Family Feud

I love the game show, but real family feuds are as old as the Bible and are nothing to laugh about. Cain and Abel are the first recorded brothers who feuded (over all things) their sacrifice to God. Cain was jealous that God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and rejected his. His anger and resentment was so great that he killed his brother! Cain’s anger cost Abel his life, and brought a curse up on Cain.

The feud between Jacob and Esau is an example that is haunting us to this day. Esau sold his birthright to his brother for a bowl of porridge! How ridiculous is that? The feud between them was intense. It took a long time, but Jacob finally reconciled himself to his brother, but not without a great cost to himself and their descendants. The descendants of Esau can be traced to what is now modern day Russia. Look at the strife the world has had as a result of the feud between Jacob and Esau.

Modern day family feuds can and will have implications not just for the people who are involved in the dispute, but for future generations to come. It becomes a generational curse if left unresolved. Why do we allow the bitterness and unforgiveness to divide us? If you are a Christian, you know that those attitudes are not from God. They are from the enemy of your soul. He is there to steal, kill, and destroy us, and he loves tearing apart the families.

Your enemy is not your brother, sister, mother, or dad. Your enemy is the Devil himself. If you give him an inch, he will always take a mile. He will do whatever is within his power to divide and conquer you and your family. If you are someone with influence or fame…even better for him.

Learn the power of forgiveness and move forward with your life. Unresolved anger at a loved one will not go away on it’s own. If you ignore it, then know that there are consequences for you, your family, and for future generations. God holds each of us accountable to forgive one another. In fact, the Bible goes as far as saying that if you don’t forgive them, God won’t forgive you! That is a pretty hard pill to swallow for anyone who claims to be a Christian. If you are having trouble forgiving someone close to you, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. We have all been wounded at some point by someone in our family. That is just life. We just need to learn how to truly love one another, and that will never happen until we learn to forgive one another.

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes

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