Essay 1 – Conflict Situations as an Opportunity to Glorify God
Liberty University
COMS 560
Dr. Crystal Sears
September 17, 2017
Conflict Situations as an Opportunity to Glorify God
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1,
NIV). Ken Sande, author of the book The Peacemaker, defines conflict as a difference of opinion
or purpose that frustrates someone’s goals or desires (2004, p.29). In the book, Sande claims that
conflict situations are an opportunity to “Glorify God,” to bring him praise and honor by
showing who he is, what he is like, and what he is doing. “The best way to glorify God in the
midst of conflict is to depend on and draw attention to his grace, that is, the undeserved love,
mercy, forgiveness, strength, and wisdom he gives to us through Jesus Christ” (Sande, 2004,
p.31).
Often as fallen individuals we do not see conflict as opportunities to glorify God. As self-
interested people, we often only see conflict as a way to achieve our own selfish desires. Conflict
is usually something that is thought of as bad. In the hearts of man, conflict typically stems from
pride, self-centeredness, and unrealistic expectations. “When someone mistreats or opposes us,
our instinctive reaction is to justify ourselves and do everything we can to get our way. This
selfish attitude usually leads to impulsive decisions that only make matters worse” (Sande, 2004,
p.20). The Bible says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t’ they come from your
desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you
cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight” (James 4:1-2, NIV).
As stated above, Sande’s definition of conflict is a difference of opinion or purpose that
frustrates someone’s goals or desires. There are four primary causes of conflict. Some disputes
arise because of misunderstandings resulting from poor communication. Differences in values,
goals, gifts, calling, priorities, expectations, interests, or opinions can also lead to conflict.
Competition over limited resources, such as time or money, is a frequent source of disputes
within families, churches, and businesses. Finally, many conflicts are caused or aggravated by
sinful attitudes and habits that lead to sinful words and actions (Sande, 2004, p.30). During times
of conflict, we may feel like we are the only ones who go through such things. However, this
thought is not true at all. Conflict has been around forever. It has started wars, wiped out entire
nations, destroyed relationships, and separated homes. As long as there are people on the face of
the earth, there will continue to be conflict.
Not all conflict is inherently bad. In fact, the Bible teaches that some differences are
natural and beneficial. God created us all as unique individuals, so we will often have a
difference of opinions, convictions, desires, perspectives, and priorities. These differences are not
necessarily right or wrong, but simply the result of God-given diversity and personal preferences
(Sande, 2004). These disagreements, when handled properly, can stimulate productive dialogue,
encourage creativity, promote helpful change, and generally make life more interesting. Though
unity should be sought in every one of our relationships, the idea of uniformity is frowned upon.
Rather than avoiding all conflicts or demanding that others always agree with us, we have to
learn to rejoice in the diversity of God’s creation and be able to accept and work with people who
see things differently than we do.
For the most part, there are many reasons as to why one might think that conflict cannot
be used as opportunity to glorify God. However, there are also many reasons to explain how God
can be glorified through conflict. Sande describes four ways in which God can be glorified
through conflict: you can trust God, you can obey God, you can imitate God, and you
acknowledge God (Sande, 2004, p 31-33).
The first is to trust God, instead of relying on the ideas and abilities of one’s self as a
means to respond to people who oppose you, ask God to give you grace to depend on him and
follow his ways, even if they are completely opposite of what you feel like doing (Sande, 2004).
Hold firmly to the promises of the gospel. Trust that Jesus has forgiven you sins and confess
them freely. God uses the pressures of conflict to help you grow and cooperate with him. He
wants us to depend on his assurance that he is always watching over us so we can stop fearing
what others might do. The things that the Lord does for us in our lives, we could never
accomplish in our own strength. Trusting in the Lord in this way will allow people the
opportunity to see that God is real and praise him for his work in our lives.
The second is to obey God. Following the commands of God is one the most powerful
ways that we can glorify him. Complete obedience to God demonstrates that he is worthy of our
deepest love and devotion. Because his ways are absolutely good, wise, and dependable, we must
honor him by obeying his commands without compromise.
Third, you can imitate God. “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and
live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2, NET). When we find ourselves in conflict situations, we
should ask ourselves “What would Jesus do?” Imitating Jesus in times of conflict is the best way
to restore peace and unity with those who oppose us. We should strive to live out the gospel in
our lives and mirror Jesus’ humility, mercy, forgiveness, and loving correction to surprise the
world and give concrete evidence of the Lord’s presence and power in our lives (Sande, 2004).
Finally, you can acknowledge God. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct
thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6, KJV). As God gives you grace to respond to conflict in unusual and
effective ways, other people will often take notice and wonder how you do it. Silence will give
them the opportunity to make assumptions and, likely, give you all the credit for the remarkable
things God has allowed you to do through his grace, which would rob God of his glory. Instead
of being silent, these opportunities should be used to tell of the goodness of the Lord. Let people
know that it is only by God’s grace that you have been able to do such things, because you could
never these things on your own without God working in you. As you share the works of God in
your life, begin to also share the gospel. Tell of Jesus’ love for them, his saving work on the
cross, and his offer to forgive their sins and free them from their attitudes and actions that lead to
conflict (Sande, 2004, p.33). Make the most of every moment by pointing straight to Jesus and
giving him all the glory.
This principle can be applied directly to conflicts that occur in our personal lives. I’ll
share a brief story of how I came to be in the position that I am in and the many conflicts that
arose along the way. I began this position as a Federal Contractor in Washington, DC in June, but
the road to here was rocky. Prior to starting this position, I had never lived outside of North
Carolina. But the idea of relocating was only a small conflict. I knew I could do it, all I had to do
was trust that God would give me the mindset to branch out and leave home, and he did just that.
Which is where the real conflict comes in. I had committed myself to a position and said that I
would be able to relocate to this area but I had no idea where I would be living.
Throughout the entire application process and back and forth conversations with the
company CEO, I was making assumptions that I would be able to stay with my cousin, who lived
in the area because her and her husband helped to get me the position. Only to find out, a week
before my start date, that they were not thinking the same way that I was. No one person was at
fault because neither of us had expressed thoughts on the topic. So, here I am, literally one week
away from my start date, and I didn’t know if I was going to have a place to stay. I was so
discouraged that I was ready to call the company CEO and tell her that my plan fell through and
I wouldn’t be able to come. But before I did that, I prayed and put my trust in God. “Lord, if this
is for me, I know you will make a way.” God answered my prayer and I was able to stay with
one of mother’s high school classmates until I was able to find an apartment of my own.
Moral of the story, if put your trust in God, he will answer your prayers and bring you out
of your conflict situation. This example only illustrates the principle of trusting God, but we
know that it is also important to obey him, imitate him, and acknowledge him. As Christians, we
must realize that we are not exempt from conflict. We should expect it. Conflicts are unavoidable
and they will come. We must stand firm, trust, obey, imitate, and acknowledge God, and know
that he is able to bring us out. He deserves all the glory for his works in our lives, even in the
midst of a conflict situation.
