Through life we learn all kinds of things, good things, spiritual things. However, we are all afflicted with what I call spiritual amnesia. In the midst of a crisis we tend to forget what we have learned, and end up making unwise decisions.

But, the Holy Spirit is always there, waiting for us to turn to Him so he can give us direction. At one  point years ago  I had a colleague who didn’t like my leadership. He decided  to form his own sub team and did it by fomenting negative attitudes towards me in some of the newcomers. He was essentially my Absalom.

When this came to my attention, I confronted the man, but he denied any wrongdoing. So,  I went home and prayed about him, then  for him. “What should I do, Lord?”  I asked. Then, clear as a bell, the thought came: "ask him for advice about everything!”

Then I remembered James 3:14.  Every conflict has at its root the lust for significance and/or security. My Absalom was older than me, had been a regional leader in another organization and had just finished his doctorate. He saw himself as much better prepared to lead than me. He craved input in the decision making process because that gave him significance. And he felt insecure about not being in charge.

So with this wisdom God was guided me in disarming the conflict—not my wisdom, but His . From then on, in every significant decision we made as a team, I asked his advice. That almost immediately brought a change, although he never did like me, he did stop subverting me because I supplied the significance and security he craved.

This is another example of winning by losing. I forgot, but God reminded  me!

Picture: if we keep on the helmet of salvation, we have in Christ all the significance and security we will ever need!