Do you dread the conversations that might arise around the Christmas table as you gather with less-often-seen family members and friends? Do those anticipated differences of opinion start to overshadow your joy? Does each such issue seem to straddle a divide so deep and wide that you can barely see those who are “on the other side”?

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And each day, more and more such divisive issues seem to arise in our families, communities, and society. It seems like some surreal and evil game show: The Division of the Day.

The host of that show: the devil himself. In today’s world, the “division of the day” has been something as absurd as a heated debate over whether men can bear children, or as serious as the weaponizing of the FBI and the DOJ to persecute political opponents.

Though we intercessors fight on our knees, oftentimes these issues boil over into our daily lives. At some point or other, we might find ourselves in some friendship-straining, family-dividing exchange about any of the myriad divisions of the day.

Most of us desire peace.

Indeed, this desire is biblical. Paul calls us in Romans 12:18 to live peaceable lives. And in a passage that happens to be a key IFA verse, Paul urges us to pray for our government with that very goal of peace in mind: First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior (1 Timothy 2:1–3 ESV).

But there is a difference between biblical peace and false peace. The latter can stem from a fear of confrontation, or even from accommodating evil. As the Lord said through Jeremiah, “They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush” (Jeremiah 6:14–15a ESV).

If we must confront evil, how do we dwell in the divide? Can we even hope to thrive in the divide?

Our model is the Lord, who was no stranger to division. His very conception as a baby almost divided Mary and Joseph. At Jesus’ temple dedication when He was an infant, the righteous Simeon prophesied that because of Him, many would rise and fall in Israel. And Jesus Himself says: “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:51 ESV).

How did Jesus dwell in the divide?

He had fellowship with the Father.

Among the many disciplines Jesus followed, one stands out: How He nurtured His relationship with the Father. The Gospel writers, particularly Luke, tell of Jesus’ devotional life. He often withdrew into the Father’s presence when He faced important decisions, such as the selection of the 12 disciples. He also withdrew for refreshment and renewal following times of heavy ministry.

Such times of retreat are essential for us, too. We want to hear the Lord’s heart on all the matters that divide us. We need to know what He would have us do in response. We aspire to be so close to the Lord that we even attain to Jesus’ intimacy with the Father — doing nothing in our own authority, but rather speaking just as the Father has taught us, as we read Jesus did in John 8:28. 

Clearly, Jesus’ fellowship with the Father encompassed more than just time; our Lord submitted His will to the Father’s. Only by such submission could Jesus do and speak only what the Father had led Him to.

The Father’s voice is life and truth to us. In a world in which many seem to believe that truth operates on some sort of a sliding scale, the Bible teaches that it is actually a plumb line. Truth is objective, and no amount of equivocation, redefinition, or cancellation will change that.

The Father’s presence is a defense, a fresh centering, a reminder of truth. His very Spirit gives us the courage to stand for truth in a divided world.

Jesus defeated the devil.

In the three narrative Gospels, Jesus deals effectively and directly with Satan, defeating each temptation by properly applying the Word of God. The Word, as we know, is a hammer doing that which it is sent to do.

We would do well to adopt Jesus’ method here: Defeat the devil directly, expeditiously, and thoroughly. The Enemy’s power increases as the days grow more evil and the divisions multiply, and his plans to disable Christ’s saints grow increasingly strident, persistent, and persuasive. I’m sure you are experiencing increasing temptation to sin, to withhold grace or goodness from others, to judge harshly those standing on the other side of the divide from us.

But Jesus calls us to another path. As his brother James wrote: But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:6–8a ESV).

Again we see the pattern: Fellowship with the Lord — including submission — strengthens us. From that strength and submission, we gain the spiritual gumption and grace to set the devil to flight with the Word of God.

Jesus kept His mind on the mission.

After His baptism and His testing time in the wilderness, Jesus’ ministry led him throughout Israel and Samaria. Wherever He went, He was a catalyst for controversy. Many found salvation; many others found fault. Throughout it all, Jesus remained focused on His mission.

He didn’t duck the many attempts His human foes made to trip Him up as they challenged His theology, His teachings, His miracles. Neither, though, did He initiate any such exchanges. Rather, He set His face like flint, as Luke 9:51 tells us, toward Jerusalem. He determined to complete His mission: to atone for human sin by dying on the Cross.

Jesus was able to walk through a divided landscape (indeed, even to divide it as He walked) by staying close to the Father, resisting the devil, and focusing on His mission.

We can dwell and thrive in the divide.

Can we navigate the tricky divides by following Jesus into deep fellowship with the Father? Can submission to the Lord train us to defeat the devil in his evil game? Can focusing on our mission move us beyond merely dwelling, and into actually thriving?

I believe the answer to each question is yes. Fellowship with the Father keeps us humble in heart, repentant in spirit, and refreshed in relationship. We can receive grace in our submission to Him, and we can extend that grace when sorely pressed on the divisive issues in the headlines. We can hear from the Lord when we need His direction on some issue or with regard to a confrontation with someone. We can receive wisdom when we need to speak the truth and to saturate it with love. The Lord truly becomes our strength and our salvation when division desires to split our very beings.

Intercessors know that ignoring the devil is a losing strategy. What evil may lack in creativity, it makes up for in persistence. Jesus used the hammer of the Word of God to drive the devil away until a more opportune moment (see Luke 4:13). Let’s make it difficult for the Enemy to find any time to be opportune!

Keeping our minds on the mission will help us sort through the distractions — especially the distractions of division. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with friends and family, we face many issues that are pulling us apart. But our mission rests in the call of each disciple: to bring glory to the Lord, and to share Him with a hurting world. Let’s refuse to play the devil’s game — we have glory, hope, and victory to share!

Lord, help us to have the fellowship we need with You. Remove all the unappointed tasks and people from our day, and lead us instead into a time of deep intimacy with You. We choose to submit to Your will in all things. Help us by touching any places of rebellion within us and bringing those into line with Your will. Bring the sword of Your Word cleanly and securely into our hands so that we will be ready to defeat the devil and put him to flight. Clarify our mission so that we are not distracted by the divisions of the day. We want to be able to say we do nothing in our own authority, but speak just as You have taught us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

How are you dealing with division?

New York City–based Joyce Swingle is an intercessor and a contributing writer for IFA. With her husband, Rich, also a contributing writer for IFA, Joyce shares the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world through theater, speaking, writing, and film. Prior to going into full-time ministry, Joyce worked for about 20 major magazines and now works in pastoral ministry and Christian counseling. Read more about Joyce’s work at www.Richdrama.com. Photo Credit: FotografiaBasica/Getty Images Signature.