When “Concern” Tears Down

A Devotional on Discord and Self-Deception

“Sometimes the person sowing discord thinks they’re defending truth. But what they’re really doing is dividing the body to preserve their tribe.”
- The Jacked Up Church

Author note: The above quote is from my upcoming release, The Jacked Up Church. While there’s a chapter dedicated to jacked up church’s in my new release The Jacked Up Life, the topic really needed its own book. It will release this summer.

One of the sobering realities of church life is that not all division is loud. Sometimes it comes dressed in concern. Sometimes it quotes Scripture. Sometimes it sounds like discernment. But underneath it all, it fractures the very body it claims to protect.

Paul doesn’t mince words in Romans 16:17–18:

“Watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them. For these are the kind who do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.” (NET)

Here’s the hard truth:

You can be convinced you’re doing good while actually undoing good for others.

You can be driven by deep conviction and still cause deep division.

You can be passionate for your people, your ministry, your preferences—and end up protecting your tribe at the expense of Christ’s body.

So how do you know if you’re the one sowing discord?

Here are five diagnostic questions for the heart:

1. Am I seeking the Spirit’s unity or simply defending my preferences?
   Discord often begins when we mistake personal preference for biblical principle.

2. Do I confront in love personally or just vent to others in frustration?
   Questioning rooted in love builds. Criticism rooted in self-protection destroys.

3. Do I grieve how my words may impact others—or feel justified by the fallout?
   Righteous speech still carries the weight of humility.

4. Am I submitting to godly authority or undermining it subtly?
   The enemy doesn’t always roar. Sometimes he whispers through sideways conversations and spiritualized complaints.

5. Am I more concerned about preserving “my people” than shepherding God’s people?
   Tribes feel safe. But Christ’s church is bigger—and often more uncomfortable—than our circle.

Sometimes, sowing discord feels like faithfulness—because it’s familiar.

But true faithfulness is marked by love, humility, clarity, and a longing for healing, not just correction.

If you’ve realized you may be the one tearing down when you thought you were building up, there’s grace.

But it starts with repentance—not just for what’s been said, but for what’s been valued too much. Only with repentance can reconciliation take root.

A prayer for today:

“Lord, search my heart. If there is any discord I’ve sown, intentionally or unknowingly, reveal it. Help me own it, confess it, and, in the future, speak with clarity and compassion in the light and not in the shadows. Make me a peacemaker, not a preference-defender. Let your body be strengthened, not scattered, through me. Amen.”

If this devotional stirred something in you, that’s to be celebrated.

Grace confronts, but it also restores.

If you’ve been hurt by discord or convicted of contributing to it, I’d love to hear from you. Just reply or comment below.