For years, two of my aunts stopped speaking to one another.  I don’t know exactly what the issue was, but I was sitting in the living room, as my mother and one of her sisters talked.  Aunt “Sue” was telling my mom that while visiting their mother earlier, Aunt “Sally” came by the house.  As soon as Aunt “Sally” realized Aunt “Sue” was there, she sped off in her car and refused to come inside.

My mom never told me the whole story, but I knew enough to know that it was not a big incident that caused this division. It was a case of harsh words because of a disagreement.  Disagreement had divided the family.

America is in an election such as we have never seen.  There are enough lies, exaggerations and scandals to last a lifetime.  We are a very divided country. We seem divided along gender, racial and party lines.

Yet, for me the most troubling division is that which has risen in the Body of Christ.  It doesn’t take long to read social media, internet articles, and periodicals to see just how divided we have become.  There are competing prophets telling us who is to be elected and/or who is of the devil.   Christians loudly declare:  you cannot be a Christian and vote for him; you cannot be a Christian and vote for her.    Insults are hurled a mile a minute. One woman deleted me from social media because I did not support her candidate. Before deleting me from her life, she made sure to let me know I was not a woman of God.

One of the jobs of Satan is to divide the church.   Yes, we’ve always had some division, but the divide is so much deeper now.  The enemy did not just get a foothold in the door; it seems he has almost gotten his whole body in the door.

“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” – Galatians 5:19-21

As we look at the above list, most of us who try to live by biblical truth, would never think of getting drunk, being sexually immoral, playing with sorcery and throwing wild parties.  (I said MOST of us!)  Yet, God took the time to add to that list: hostility, outbursts of anger and division.

The enemy must be smiling, because he thinks he is fulfilling scripture, “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” – Mark 3:25.    The New Living Translation says it profoundly, “Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart.”

It’s time to stop the angry words towards each other.  It’s time to stop finger-pointing and speaking evil against one another.  The wounding has to stop.  Three weeks from today, we will have a president-elect.  In three weeks, many will be disappointed, and many will be jubilant.  The question is, “In three weeks, what kind of Church will we have?”  I hope and pray that we will have a Church that is not strife-filled.  Proverbs 6:16 tells us that God hates strife.

While many of us have been praying for repentance in this nation, it’s time to repent for letting down our guards, and allowing such ugliness to develop between us.  “If my people …”

Three weeks from today, I still plan to serve God.  Three weeks from today, I still plan to evangelize.  Three weeks from today, I still plan to help those who are in the midst of life’s pain.  Three weeks from today, I still plan to love God’s people.  Three weeks from today, I still plan to have faith in God.  Three weeks from today, I still plan to have kind words coming from my mouth.  Three weeks from today, I still plan to pray for a move of God in the United States of America.

What will you be doing three weeks from today?