The Nature of Division: More Than Just Disagreement
Division isn’t just a difference of opinion—it often begins within us. It starts as an internal fracture: a division in our thoughts, identity, or beliefs that eventually spills over into our relationships and communities. It’s a fracture that isolates, polarizes, and ultimately destroys unity. It’s one of the enemy’s oldest and most effective tactics, used to pit people against each other, create chaos, and break down relationships. Scripture makes this clear: “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:25).
In today’s world, division is exploding. It shows up everywhere—within families, churches, communities, and nations. It’s fueled by pride, fear, offense, and the relentless pursuit of being “right.” The political climate and social media amplify this even more, turning conversations into conflicts and differences into battlegrounds.
But this isn’t just a social issue. It’s spiritual warfare.
The enemy thrives in division because it severs connection—the very thing God designed humanity for. Division breaks down unity, weakens communities, and isolates individuals. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10), and one of his primary strategies is to fracture what God has built.
Biblically, division has always been a tool of the enemy—from the serpent in the Garden sowing distrust between Eve and God, to the jealousy of the Sadducees and Pharisees towards Jesus, and the division among the early church. Wherever there’s division, there’s an opportunity for the enemy to take ground.
Yet, Jesus calls His followers to unity: “That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you” (John 17:21).
Psychologically, division taps into deeply rooted fears and biases. It plays on our instinct to protect our identity, leading to “us vs. them” mentalities. Cognitive biases like confirmation bias and in-group favoritism fuel this divide, making it harder for people to empathize, compromise, or even listen.
Division isolates individuals emotionally, leading to loneliness, stress, and even mental health issues. It breaks down trust and makes genuine connection difficult. Left unchecked, it creates echo chambers where people only hear what they agree with, deepening divides even further.
It creates diversions and delays; it stops and undoes progress. When division takes root, it clouds judgment and hijacks emotional energy. Instead of building solutions or deepening understanding, people become consumed with defending their position, attacking others, or withdrawing entirely. Over time, this stunts personal growth, erodes relationships, and halts collective progress. What could have been a conversation becomes a confrontation. What could have led to healing instead breeds hostility. In this way, division not only harms individuals—it poisons the environments they inhabit.
Division doesn’t always begin with loud arguments or major betrayals. Sometimes, it’s quietly planted in subtle moments of fear, pain, or misunderstanding. The enemy doesn’t need much to get started—just a crack in the foundation. A small offense, an unresolved hurt, or a whispered assumption can quickly take root and grow if left unchecked. Anything in our conscious or subconscious mind can be leveraged to initiate the process. The enemy is a pro at finding the cracks—and he has the patience to fuel the fire and wait for the tailspin to begin.
Fear sows division when we assume the worst about someone’s intentions rather than seek clarity. Strife enters when pride won’t let us back down or apologize. We become easily offended instead of easily forgiving. Pain creates distance when we shut people out to protect ourselves. Jealousy turns admiration into rivalry. Disappointment fosters bitterness. Shame leads us to hide and pretend rather than confront and confess. Mistrust causes us to pull away, question motives, and withhold vulnerability.
These moments may seem small, but they carry weight. They stack up. And in the absence of truth, humility, and grace, they build walls—walls that the enemy is all too eager to reinforce. Before long, connection is severed, and division is fully in motion.
The goal of division, beyond destroying relationships, collaboration, and problem-solving, is to isolate. Isolated people are easier to manipulate, more prone to bondage, and more likely to remain trapped in cycles of pain. Division is the first step in the long game to steal, kill, and destroy.
It doesn’t take a battle for the enemy to divide us. All he needs is a whisper we believe, a thought we don’t question, or a wound we’ve never healed.
The mind is the enemy’s battlefield, and lies are his favorite weapons. He rarely attacks head-on. Instead, he whispers. He sows doubt, fear, comparison, pride, and suspicion into your thinking, until you begin to question everything—your worth, your relationships, even your belonging.
These lies often sound like your own voice:
“There’s no need for someone like you.”
“If you let them in, they’ll ruin everything.”
“They’re out to divide us.”
“It’s safer to stick with your own kind.”
“They’re not on your side, and they never will be.”
And these whispers don’t come at random. The enemy is methodical. He peels back the layers of your life—your wounds, insecurities, and past experiences—searching for something he can leverage. A childhood rejection. A betrayal you never fully processed. A time you were overlooked, criticized, or excluded. Once he finds the pain point, he magnifies it until it distorts how you see others… and how you see yourself.
His tactics can be summed up in three primary strategies:
1. Lies That Divide You From Others
He feeds you scripts that justify offense, mistrust, or superiority:
“They don’t understand me.”
“They’re trying to take what’s mine.”
“They did that in purpose to hurt me.”
2. Lies That Divide You From Yourself
He targets your identity and value:
“I’ll never be enough.”
“I’m too damaged to belong.”
“No one would want to know the real me.”
3. Lies That Divide You From God
He questions God’s goodness, timing, or ability to restore:
“If God really cared, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“I’m too far gone for God to use me.”
“I have to protect myself—God won’t.”
Left unchallenged, these and similar lies shape how we see the world and how we relate to others. They keep us guarded, disconnected, easily offended, and unable to truly love or be loved. This is how division takes root—not just in relationships, but in our hearts.
That’s why the fight against division begins internally.
Before we can restore relationships, we must confront the lies we’ve agreed with, the wounds we’ve ignored, and the patterns we’ve accepted. We have to expose the tactics of the enemy and take back the ground he’s claimed in our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs.
Before we move into how to fight back in Part II, take a moment to reflect. Division often hides in the background—camouflaged as justified distance, silent resentment, or lingering mistrust. It creeps in through the lies we believe, the wounds we ignore, and the patterns we never challenge.
Ask yourself:
- Am I holding onto offense, resentment, or bitterness toward someone?
- Do I avoid certain people or conversations out of fear, discomfort, or past pain?
- Have I assumed someone’s motives without seeking clarity?
- Is there unresolved tension in a relationship that I’ve chosen to ignore?
- Do I find myself emotionally withdrawing or shutting down instead of expressing my thoughts?
- Are my social circles built on shared beliefs that exclude those who think or live differently?
- Have I allowed pride to keep me from apologizing, forgiving, or reconciling?
- Am I more focused on being “right” than being in right relationship?
- Have I nurtured jealousy or comparison that’s damaged how I see others?
- Do I feel isolated, misunderstood, or disconnected—and have I traced where that began?
Division doesn’t always shout. It often whispers. And by the time we hear it clearly, it’s already shaping how we think, feel, and relate.
But you are not powerless.
In Part II, we’ll expose how to strengthen your defenses, fight back with truth, and take ground through the power of personal storytelling—a tool that heals wounds, rewrites lies, and brings people back together. The battle is real. But so is your ability to win it.
