Scripture says, “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing…” (Psalm 133:1-3). God blesses unity. The Bible says, “If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you” (Matthew 18:19). So there is great spiritual power in the prayer of unity. When a church is united in its vision and the people get behind the leadership in service, it’s amazing what can be done to make an impact on a community for the Gospel.

Pride. The first sin ever committed was the sin of pride when Lucifer rose up in heaven to make himself like God (Isaiah 14:13-15). In his madness, he convinced one third of heaven and angels to join with them in rebellion (Revelation 12:3-9). This was despite the fact that these angels were in God's very presence. God is at work reconciling sinful man to Himself (2 Corinthians 5).

He does this using several evil tools, including jealousy, pride, anger, fear, confusion, and lies. The book of Proverbs says, “Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends” (Proverbs 17:9). The devil loves to use the evil tool of jealousy by saying, “Look, God must not love you as much as he loves the other person.” A mature Christian recognizes differences and gives grace to those who may disagree with them. It is so important for believers to learn how to forgive those who wronged us (Mark 11:25). If we can forgive those who have done us wrong rather than holding on to anger and the offense, we defeat the devil and strengthen the Kingdom of God.

Jesus' disciples gathered together in unity and in prayer, following Jesus' command to go back to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1). On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out in power on these disciples who were gathered in one accord (Acts 2:2-4). Later, the disciples shared many things and walked in harmony, and God blessed the church and added to their numbers daily (Acts 2:42-47). The early church should be our model and example for how to walk in unity and see the blessings of God.

Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and be your Lord and Savior. Then, invite the Holy Spirit to come and fill you with God's love and power.