A Prayer for Strife in Friendships

0:00Life Audio Thank you for listening to your daily prayer, where we help you find the words you need to connect to your Father in heaven. No matter what is happening in your life today, you can trust that God wants to hear from you. Right after this short work from our sponsors, we'll pray that today's prayer, for strife and friendships. They say higher education is outdated, irrelevant, but at Grand Canyon University they shatter the status quo. GCU offers generous scholarship and financial aid opportunities to help make private higher education accessible to all. Plus you'll find traditional campus and online programs to suit your goals and lifestyle. GCU's online psychology degree programs offer flexible learning, supportive faculty and

1:03challenging coursework. Students learn how the mind and soul work together so they can better serve others. This is purpose-driven education. Take action, find your purpose, Grand Canyon University. Visit gcu.edu Have you ever reached a place where you felt like you couldn't take one more step? Leave wondered if things could ever change or if your past has written the rest of your story. The beautiful truth is that God is in the business of redemption and His grace always invites us to take just one more step toward Him. That's one of the reasons I was so moved by the new film Just One More, now streaming on Angel. It follows the story of Jess, a recovering addict, weighed down by shame and Charles, a dying man praying that God would use him just one more time. Their lives intersect in a powerful reminder that no one is beyond another chance and hope is always worth fighting for. If you need a story that encourages your heart and reminds you that God isn't finished yet,

2:07stream just one more on Angel today by visiting Angel.com forward slash daily. Consider joining the Angel Guild today to help bring more inspiring, hope-filled stories like this to audiences everywhere. A prayer for strife and friendships written by Emily Rose Vassie, read by Carrie Eichberger. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice, the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. James 3.16 and 17. Several years ago, a dear friend of mine began to embrace certain theological beliefs.

3:08Cesar former similar views or what we initially bonded over, it felt like a personal betrayal, instead of talking to her directly about these issues, I began creating social media posts and blog posts in response to her changing theology and talking to others about what was happening. She was shearing these new found theological views with her 20,000 followers on social media and I wanted to silence her somehow. I became so frustrated and burdened by the whole situation that it was specifically impacting me in negative ways. I consumed my mind daily. I wanted to be the right one and that was not how it should have been handled at all. In fact, it was not Christ's like whatsoever. James 3.16 says, for where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. My deceived heart was convinced that my behavior was justified by my righteous anger for

4:11the sake of truth, but honestly, I was more concerned with the fact that I would be the one with the better theology. I did not pay attention to the truth found in James 3.17, but the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. We are incapable of walking in purity, peace, gentleness, mercy, sincerity and impartiality without God's grace. As Christ's followers, we are to turn from jealousy and selfish ambition and ask the Lord to help us fight the temptation when those fleshly desires try to take fruit in our hearts. We can be certain that if we allow jealousy and selfish ambition to exist in our hearts, our relationships will be gravely affected, bringing strength and chaos. Jealousy and selfish ambition cultivated in our hearts, the more we focus and word and

5:15ignore how our thoughts and behavior might affect someone else or how we view them. We remain bound in self-centered thinking when we do not reach out to the person for an open and honest conversation, especially when there is a disagreement or misunderstanding. When it comes to disagreement about truth, we need to be more concerned with God being right because He is, and with winning an argument. Unfortunately, the damage from my selfishness and stubbornness severed my relationship with my friend. I distance myself from her, the friendship drifted apart over time, and communication between us ended. I have since repented and received the Lord's mercy and forgiveness. It has served as a major lesson in how to handle disagreement and differences in my relationships as I seek to be others focused, offering the peace and gentleness of Christ and not allowing my emotions to rule me.

6:15By God's grace, I have grown in my relationships by depending upon Christ and spending time in his word to renew my mind. I fall short every day, but God's grace is sufficient as I abide in Him and seek to walk in His perfect ways, showing His peace and loved others. Oh, how we need His grace, moment by moment, to love as He loves. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I know because of Your Son's sacrifice on the cross, I have been freed from the power and punishment of sin, but until I see You face to face, the presence of sin still exists here on the sir. That means I will often be faced with the temptation to choose either my own way or your way, but I do not want strife, division, and chaos to ruin my heart and life. I long to walk in Your wisdom by becoming others focused and show Your mercy and pure

7:15peace to all my friends. Forgive me when I choose selfishness over softlessness, especially in disagreements with others. I need Your power and grace to help me fight that temptation to be the one who is always right. Your truth matters, but only because you are the one who is right. And I want to point others to You, not to myself. Thank You for Your mercy that is new every morning. Jesus Name, Amen. Your daily prayer is a production of life audio and salamedia. If you haven't already, be sure to follow the show and your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. For more faith-tilt inspirational podcasts, visit us at lifeaudio.com.

8:20Hi, I'm Nicolette Bell, host of the Everyday Prayer Podcast. Each weekday, we take just a few minutes to focus our hearts on God's Word through powerful, Scripture-based prayers designed for real life right where you are. Whether you're in the car, folding laundry, or taking a rare quiet moment for yourself. Everyday prayers is here to help you connect with God and center your day with truth. Follow Everyday prayers with million praying moms wherever you listen to podcasts. Toyota's easy choice sales event is on. Whether you're looking for the performance of a camera, the versatility of Arab 4, the efficiency of a Corolla, or all electric driving in the BZ. There's a Toyota that's just right for you. And with great deals across the lineup, now's the time to find yours. But hurry, these deals won't last long. Toyota's easy choice sales event ends soon. We make it easy. Toyota, let's go places.