Leading through Conflict

IWM Devotion: Leading through Conflict

Key Scripture: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires."—James 1:19-20.

Word For Today

Conflict is often viewed as a "fire" to be put out, but for a leader, conflict is actually information. Think about a dashboard in a car, when a warning light flashes, you don’t get angry at the light, you look under the hood. In our teams, groups or families, conflict is the "warning light" telling us something is misaligned. Most people lead through conflict by avoiding it or exploding. True leadership, however, is the ability to stay calmly present while everyone else is reactive. It’s about moving from "Who is right?" to "What is right for the mission?"

In Nehemiah 5:1–13, when Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, a massive internal conflict broke out. The wealthy Jews were exploiting the poor. Nehemiah didn't ignore it. The Bible says he was very angry, but he didn't act immediately. He says, "I consulted with myself" (Nehemiah 5:7). He mastered his own flesh before addressing the flesh of others.
 
When we look at conflict through the lens of spirituality, we see that most battles aren't against people, but against unmet needs, pride, or fear. People fight when they feel disrespected, or they fight when they feel they are losing control or resources.
 And leading through conflict means you stop looking at the person as the problem and start looking at the problem as the enemy.  

But the question now for every leader is, how do we lead through conflict, especially when we have a lot of different personalities around us? First, I will say an acknowledgement. Don't ignore the elephant in the room, address the tension early before it rots. And before you walk into a difficult meeting, consult with yourself like Nehemiah. Pray for the person you are in conflict with. Or pray about the two people in conflict in your group, home, or office. Because that's one powerful strength of a good leader, prayerful. It’s hard to stay angry at someone you are sincerely praying for. 

And lastly, instead of "my way" or "your way," lead the people toward the solution that serves God’s purpose and the shared goal. (Nehemiah 5:9 &13). People under you are going to complain, have fights, and even talk in a murmur. Just like the Israelites did to Moses, but stand firm in what you know and never be shaken by what they throw at you because it will save you and the people you're carrying or the people looking up to you. And I pray God help every leader in Jesus name. Amen. 

If you've been down because of the conflict or opposition from your followers, please this is an encouragement to be calm, talk to God and don't give up. Because God is counting on you.