What is one of the biggest challenges we face on the field? Jesus prayed about it in John 17:23, “May they (My followers) experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent me and that You love them as much as You love me.”

I had just gotten back from 6 weeks in the States visiting churches, doing presentations and connecting with family and prayer partners. When people asked how the visit went, I said, “My heart is full of encouragement and my body is exhausted.” You probably know the feeling. I was thankful for what I thought would be a few quieter days back “home” on the field before the usual routine started again. But quieter days is not what happened. I walked back into a hornet’s nest of team dynamics that I was not anticipating. Outwardly I was handling it in a mature way, but inwardly my mind was racing trying to keep up with all the complaints and details of how the situation was rapidly unraveling. In moments of clarity, I realized: I shouldn’t be surprised this is happening. I come back exhausted, the ministry year is about to start up, and the unity of the team is under fire. Our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against our enemy, Satan. This is spiritual warfare. (Ephesians 6:12).

We can see many commands and encouragements in Scripture for unity amongst believers. Sometimes those verses are linked with the connection unity between believers has to do with our witness to the world. “By this all people will know you are my disciples if you love one another” (John 13:35), “How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity” (Psalms 133:1), “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us” (1 John 4:11-12) and the list goes on.

So today, if you are struggling with unity in your team, in your family, in your church, whatever your context; I encourage you to hit the pause button. Spend some time alone with the Lord and ask Him to show you what’s going on in your heart, what tensions and wounds this conflict could be stirring up in you. Talk to Him about those things and allow Him to minister to you in those areas. Pray through these verses of unity and pray them over your situation. Know that the enemy is at work to cause division, to steal your joy and to hurt your witness. Pray against that attack and be mindful that more is going on than we can see with our physical eyes. “Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothes yourselves with love, which binds us together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:13-14) It’s not easy but if it was, we probably would do it on our own and not be depending on our Savior.