Wherever there is no harmony especially among Christians, we can always be sure that the devil is at work right there in their midst. In many instances the absence of spiritual harmony will expose the works of the flesh, even among Christians.
It is astonishing to see that even among those who are supposed to be living by the spirit, the devil has a way of creeping in to make them react in the flesh, to what he is doing. The flesh thrives wherever there is no harmony among the people of God (Galatians 5:16).
The flesh has various means of manifesting itself among Christians. Our ability to walk in the spirit at all times enables us to nullify its works, while keeping ourselves in harmony with one another.
The Apostle Paul once told the Philippians:
“For it seems as though everyone else is busy seeking what is best for themselves instead of the things that are most important to our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 2:21 TPT
When God’s people are more interested in pursuing their own personal interests, rather than the interest of Christ; it’s primarily due to the absence of spiritual harmony among them. A misplaced prioritization of interests and Christian values will create a chaotic situation in the life of any believer in Christ Jesus. Many don’t get answers to their prayers from the Lord as a result of this.
This had been a problem from the very beginning within the early Church, which eventually led them to picking seven deacons so as to resolve it. The scripture says:
“But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.”
Acts of the Apostles 6:1 NLT
Disharmony manifested itself as the Church was growing to the extent, that it nearly brought an end to the move of the Holy Spirit among them. Satan was trying to put a stop to what the Holy Spirit was doing, from the moment the Church was given birth to at Jerusalem.
He has not stopped trying to do the same thing even till this day. Satan’s tactic is to sow the seed of disharmony among God’s people, so as to stop them from doing the work of God’s Kingdom.
We need to understand as Christians that the only thing which brings us together, is our Covenant relationship with the Father in Heaven by the blood of Jesus Christ. We are only able to achieve Christian harmony when we are all concurring with the promises of the Spirit in our Covenant with the Father by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Whenever we take our eyes off the Covenant by the blood of Jesus Christ, the enemy will always take advantage of us. And he is aggressively doing this every day through the false teachings that he is planting, about the promises of the Spirit in our Covenant by the blood of Jesus Christ with our Heavenly Father.
Paul saw the devil at work among the Christians in the city of Corinth. That was why he ask them:
“Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
I Corinthians 1:12-13 NKJV
Is Christ ever divided within Himself? This obviously is impossible. So why are some Christians so fixated on the things that divides, instead of the things that brings us together in harmony with one another as the people of God?
We do know from the scriptures that Apollos was initially not well instructed about the Holy Spirit, just as there are numerous Churches today that don’t know much about the Holy Spirit also.
This is why today the enemy is using the manifestation of the works of the flesh, to prevent such Christians from seeking to know, about what they don’t know concerning the Holy Spirit.
The scriptures actually tell us that Apollos was later scripturally mentored by Aquila and Priscilla, who were partners with Paul in spreading the gospel across Europe (see Acts 18:24-28).
There shouldn’t have been any need for disharmony among the believers at Corinth, because Apollos was now preaching the same gospel of Jesus Christ, which Paul had presented to them.
This is a good example of what’s often bringing disharmony into the Body of Christ, as we have it today concerning the doctrines of Christ. As it was within the Church at Corinth during the time of Paul, so it is up to this day. Satan is doing his best to prevent God’s people from taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the end of the earth.
Wherever there is divided loyalty within the Body of Christ with an inclination towards the doctrines of men, you are bound to find disharmony. There are a lot of Christian denominations today that will rather follow the teaching of a man, rather than that of Christ as we have it in the Bible. They are putting their own interests above the interest of Christ Jesus.
The Corinthian Church had begun to take sides about the two ministry gifts that the Lord God had sent to them, and it was tearing them apart; while the enemy was busy exploiting the situation, in order to prevent them from being in harmony with one another.
They had started looking at the two vessels through whom the gifts of God’s Spirit were being manifested in their midst, instead of paying attention to the Head of the Body Himself – Jesus Christ.
They were exalting these vessels of honor (Paul and Apollos), instead of praising Jesus for what was being done in their midst. They had stopped paying attention to what the Lord God was instructing and directing them, to do through the teachings of these men.
This is how idolatry often creeps into the Body of Christ unnoticed. Paul had to advise Timothy to be careful about such a situation, in the other Churches that he had been sent to across Europe. He knew that such things would eventually spread to other parts of the continent.
He wrote to Timothy:
“As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.”
I Timothy 1:3-4 NKJV
This same problem as pointed out above by Paul to Timothy is still being used by the devil, to divide Christians across the world today. The Body of Christ is weak when Christians takes their eyes off the Covenant, that we do have established before the Father by the blood of Jesus Christ, so as to be paying attention to the fables, tales and endless genealogies of the unsaved world.
Any doctrine that doesn’t glorify Jesus is a false doctrine. This is very simple to identify or recognize from afar. Such a doctrine will only lead to disputes and divisions, rather than godly edification in the faith among Christians. It will only cause confusion instead of bringing the harmony of the Spirit into the Church.
And wherever disharmony exists among Christians, there will always be a hindrance to the flow of the supply of the Holy Spirit. This can prevent the move of the Holy Spirit within congregations, communities or even nations.
There are many nations of the world today that are closed to the move of the Holy Spirit as a result of this. The enemy is exploiting this to hinder the Lord’s harvest in those nations.
However, I have personally observed on several occasions that, just because the enemy closes the door for the move of the Holy Spirit in any nation, doesn’t necessarily prevent the Almighty God from intervening in the affairs of His people in that nation.
I had on numerous occasions seen God intervening in the affairs of many nations, by opening the door for the move of His Spirit which the enemy thought that he had shut.
What the enemy often does to prevent the move of God in such situations has always been turned around against him, to bring in the greatest harvest of souls into the Kingdom of God. A lot of these new believers in Christ Jesus are today being used mightily by the Lord all over the world, to win more souls into God’s Kingdom.
Are you seeking harmony with others?
The Body of Christ still has a lot to learn about living in harmony with one another. Christians may differ from one another on the basis of doctrines, but the ability to stay in spiritual harmony with others, who don’t believe like us is crucial in bringing in the Lord’s end time harvest.
Jesus expects us to be in harmony with one another. He said:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34-35 NKJV
The end time harvest is the most important thing for the Kingdom of God at this moment. And for this to be possible Christians must learn to appreciate the gifts and the strength of the Lord in one another.
There is no Church denomination without any deficiency in the supply of the Spirit on the earth today. As long as we are all looking at Jesus, then every deficiency in the supply of the Spirit in any denomination will become the strength that will eventually make her perfect. The Lord will turn such a weakness around to become the strength of the Church denomination.
Neither is there any Christian organization or ministry that is without spiritual deficiency either. It is a fallacy to believe otherwise.
Each member of the Body of Christ supplies what is lacking in others, for the purpose of expanding the Kingdom of God on the earth. And for the supply of the Spirit to come to Christ’s Body, there has to be a humbled and teachable spirit within her members, with the willingness to receive the gifts of God’s Spirit.
Humility here is the ability to be bold enough to praise the Lord, for what He is doing in others which you are not capable of doing. We esteem the work of the Holy Spirit in others higher, than what we see Him doing in ourselves. We esteem others as being better than ourselves, by giving glory to the Lord for what He is doing in their lives.
Paul told the Philippians:
“So, I’m asking you, my friends, that you be joined together in perfect unity—with one heart, one passion, and united in one love. Walk together with one harmonious purpose and you will fill my heart with unbounded joy. Be free from pride-filled opinions, for they will only harm your cherished unity. Don’t allow self-promotion to hide in your hearts, but in authentic humility put others first and view others as more important than yourselves. Abandon every display of selfishness. Possess a greater concern for what matters to others instead of your own interests. And consider the example that Jesus, the Anointed One, has set before us. Let his mindset become your motivation.”
Philippians 2:2-5 TPT
This is how Christians are able to learn from one another, while walking in harmony with one another. We don’t lord things over others; but we in self-humility work with one another, to achieve the harmony of Christ within the Body.
Paul told the Ephesians also that:
“As a prisoner of the Lord, I plead with you to walk holy, in a way that is suitable to your high rank, given to you in your divine calling. With tender humility and quiet patience, always demonstrate gentleness and generous love toward one another, especially toward those who may try your patience. Be faithful to guard the sweet harmony of the Holy Spirit among you in the bonds of peace,”
Ephesians 4:1-3 TPT
Every believer in Christ Jesus has a Christian duty to be guiding and protecting the sweet harmony of the Holy Spirit with one another in the bonds of peace (Shalom).
However, every attempt that you make as a Christian to guide and protect the sweet harmony of the Holy Spirit, within the Body of Christ is going to be tested. There are fellow Christians who are waiting to test your patience and humility. But by walking in the Spirit of holiness you can, and you will silence them.
It’s not every believer in Christ Jesus who has the same level of faith as you do have. That’s why they are going to test you. It’s important to remember this, so as to be able to carry them along with you patiently and in humility, while you are being tested.
God has given to every one of us a measure of faith. Some Christians are exercising their faith constantly, and they are reaping the benefit of it, as there is an increase of the flow of the anointing from the Lord into their lives.
Others are not doing anything with their faith. The result is that they are incapable of bringing on to the table, the synergy that is needed to achieve the harmony of the Spirit within the Body of Christ.
The Body of Christ can’t win the lost into God’s Kingdom, as long as there is disharmony within the Body Herself. This is what the enemy does in weakening the Church generally. He is exploiting the disharmony within the Body of Christ to advance his evil works everywhere around us today.
We are however able to silence him by keeping ourselves in harmony with one another; so that we can become empowered together in going out headlong against every one of his works.
For example, it’s no secret that witchcraft activities among Christians is increasing, more than in the unsaved world today. This is the bitter truth that we have to accept, so that our spiritual eye can become more vigilant in going after the enemy who is behind it.
As Paul warned Timothy:
“For some have already turned aside after Satan.”
I Timothy 5:15 NKJV
Now, every act of disobedience to God and His written word is a form of witchcraft. The biblical definition of witchcraft says:
“Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.”
1 Samuel 15:23a NLT
It’s weird that both rebellion and stubbornness are more evident within the Body of Christ today. Christians who can blatantly disobey God’s word to please themselves and their flesh, are practicing witchcraft within the Church.
Those who are stubbornly living their Christian lives so as to appease the world, rather than to please God are practicing a form of idolatry.
The scripture text above is straight forward about these things. And those who are doing these things, do know deep in their hearts that they are not being obedient to God’s written word.
They are the ones that Satan is using to bring disharmony within the Body of Christ. In most cases they are not committed to any Church gathering or any denomination at all. They are the Christian rovers that we see every day among us. Watch out for them!
Why certain Christians don’t seek for harmony.
The root cause of disharmony within the Body of Christ was well addressed by the Apostle Paul, when he said:
“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you are disqualified.”
II Corinthians 13:5 NKJV
When Christians are not regularly examining themselves to see if they are walking and living by faith with other Christians, they will eventually become worldly.
A lifestyle of faith in God’s written word doesn’t only please God, it’s what will keep you in harmony with other Bible believers.
The absence of periodic spiritual self-examination will make a Christian more and more worldly. He will become less, and less Christ centered in the way, that he is living and practicing his Christianity.
When Christians in any community or nation are not regularly examining their faith walk, to see if they are in tune with the Head of the Body – Christ Jesus, they will ultimately bring disharmony to the whole Body. They will weaken the faith of other Christians around them, instead of being an encouragement to their faith. They will weaken the exercise of the spiritual authority that exists, within the whole Body over that particular community or nation.
The devil knows how spiritual authority works within the Church. He is doing everything to prevent God’s people from being in harmony with one another, so as to be able to exercise spiritual authority wherever they are meeting.
There is nothing that God can do here to help His people, because all authority in heaven and earth belongs to the Body of believers on the earth already. The Body of Christ is weakened as a result of those who are not judging themselves, before judging others.
They don’t want to remove the plank in their own eye, but they are always eager to remove the speck in the spiritual eye of others (Luke 6:37-42).
Their inaction to test themselves gives the enemy an opportunity to attack the whole Body of Christ.
And of course, if we are not periodically judging ourselves, the Lord God will eventually judge us. It’s however better to judge yourself, rather than to have God’s judgment come upon you.
If you’re not living right, repent and fix the problem before God’s judgment comes to fix it for you.
The absence of spiritual harmony within the Body of Christ produces an unpleasant symphony before the Lord God. It hinders the flow of His Spirit to save the lost, to heal the sick and to deliver those who are in captivity to the world of evil.
Getting it right!
The Apostle Paul told the Church at Corinth:
“But I want you to know and realize that Christ is the Head of every man, the head of a woman is her husband, and the Head of Christ is God.”
1 Corinthians 11:3 AMPC
This is the order of spiritual authority in the Church and the Christian home, which the devil recognizes also.
Anything else that is not in line with this order of God, as pointed out here by the Apostle Paul is surely going to bring disharmony within the Church and the Christian home. And in most instances, it is what has brought the wrath of God upon the disobedient.
Christ as the Head of the Church can’t function, without being in harmony with the fivefold ministries or ordained leadership within the Church.
There has to be spiritual harmony among those who are in leadership positions, for the Head of the Church (Christ Jesus) to be able to function effectively in their midst.
There is an immense blessing that flows through the leadership of the Church into the lives of their congregants, as they all are functioning individually in their respective callings:
“For His “body” (Christ’s) has been formed in His image and is closely joined together and constantly connected as one. And every member has been given divine gifts to contribute to the growth of all; and as these gifts operate effectively throughout the whole body, we are built up and made perfect in love.”
Ephesians 4:16 TPT
Every member of Christ’s Body has an important role to play in bringing harmony to the whole Body, so that each individual member of the Body can be empowered to join others, in presenting a glorious spiritual symphony before the Lord God.
The Prophet Joel painted this picture effectively when he said by the Spirit of the Lord that:
“They run like mighty men, they climb the wall like men of war; Everyone marches in formation, and they do not break ranks. They do not push one another; Everyone marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, they are not cut down.”
Joel 2:7-8 NKJV
This is a beautiful picture of the victorious Church in spiritual harmony together, as She goes out against the enemy in battle formation. Each member of the Body of Christ in the fivefold ministries “marches in his own column”. “They do not break ranks” with one another.
They are undefeated with this battle formation. They are unable to give the enemy a breathing space into their midst, with this harmonious formation of the Spirit.
This is the spiritual formation of the victorious Church in the frontline of spiritual warfare against the enemy.
When every part of the Body of Christ brings their individual supply to the whole Body, without breaking ranks with one another while moving in their own column, then there is a spiritual symphony that is being composed which is pleasing to God.
The Lord God sees them in this formation, and He gives them much more than they do desire of Him. This is how the Lord God reveals Himself among us, as the God Who is more than enough. The Body of Christ will have no deficiency for anything in this manner, because each member of the Body supplies what others do not have.
The Church cannot exist without Christ as the Head. In fact, she’s dead without Christ occupying His rightful position of power among His people.
In the same way a Christian man without Christ as his Head, can’t rule and reign in his own house, as both the priest and the king. He needs Christ as his Head for the angels to protect and honor every decree, that he issues with his mouth inside his home.
The hosts of Heaven are listening to his decrees. They are eager to enforce them. Any type of disorderly conduct that promotes disharmony is destructive to both the Church and the home.
This was why Paul told the Corinthians:
“But I urge and entreat you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in perfect harmony and full agreement in what you say, and that there be no dissensions or factions or divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in your common understanding and in your opinions and judgments.”
1 Corinthians 1:10 AMPC
Being able to keep an attitude of good harmony in any Covenant relationship, is what makes the Covenant itself stronger and binding on all the parties involved.
Our Covenant relationship with the Father by the blood of Jesus Christ becomes stronger, when we are seeking to be in perfect harmony with Him. Our commitment and attitude towards our Covenant with Him, must be with total devotion to it and to the promise of the Spirit.
There are a lot of people who are entering into Covenant relationship with the Father these days, without having either the salt of the promise of the Spirit or the blood of Jesus Christ to authenticate it.
With the absence of both of these elements in our Covenant relationship with God, there’s no spiritual harmony in it as the proof of its existence at all before Him. You must allow the blood of Jesus to do a total and complete work in your life, so as to get you established in your Covenant relationship with God.
Spiritual harmony is spiritual maturity.
The absence of spiritual harmony in any Covenant relationship makes it dead and non-binding to both sides that are involved. It is what makes people who are supposed to be friends to become enemies forever. Strifes and other works of the flesh begins to manifest in tearing them apart, until all the parties are nonexistent.
This is what the devil does to divide peoples, nations, communities and homes.
Spiritual harmony is essential for keeping our Covenant with the Lord God alive and fruitful. Christians who are unable to harmonize with the Father in their Covenant relationship with Him, will ultimately find themselves on the receiving end of His wrath.
This was what happened to King Saul. The Lord God could not put His hand on him immediately, so as to get rid of him from the earth, because God’s anointing oil had been poured on him. It would have been self-destructive for the Lord God to had done this by Himself.
So, the Lord God had to allow Saul to keep going on with the wickedness of his hand, until he finally went to his own death in the hands of the Philistines. Those who did not have any Covenant relationship with God were instrumental in leading him into self-destruction.
Saul eventually took his own life. God couldn’t and would not even allow the Philistines or His Covenant people to kill Saul. He died by committing suicide (see 1 Chronicles 10:4-6).
The scriptures say:
“Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.”
I Samuel 15:10-11 NKJV
Samuel could not even change this decision of the Lord God, because of the magnitude of Saul’s persistent disobedience to God.
Saul was in a Covenant relationship with the Lord God as the King over His people (Israel). He was not supposed to be doing as he wanted in reigning over them. He was supposed to be receiving and following instructions and directions from the Lord God, so as to lead God’s people in the right direction.
There are Christians today who are living just like Saul, in their attitude towards their Covenant relationship with Him. Just because we have liberty as the children of God on the earth, does not mean that we should be taking that liberty for granted by abusing it.
The blood of Jesus Christ and the salt of the promise of the Covenant, are the essential elements of life and fruitfulness in our Covenant relationship with the Lord God.
This doesn’t apply to our Covenant by the blood of Jesus Christ alone; because every covenant that people enter into today, must have the element of the salt promises in it and the signatures that seals it. Every agreement that people enter into with one another has certain elements in it that authenticates it.
Jesus said:
“Again, I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven.”
Matthew 18:19 AMPC
Nothing is ever impossible for two or three people who are in harmony together with each other.
This is a spiritual principle that applies to unbelievers also. The devil’s kingdom cannot stand if he is not in harmony with his fallen angels as well (Luke 11:17-18).
There is a spiritual symphony that is being displayed as two or three people are walking in agreement together, especially when they are in spiritual harmony while praying together. Such a prayer is like a symphony in the ears of the hosts of heaven. Nothing will be impossible for them as they’re praying.
Nothing was impossible for the inhabitants of the earth, as they were in harmony together while attempting to build the Tower of Babel. The Lord God had declared about their intention:
“And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one [unified] people, and they all have the same language. This is only the beginning of what they will do [in rebellion against Me], and now no evil thing they imagine they can do will be impossible for them.”
Genesis 11:6 AMP
It’s important to note that they were only intending to build the tower, but the Lord God said that what they had intended to do, would have been impossible for Him to stop from happening. They would have succeeded even without God, because it only takes two or three people to agree about doing anything, and then become successful with it.
This is why it’s important that the person with whom you are in agreement with when praying, understands what you are standing in agreement with him about. It’s important that you both have faith in God for the same thing, without the other party having a hidden or different agenda which will jeopardize that agreement.
This is the reason why people have to listen to the word of God being taught about anything, that they are believing in God to do for them. This will allow faith to rise up within them, before standing in agreement with them in prayer.
Anyone who doesn’t have a clue about what they are standing in agreement with you about, can’t be in harmony with you. They can’t play the symphony of heaven on the earth along with you.
Being in spiritual harmony in a covenant relationship is like making a symphony together with the people with whom you are in the covenant relationship. It is a sign of spiritual maturity, because it takes people who can be in harmony with others, to be faithful in their Covenant relationship with God.
It’s what gives vibrant life to the Covenant, and enables both sides in the Covenant relationship, to be able to do exploits in their relationship with one another together.
Are you walking in harmony with God and with others in your Covenant relationships?
