things as the conflict Wildfire ignites around us we remember and they'll drive us to the Peacefire, drive us to the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Lord is always at work.  The Lord's correction is a path of life.  And to give thanks.  

I will pray for you right now.  Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters who are watching this lecture, that you would grant them the grace to remember these three things and that you would use them powerfully in their life to turn them towards you in the midst of conflict.  Father, grant us all the grace to remember that you're always at work.  Grant us the grace to remember that your correction is the path of life and grant us the grace to give thanks in all circumstances and to recognize your grace, your mercy, your love for us.  Thank you for it in Jesus name.  Amen.  

God bless you.  We'll see you next time.