Contents

1    Strife: The AIDS Virus of the Spirit

2    Where Did Strife Originate?

3    Spiritual Immune Systems

4    The Principles Jesus Taught Eliminated Strife

5    "Ye Are Yet Carnal"

6    "Let Nothing Be Done Through Strife"

7    Personal Opportunity For Strife Rejected!

8    It's Time To Humble Ourselves

Personal Prayer of Commitment

1

Strife: The AIDS Virus of the Spirit

AIDS is a disease in the natural realm for which there is no proven cure. It is the result of things that have gone wrong in people's hearts, in their attitudes and in their actions that has manifested in a disease that affects the immune system. (The immune system is that part of the body that fights off disease.)

Similarly, there is a disease in the realm of the Spirit that stops spiritual immunities, and that disease is strife.

When people get into spiritual AIDS, they do something unnatural: it is unnatural for someone born of love to get out of love. We are love creatures, born of a love Father, with a love Savior. Love should be our way of life. When we get out of love, it breaks down all the immunities.

Because of its destructive potency, we need to understand what strife is and how to deal with it.

Strife has such power that it can nullify all of the spiritual weapons God has given us.

Strife is defined as "contention, rivalry, selfish ambition, or an argumentative spirit." Noah Webster in his 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language defines strife as "exertion or contention for superiority; contention in anger or enmity; contest; struggle for victory, quarrel; contentious." Bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness are all part of the strife family.

James had something to say about strife and contention:

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation (lifestyle) his works with meekness of wisdom.

But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

James 3:13,14

There is nothing to boast about when there is strife in the heart. People say, "I am so angry, upset and frustrated." They boast about their anger, frustration, resentment and antagonism toward an individual. James says, "Don't boast about your envy and strife, because it is against the truth." Verses 15 and 16 tell us why:

This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

James 3:15,16

Envy, strife, bitterness, unforgiveness, arguments, resentment and fighting open the door to confusion, every evil work, unrest, disharmony, rebellion, accidents, calamities and tragedies.

Then James identifies the qualities of godly wisdom:

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

James 3:17,18

2

Where Did Strife Originate?

Pride is the root cause of strife, which can be defined as selfishness. Pride originated with the devil when he said in his heart:

...I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Isaiah 14:13,14

Even though Lucifer was an archangel of God, pride entered into his heart. He didn't begin as Satan. He began as Lucifer, one of the covering angels over the very throne of God. He led the worship in heaven, but he began to seek his own selfish ambition.

Ezekiel said of Lucifer, who became Satan when he fell:

Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Ezekiel 28:13-15

Strife came and there was war in heaven. When there is strife, there will always be war, whether it's in the marriage, the home, the church, or between nations.

Jesus said, "...I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Because of pride and self-exaltation, Lucifer lost his position in heaven. He was removed from that place of authority.

If you have authority over the enemy in your home or in a ministry, that position is degraded when you allow strife to rule in your heart.

3

Spiritual Immune Systems

In the natural body, there are immune chemicals that are released to fight diseases we don't even know about. They fight germs that float in the air, in the water we drink, or in the food that we eat. God has an immune system inside of us. It is an amazing system that rises up and fights the alien forces of the enemy.

God's immune system includes His Word, prayer and praise and the name of Jesus. It includes the shield of faith which will stop every fiery dart of the wicked (Ephesians 6:16); the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony (Revelation 12:11); submitting yourself to God and resisting the enemy, causing him to flee from you (James 4:7); putting on the whole armor of God to stand against the wiles, schemes, plots and plans of the devil (Ephesians 6:11).

If strife gets into your blood stream, it will nullify the effectiveness of these immune systems. It will knock out the prayer of faith, the Word of God, the name of Jesus and the power of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

When you are free from strife and are filled with God's Word, the blood of Jesus Christ will knock out the things the devil sends against you. As you begin to praise and worship the Lord, depression and fear are knocked out of your life.

We have many immune systems in the realm of the Spirit that are fighting against the devil's attacks. I think people would be amazed if they knew how many illnesses are the result of strife. Many people think communication is the main problem area in marriage. Some say it is sexual or financial problems. I say the real root problems are pride and selfishness, which cause negative manifestations in every realm of life.

The immune systems God has given us are short-circuited in an atmosphere of envy and strife.

4

The Principles Jesus Taught Eliminated Strife

In the principles Jesus taught, He always presented a way to avoid strife. In Matthew 5:3941, He said:

...Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

In that day, the Roman soldiers commanded the occupied servants of the land to carry their bags a mile. Jesus said, "Carry it two miles. If he asks for your coat, give him your cloak also."

Many people fight over what someone wants.

They fight over inheritances. They get into a war with their brothers and sisters over a cup or a vase that Grandma left, over Mamma's comforter, or Grandpa's rifle. Yet, what they gain through strife, they will lose to the devil. What you gain through strife, you will lose to the devil, too. That's why we never win by arguing or by getting into strife.

You can differ with someone, but you don't have to do it in strife, contention, envy, or jealousy. I'm not saying that you are to be a doormat and everyone just rolls over you. I am saying there is a way that your spirit can be controlled so that when you differ with someone, you can state your position without getting into strife.

Promotion does not come from the east or the west, the south or the north. It comes from the Lord (Psalm 75:6,7). God will promote you and give you what is coming to you in due season. You may have to walk two miles for it, but Jesus says that is far better than losing your peace.

If you punch the soldier and knock him out, you will have fear. If you gain the coat, but you do it in strife, then you have also lost the cloak of God's righteousness. You may gain the item, but you lose the more precious items of the peace, the anointing and the blessings of God.

Even though people confess prosperity and blessing, it is not coming until they deal with strife. Strife will stop the blessings of God. It will stop the harvest on your tithes and offerings.

In Mark 11:23-25 (NKJV), Jesus said:

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be removed and be cast into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says.

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.

If you hold unforgiveness in your heart, which is a part of strife, then your heavenly Father cannot release the blessings that He has ordained for you. What you hold onto in strife stops the forgiveness that God wants to impart to your life.

It's not that God hasn't forgiven, because you have already been forgiven through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Though it is being offered and poured out, strife literally hardens and shuts your heart so the forgiveness of God cannot penetrate it. But when you forgive, your heart is opened to receive the blood that's flowing from Calvary to forgive your sins and to wash away every remembrance of them.

It should never be an issue with us whether or not we are going to forgive. If you are going to heaven, then you are going to be a forgiver. That's the bottom line. There is a way we say it: "I'M A BELIEVER AND NOT A DOUBTER, A FORGIVER AND NOT A POUTER!"

Determine that you are going to be a forgiver. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God"

(Matthew 5:9).

5

"Ye Are Yet Carnal"

In 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, Paul was writing to the Christians at Corinth:

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

Yet, it was in Corinth that the revelation about communion and the gifts of the Spirit came. It was in Corinth that the revelation about agape love was written.

Until we get to heaven, there won't be total perfection. Jesus is our only example of perfection. You may be looking for the perfect church. You may be disturbed because from the outside, you look at a church and it looks beautiful. But after you go there and stay a while, you see some flaws and problems in people. You may feel like you want to leave, because it isn't the perfect church. Since you arrived, it certainly isn't perfect!! And if you go to the next church, it is going to have the same appearance from the outside, yet some of the same challenges inside.

You have to make a decision that you are either going to stay in the church where God put you, or you are going to be a continual hopper from one place to another, always looking for the perfect church. Folks, it's not out there.

We must learn to deal with differences in people. A lot of people have no problem with God. It's just all the people that are in His family that they have a problem with!

They get into strife and say, "I am so upset," and they go down the list: the nursery, the preschool, the children's church, the youth program, the singles, the senior citizens, the Sunday school, the small groups, the choir, the preacher, the preacher's wife, the sermon, the staff, the ushers. People's difficulties and problems should not have authority over your spirit. Sometimes the people didn't do anything wrong. You simply perceived it was wrong. People prone to strife who don't have this area in control in their lives will find something wrong with everyone.

Some people have one strife after another. They can't get someone on the phone, so they get into strife over it. They turn around and stub their toe so they get mad at the carpet! They open the refrigerator and something falls out, and they get mad at the refrigerator! They get in the car and the seats are hot, so they get mad at the manufacturer of the car! There are little realms of strife that people walk in all the time, yet in each of these areas, there is an opportunity to praise God.

When we interview people to work in our ministry, we want to know how they feel about the last place they left, because ultimately, they will make the same comments about us. "Boy, that was a sorry church. The way they treated me in that ministry, I don't have any respect for them." We say, "The Lord bless you! May God give you a good place somewhere else to work!"

If you are single, you need to find out what the person you are dating or considering for marriage is saying about their family members. Do they fight and argue with their brothers and sisters, their mom and dad? They are so sweet and nice to you, but one day you are going to be on the other end of the argument that Mamma's on right now. You will be involved in that strife, because the spirit of strife will be transmitted unless it is dealt with.

Just because someone gets bent out of shape doesn't mean it has to bend you, too! That is good news, because some people have lived all their lives dictated by the strife of other people.

To stay free of strife, don't pick up other people's ill feelings. Someone gets a raw deal and you hear about it and repeat: "Did you hear what happened to So-and-so?" It didn't even happen to you, yet you picked up on it and became involved with it. You have enough to deal with on your own without picking up someone else's strife.

I was playing basketball one on one with a guy at O.R.U. one afternoon. He was bigger than me, but I was real aggressive in sports, so I kept guarding him as close as I could. Every time he started to drive, I blocked him. Every time he went up for a shot, I slapped the ball. Suddenly, his fist met my left jaw, and I remember flying in the air and landing on the floor. Not everyone at O.R.U. was sanctified at that time! He said, "Get off of me." I said, "All right ... all right."

I have thought about that situation many times. I caused that problem, I aggravated it and I was producing the strife that came out of him.

There are certain things we do in nagging, complaining and criticizing that produce strife when we grate against people's lives. We become strife producers. Other people are strife carriers.

In the natural, people physically can carry disease. It doesn't kill them, but they carry the disease and they can infect someone else. Similarly, there are strife carriers and contention sowers. They look so sweet and happy, but they say, "Have you heard? I just want to ask you about So-and-so. Let me give you some fresh information." It's usually dead and stale!

Strife carriers impart little words, attitudes and feelings. You need to guard your ears and make a decision that your ears aren't going to be garbage dumps!

It has been said that some people can make coffee nervous! They walk into a room and it feels like something good got up and walked out. They have a bad attitude and a negative, critical, caustic, degrading spirit.

Sometimes strife is caused by insecurity or fear in people's lives. They get into fear when they don't have faith that God will provide, so they envy and become jealous. They see someone being blessed, and instead of honoring them and rejoicing with them, they criticize and find fault.

Paul said, "For ye are yet carnal..." (1 Corinthians 3:3). In Spanish and in Latin, the root word for carnal means "meat." In other words, only a meathead would become involved in strife!

Strife comes from a person who is ruled by the flesh. Sometimes strife is birthed out of prejudice, and the root problem that causes prejudice is pride. People are so proud of their own way, their own color, their own race and their own nationality. Prejudice exists in some form all over the world, because the devil is the sower of strife between people where he can create division, whether it's in Russia, South Africa, North or South Korea, Ireland, or between Catholics and Protestants. The same spirit is behind all of it—the spirit of pride and self-will.

No wonder Paul cried out:

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.

With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1-3 (NKJV)

6

"Let Nothing Be Done Through Strife"

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Philippians 2:3

Galatians 5:20 describes strife as one of the works of the flesh. The opposite of strife, fightings and factions is the fruit of the Spirit borne in the human spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance (Galatians 5:22,23).

We have all been in strife at times, and we have all looked back and regretted it. Now that we have new light in scripture, we need to repent of what happened in the past. But if we just repent and go back to the same lifestyle, nothing will change.

The change will come when we make a determination, "I will let nothing be done through strife or vainglory." Vainglory is a person seeking glory for himself or seeking his own self-exaltation instead of saying, "Lord, I put myself at the foot of Your cross, and I expect You to exalt me in due time."

Paul spoke to Timothy about strife, and this word is a word for us today, too:

But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

2 Timothy 2:23-26

The context of these verses is dealing with foolish and unlearned questions that people argue and get into strife over. If someone comes to you and asks, "Do you baptize in a tank, do you pour, or do you sprinkle?" it doesn't matter. The most important thing is that there be unity in the Body. The issue is, what do we believe about Jesus Christ? The water symbolizes the work of the Spirit of God and His grace in our lives.

I will share my beliefs with people, but I'll not argue with them. It is important to communicate, but when it comes to argument or strife, that is the point to stop.

Confession

Say this aloud with me right now, and repeat it until it gets into your spirit:

My tongue is as the pen of a ready writer (Psalm 45:1). It flows with the life-giving power of Jesus Christ!

7

Personal Opportunity For Strife Rejected!

When I transferred to Oral Roberts University at mid-term of my sophomore year, I was a Methodist boy. It was at O.R.U. that I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Four years later, when Sharon and I began traveling in ministry, we preached in a Full Gospel church in my hometown, one mile down the road from the Methodist church I had been a part of all my life and where Sharon's father had pastored.

At the first part of the revival at this church, the pastor of the Methodist church called me and said, "Billy Joe, I want you to come and hold a meeting for us later in the spring." I was so excited to think of going back to my home church. My dad had been chairman of the board, and my mom was teaching Sunday school.

Many people were saved, healed and baptized in the Holy Spirit at the Full Gospel church, so word traveled quickly through the town that we spoke in tongues and believed in healing and miracles. Some of the people in that community didn't exactly embrace these truths of the Gospel, while others did.

During that six-week revival, some of the board members from the Methodist church came and sat on the back row one night.

I hadn't heard from the pastor of the Methodist church, and we were ready to leave town to go to another appointment, so I called him and said, "I wanted to let you know where we will be since you talked to me about holding a meeting for you. Then, when you are ready, you can let me know the date."

He said, "Billy Joe, I think it probably would be better if you didn't come at this time." There was a long silence. I asked, "Why?" He said, "Well, some of the people who came to your meetings don't feel good about you coming."

At that time, Mom was teaching the adult Sunday school class of that Methodist church, and all of the board members were in her class. I'll never forget that Saturday morning when I hung up the phone. It was tear city for a while!

When Mom asked, "What did he say?" I said, "They feel it wouldn't be good for us to come." It's one thing for someone to reject you, but it's another thing for someone to reject your son! Mom said, "I'm not going back to that church."

Then we talked about forgiveness and about loving them, and it got inside of Mom that she should go back. She didn't want to, but there are times your flesh won't want to do something, but your spirit has charge over your flesh! She related how it was one of the hardest things she ever did to speak to the group who had just rejected her son.

When this happened, Mom, Sharon and I made a decision: "We are not going to let their strife get in us."

Early that summer, I received a call from this same pastor. He said, "Billy Joe, I've really been bothered by what has happened. I have been praying about it, and I talked to my board. We are not going to have you come for a revival, but could you come for a week-end youth rally? Then we would like for you to preach on Sunday morning." I accepted.

Many people miss out on relationships and divine appointments because of strife. They say, "You wouldn't believe what he said to me. You wouldn't believe what she did." They magnify and glorify the strife and anger, exactly what James said not to do. It gets bigger and bigger and the wedge gets wider and wider.

At the Sunday morning service in that Methodist church, I only preached about 15 minutes, and then the power of God hit. Of 300 people in attendance, 60 came to the altar for salvation. One lady stood and gave a message in tongues and then interpreted and prophecy came forth. People were on their faces weeping before God. It was one of the greatest visitations of the Holy Spirit I had seen up to that time.

If you will walk in love, God will bring about your vindication. Your due day will come if you will wait for it as you submit yourself to God and to His purposes and plans for your life.

8

It’s Time To Humble Ourselves

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

Psalm 119:165

The righteous shall not be offended. If you have been crucified with Christ and you are willing to humble yourself, you won't get into strife.

There are people 70 and 80 years old who are living in strife over something that happened when they were 20. Things that have been carried instead of forgiven and released have opened the door to the enemy in their lives.

You may look back and say, "I tithed and I confessed the Word. Why did these things happen?" It is possible that a door was left open to the enemy through strife.

When God dealt with Kenneth Copeland on the issue of strife, the Lord showed him a four-inch wide pipe, about three or four feet long, with beautiful water pouring into one end of it. Yet, out of the other end of the pipe came a fine mist, just enough to make him upset and angry. He asked, "Lord, what is this?" The Lord responded, "That pipe is your spirit. That beautiful water pouring in is the glory and power of My anointing that I am trying to get into your life. What is coming out is all that is getting through to your life, because it is clogged up with little grains of the sand of strife." John 7:37,38 says:

...If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Thank God for the joy that we experience corporately in a service when we all come together, but individually, we have a river of living water flowing out of us all the time. We can live by the rivers of living water. Our leaf will not wither, and whatever we do will prosper.

What keeps it from bursting forth in people's lives in praise and joy? They are bent out of shape over one thing after another. Instead of joy and glory, there is gloom, arguments and always talking down on other people.

Millions of people have been robbed of relationships because of strife. Some people have been robbed of marriages, of beautiful children and family because they said, "I can't take the strife," when, in reality, they were a contributing factor to it.

Many people have habits of immorality, drugs and alcohol, but the root problem is uncontrolled anger and strife. The door has been opened to the enemy, and as a result, that thing has become a controlling force in their lives.

If you cast the spirit of alcoholism out of a person and they still have the anger of the father in their life, that same desire will return, and they will have no resistance against it.

There is a cure for the AIDS virus of the Spirit, and it is the shed blood of Jesus Christ. When you ask forgiveness and you forgive, it is ejected from your blood stream! You have to have a blood transfusion from the Throne Room of God to get rid of the infected blood.

This is a day to determine to avoid strife and get the river of resurrection life flowing again in your life!

Personal Prayer of Commitment

Father, I come to You today for a new beginning in my life. First, I acknowledge Jesus Christ as Your Son, and I believe He died and was buried, resurrected and ascended on my behalf, paying for my sin in full. Today, I receive You, Lord Jesus, as my personal Lord and Savior.

Empower me with the Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, so I will be equipped to be a bold witness of Your life and love to others.

I make a determination to turn from all sin, including strife, Lord Jesus. I will not be a party to strife in any way, but I will be a peacemaker. I will be a lifter of others. I will edify, comfort and exhort others through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Thank You that new life begins for me today in You, Lord Jesus! Help me to mature in You,

Lord, in a way that is pleasing to You.

Signature ________   Date ________

BILLY JOE DAUGHERTY is founder and pastor of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Victory has a Christian school, Bible Institute and Missions Training Center. Other Victory outreaches include taking the gospel via radio and television to North America, along with shortwave radio and television to other nations, plus the distribution of books, tapes, and videos. He and his wife, Sharon, minister God’s healing, saving, and delivering power as a team. Their family works alongside them in the ministry.

Table of Contents

1 Strife: The AIDS Virus of the Spirit

2 Where Did Strife Originate?

3 Spiritual Immune Systems

5 "Ye Are Yet Carnal"

6 "Let Nothing Be Done Through Strife"

7 Personal Opportunity For Strife Rejected!

8 It's Time To Humble Ourselves

Personal Prayer of Commitment