Competition? Enemy? Unity!

Have you ever seen or maybe even played a game where you have to defeat an enemy to advance to the next level? 
     Last night in a dream the Lord used that scenario and showed me that we as His children, His body, and His Kingdom should not see other believers as the enemy that we have to destroy to advance in the work He has called us too. We need to recognize that all of His body is called into unity and His body and Kingdom has one enemy and that enemy is not one another!
     That does sound like something that we should already know, right? And I would have thought I already knew this, however, sometimes I meet people that bring out the very fleshly, human side of me and I need to be reminded again!
     Reminder to self, even though someone may rub us the wrong way they are not our enemy(repeat, they are not our enemy!), try to let yourself see that they are an opportunity for your own growth(even if you think they are the ones that need to grow!), this is a lesson in letting go of more of yourself.
     To freely give space to someone that may be irritating to you is to free yourself of things that limit you from being who you are to be! Let go of pride and competition, do not seek your own way. Seek unity.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; Philippians 2:3

Tightly Woven

     I know this is not a new teaching, or even an earth shattering revelation for most bible readers, but God has put it on my heart for quite awhile that as the body of believers, the bride of the returning King, we need to be tightly woven together, so closely woven together that as a fabric we can not be torn apart or ripped asunder.      In Philippians Paul writes to the Christians in Philippi about unity, not only unity but also being "together"

      Do you think some of them were insisting that thIey could find God without going to church? I've heard a lot of people in this day and time say that there are many ways to God, but maybe this was an issue they dealt with a long time ago also? Scripture does say that "there's nothing new under the sun"!

     Here Paul says "above all", that means it is pretty important to conduct ourselves in the way he describes. 

     Paul says to:

1. Conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.

2. Standing together.

3. With one spirit.

4. With one purpose.

5. Fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News of Christ.

     This teaching takes away the idea that you can go your own way and still be living the life that God would desire for you. You may not believe that you need to be joined with other Christians and maybe it's not for you, maybe it's for them? Whatever the reason, it is the instruction for the way we should walk out this life.

     Above all, you must live as citizens of   heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see 
you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Philippians 1:27 NLT