Conflict is not necessarily bad. In fact, there is a way to handle it that is pleasing to God. Most of us think conflict is something to avoid, but Scripture paints it as a way to grow in grace. In Conflict, Timothy S. Lane discusses the difference between conflict that is healthy and unhealthy, godly and ungodly. At the heart of the matter is the fact that God intends to use conflict to change us in ways that can t happen any other way. No passage in the Bible deals with the cause and cure of conflict like James 4. It teaches us how to diagnose the true problem as it looks at conflict s ugly underbelly the battle within each of us to get what we want. But it also brims with optimism as it shows us a redeeming God in relentless pursuit of his children. When God changes our hearts so that we love him (the first commandment), we also grow in our ability to love our neighbor (the second great commandment). We move beyond our need to win, please, or avoid, and find the place where godly conflict takes place.
