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UNITY WAY

March 9, 2003

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Enemies Within our Household

By Andrei Yashurin

"And a man's foes shall be those of his own household"
(Matthew 10:36), said Jesus. These words of Him, among
many others, were a puzzle to people since they were
uttered. And yet, they give us a key to powerful demonstrations
of Christ life in us and through us - if we only understand
and apply them in a right way.

I would like to give at least four reasons why, to my opinion,
they should not be interpreted literally - just like His remarks
about plucking out our eyes and cutting off our hands and feet.

First, I've seen negative effect that these words, taken as
they are, had in lives of many young believers. When those
people had misunderstandings or disputes in their families,
they were apt to call it "persecution" and "oppression",
referring to the scripture that we quoted. They often felt
justified for not seeking agreement and reconciliation,
putting all the blame on others.

Second, speaking on "enemies in our household", Jesus seems
to be all-inclusive. He didn't say that this problem could
arise in some families, but not in others. But there are
many households, where people are tolerant and kind to each
other, although they have different religious convictions
and lifestyles. Are they wrong? Did Jesus imply that His
followers should look for a conflict and expect a conflict,
even if there is none? It doesn't seem logical.

Third, I don't believe that thinking of people in terms of
"enemies" is a good thing to do. In essence, we do not have
enemies - every person that came to our life, has been attracted
for a special reason and purpose. No matter how people seem
to behave, no matter how rude and mean they could be to us,
they are our teachers, sent from God with special lessons.
They may not know this fact, but we should be aware of it.
We live in an orderly universe, where there are no accidents
or mistakes.

Fourth, all the messages of Jesus speak of "the Kingdom
of God within" - the inward realm of every person. When we
take this viewpoint, the gospel becomes simple and clear.
Much of its complexities and mysteries disappear.

By "enmity" in our "household", Jesus described the conflict
which takes place within our mind as Christ ideas are invited
to enter in.

"Enemies" are thoughts, attitudes, and established mental
states which are opposite to God's Truth. Those "enemies"
arise immediately after we decide to learn and to apply
the truth of our being. Why? They want to keep the control
over our mind and heart as long as possible. Seeing that new
thoughts are threatening to their dominion, they are eager
to expel newcomers.

However, their power is gone. The Truth of God is all-powerful,
all-prevailing. "Every knee should bow and every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:10,11), in
other words, every idea should completely submit to the Christ idea.

There is still a resistance, and we need to take our part in
dealing with those mental "enemies". But in order to do
it successfully, we need to realize that the victory already
belongs to us.

(to be continued)

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Andrei Yashurin: admin@unityway.net

http://unityway.net/zine

Positive Christianity E-zine

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All messages (c) 2003 by Andrei Yashurin
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