Run Away from Strife and Contention

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Contentions start with words, snowball into the strife of tongues and escalate to fisticuffs and who knows what next – sorcery as in the case of Moab, murder as in the case Cain and Abel, Joseph and his brothers, Daniel and the satraps, Haman and Mordecai.

Strife and contention are akin to thorns and weeds in a farm that pierce the plants, compete for nourishment and space for growth. Strife and contention is the same as thorns piercing the plants – daily strife and contention can erode confidence, faith and determination as well as courage, the same function thorns perform to choke out life from plants. Strife and contention can wear out your resolve to excel which explains why the best solution to strife and contention is to always walk away from the strife and contention. Like weeds, they also contend for space in your mental processes - introducing bile such as anger, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness that if not wisely and instantly thrown out can block out productive, fruitful, spiritually, physically, mentally and financially rewarding mental processes. So rather than pay attention to your field, you expend energies fighting battles you should not be fighting because you are paying attention to strife and contention.

Isaac avoided contentions. Rather than contend with the Philistines who closed up the wells dug by his father, he dug new wells and when the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen over the new wells, Isaac and his herdsmen dug other wells and when there was no more contention over the new well, Isaac named the new well ‘Rehoboth’ meaning God has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

Succeed Through the Word

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap [their] hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign [that] shall not be cut off. Isaiah Chapter 55 verses 8 to 13 KJV

The word of God has creative abilities and capacities. These abilities are activated each time the Word of God is prophesied into a situation, our lives. To prophesy is poles apart from to proclaim or proclamation which is official declaration. To prophesy according to the OXFORD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of English is to say what will happen in the future. However, because humans do not know or see the future except through the Word, it will be more accurate to say that prophesying is speaking the Word of God in the Bible into situations or he lives of people or your own life in order to activate the creative power in the Word of God. Please see Hebrews Chapter 11 verse 3, Romans Chapter 4 verse 17 and Ezekiel Chapter 37 verses 1 to 14.

The Word of God has power, great power to always accomplish what God purposes – Isaiah Chapter 55 verses 8 to 13. Scripture cannot be broken. Therefore when you have the Word of God you have everything you could ever need in life. This is because the Word of God in your heart, in your thought processes, imagination, your desires, and your likes will give you everything you want as long as they are within the will of God – Hebrews Chapter 11 verse 3.

Elijah had the Word of God – he prophesied rain after a long period of drought and there was a downpour on the same day. Peter had toiled all night yet at the Word of God released by Jesus Christ, Who is the Word of God, Peter let down his nets for a haul and the boat was full of fish. In both situations bordering on despair, the Word of God reversed the situations to joy, happiness, blessings of God and abundance. Drought and fruitless toils that characterize unsuccessful activities are not of God. The will of God is for His children to enjoy fruitfulness, rain of blessings, success and abundance.