The Power of Unity as a Weapon of Righteousness

Do you know about the power of unity as a weapon of righteousness? This is the fifth post in the Weapons of Righteousness Series, the ways we can engage in spiritual warfare for God’s glory.

Unity is a current buzzword, but it’s been God’s goal for his people for centuries. Today I want to break down the areas we can strive for unity and how we can do that.

Lessons on Unity

In this devotion, I’m using fun photos of my dog Memphis (the yellow lab) when he met with our friends’ labs Layla (chocolate) and Harvey (black) last summer. As dogs tend to do upon first sight, they growled and barked at each other, then immediately sniffed each other from front to back. After a few minutes of inspection, they decided to be good friends. Memphis, Layla and Harvey played all day long like brothers and sisters, delighting in each other’s company.

Do you see the relevance in the dogs’ example, like I did? At first they were wary of one another, perhaps even seeing each other as threats, due to territorial “rights.” But once they gave each other a chance, they realized just how similar they were and chose to have a grand time together.

Let’s consider the scriptures on these graphics today and apply them in different situations where unity is desperately needed.

The Power of Unity as a Weapon of Righteousness

When we display unity as Christians, we shine God’s light into a fractured, broken world. The Holy Spirit works to unite us supernaturally, helping us break down barriers that normally keep us apart. As this verse says, he binds us together with peace, the peace that passes all understanding which the world cannot give (John 14:27, Phil. 4:7).

In our ultra-divided culture, let’s intentionally exercise this weapon of righteousness to fight against the spirit of division. This spirit of division is affecting our families, communities, churches, countries and world. If each one of us who believes fights against this evil spirit with the spirit of unity available only through the Holy Spirit, what a testimony it will present to everyone!

Unity in Our Families

To start building unity, we must begin in our own homes. As the scripture tells us, we cannot stand when we are divided against ourselves. Surely we cannot unify elsewhere if we are fighting and squabbling at home.

I can remember past seasons when strife at home affected my own attitudes and actions. Now that I’m out of survival mode, I can be more loving and understanding toward others. If you are facing turmoil at home due to abuse, I strongly urge you to consult with a Christian counselor, just as I did for five years. Sometimes we need professional help to overcome division in our homes, and there is no shame in seeking that help.

What my own family is doing now to work toward unity is reading the Bible together after supper. We are using an abridged version of the Bible called The Story, taking turns reading God’s Word and answering discussion questions. This time of fellowship is binding us together in new ways, for which I am deeply thankful.

Get your own copy of The Story from Amazon or CBD.

Unity in Our Communities

We also need to promote unity in our communities. Our communities are the Jerusalem and Judea where Jesus told us to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). For you, that’s your neighborhood and your surrounding towns.

I live out in the country, where neighbors are spaced far apart. Even so, we had a disagreement with one of our neighbors a few years ago, and it hasn’t been peaceably resolved. Instead of holding onto grudges, I’ve decided to pray faithfully for this difficult situation. Prayer is softening my heart toward my neighbors and helping me make allowance for their faults.

You can choose to be humble, gentle and patient with everyone around you, even people who are strangers in your community. I tend to be frustrated when driving, standing in line or when seated near noisy people. Again, prayer is helping me stay peaceful and bless others rather than curse them. In fact, I now take these small annoyances as calls to pray, which is helping me exercise love in new ways toward fellow members of my community.

Unity in Our Churches

Paul is writing directly to us in the church in this verse. We cannot expect this type of unity with the world, as Jesus described in Matt. 10:34-36. But we are expected to passionately pursue full unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ, because that’s where the Holy Spirit reigns.

Are you harboring a grudge against a fellow believer in your church? I’ve done this myself, so I’m not pointing a finger at you today. I’ve had to learn the hard way that Jesus’ advice in Matt. 18:15 and Matt. 5:23-24 is the best way to handle conflict. Ask God how and when to approach this person and make amends, because we need to do all we can to promote peace and unity in the church, as far as it depends on us (Rom. 12:18).

More ways to promote unity at church include the following: not criticizing the pastor or his sermons, not criticizing the worship team, refusing to gossip about your small group or other church members and praying faithfully for your church leaders. Again, I’ve been guilty of these problems before, and I’ve not always been faithful in prayer. But quarantine has given me a new, deeper appreciation for church, and I want to do everything I can to promote unity moving forward.

Unity in Prayer for All

It’s important to get out of our own comfort zones and learn from other believers different from us. I’ve been intentionally cultivating relationships with my brothers and sisters of color since last year. Since I live in an area that is not racially diverse, I must seek out these relationships with others online, and I’ve reaped abundant rewards from doing so. I encourage you to reach out to another brother or sister in Christ who has a different background from you. Do more listening than speaking, and the Lord will be sure to teach you something new. He’ll also move you to pray in new ways for people who are different from you, yet still related to you in Christ.

Another important area of prayer is for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe. I stay informed about prayer requests of the persecuted church through Voice of the Martyrs. Their emails are eye-opening and encouraging, because you will clearly see how the Holy Spirit is at work in all places around the world.

Note that this call to prayer is for ALL people, not just those who you like, or those with whom you have things in common. Pray continually for everyone who crosses your path. Use your news reel as a call to prayer instead of a call to fret and fear. Ask God to meet their needs and give thanks for them (especially those who serve you). As you pray over everyone you meet, you will feel uplifted and joyful – I say this from experience.

Unity in Our Country

What an essential call to prayer at this time in our nation’s history. Our country is deeply divided, and both sides of the political aisle are still slinging flaming arrows at one another. Rather than becoming enraged, discouraged or apathetic about our country’s problems, I’m doubling down in prayer.

The Bible clearly tells us here to pray for those who God places in authority over us. Whether we voted for them or not is unimportant. Whether we agree with their policies and stances does not matter. The vital issue is to pray for them. Pray that God will bless them, lead them, guide them and make them wise. I take comfort knowing that Paul wrote these words when he was under authority of rulers who openly persecuted Christians, rulers who were brutal and vicious compared to rulers in my country today. If Paul could pray for wicked, godless rulers like Nero, surely we can pray for our leaders.

Every time I see my senator’s name in my Twitter feed, I am stopping to pray for him and his family. I have also decided to do this for our president and other U.S. leaders, even when the tweets or posts are divisive or even degrading. I am not going to let the spirit of division have the upper hand; instead, I am fighting back in prayer. Today I invite you to do the same.

Jesus’ High Standard of Unity

I am often brought to tears when I think about Jesus praying for the unity of all believers the night before he died. What does he think of his bride, the Church, now? How well have we fulfilled his desires for unity? Surely each one of us has let him down in one way or another by breaking unity.

But today is a new day, and we can pursue the unity Jesus prayed for us now. No matter what our mistakes have been in the past – strife, quarreling, gossip, racism, judgment and more – we can start over today by inviting the Spirit of unity to reign in our hearts. May 2021 be the year God breathes a revival of unity through his Church, to spread throughout the world, so they will know how much God loves them.

I truly enjoyed this Focus on the Family broadcast about unity, and I recommend you take a listen HERE.

Have you learned something new today about unity? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Prayer Requests

Do you have a prayer request for me? I’d be honored to pray for you, and I hold your prayer requests in complete confidence. Send me your request HERE.

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The Power of Unity as a Weapon of Righteousness

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