God Won’t Move Where We’re Divided: The Truth About Unity, Power, and Broken Relationships

In today’s world, when we talk about creating harmony—whether it’s in music, a business team, or even a family—we recognize two vital ingredients: a clear direction and someone to lead. The same is true in the spiritual realm. Without direction and leadership, chaos takes over. In God’s kingdom, the direction is His will, and the one who leads is the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus said in Matthew 18, “If two of you agree on earth,” the word used for “agree” is the root of our modern word symphony. It doesn’t just mean having the same idea; it means being in deep spiritual harmony, moving together with one heart and one purpose. That kind of unity—true spiritual agreement—has power. It unlocks heaven’s resources. But it only works when it’s genuine. Surface-level agreement doesn’t count. You can’t fake unity and expect real results.

People sometimes say, “Let’s agree in prayer,” like it’s a magic formula. But agreement in words isn’t the same as agreement in spirit. Real unity takes humility, honesty, and a shared surrender to the will of God. And because this kind of harmony is so powerful, the enemy works overtime to prevent it. He’s been highly effective, too. Many churches today are full of people sitting beside each other on Sundays but living in spiritual isolation—or worse, silent conflict.

We’ve mistakenly turned the Church into an institution instead of a living body. We build systems and structures and assume they’ll bring us together. But the unity God desires can’t be manufactured. You can’t wrap it in a program, a uniform, or a title. The body of Christ isn’t held together by human organization. It’s a spiritual connection, and when we trade that for something outward and artificial, we lose the very power we’re trying to preserve.

This isn’t a new problem. Israel struggled with it in ancient times, trying to make God tangible by shaping Him into images. Today, we try to make His Church tangible by building it like a corporation. But no amount of branding, strategy, or structure can replace spiritual connection. That’s why even the most well-run churches can be full of division. You might have people in the same ministry, wearing the same shirt, singing the same songs—but if they’re not in true fellowship, their unity is only a shadow of what it should be.

Real unity flows from real relationships. Paul wrote in Ephesians and Colossians about how the body of Christ grows and holds together. He compared our spiritual body to a physical one, with joints and ligaments connecting everything. The joints represent our relationships—how we interact with each other. The ligaments are our attitudes—the love, humility, and peace that bind us. You can have strong, healthy individuals, but without the right connections, the body doesn’t function.

Think about an arm: it might have strong bones, but if the elbow joint doesn’t work, the arm is useless. It’s the same in the Church. You might be spiritually healthy as an individual, but if your relationships are broken, you won’t be effective. That’s why Paul calls us to guard “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Love and peace are not optional—they are the glue of the body.

Too often, we ignore this truth. I’ve seen entire congregations unable to move forward spiritually because of unresolved conflict—people on opposite sides of the church who haven’t spoken in years. They come to service, sing the songs, listen to the Word, and leave unchanged. They wonder why nothing’s happening, and they blame the pastor, the worship, or the message. But the real issue is the absence of unity. The Spirit can’t move freely in an atmosphere poisoned by bitterness and division.

Some of the most toxic relationships aren’t between strangers—they’re in families. Parents and children, husbands and wives, siblings. In many cases, the deepest wounds come from the people we’re closest to. Young people today often carry resentment toward their parents, and parents, in turn, carry guilt or frustration. But Scripture is clear—if you want to experience God’s blessing, you must walk in honor. “Honor your father and mother… so it will go well with you.” That principle still stands. Disrespect toward your parents, no matter how justified you think it is, puts you out of alignment with God’s will.

And what about marriage? If two people on earth were ever meant to be in agreement, it’s a husband and wife. Yet so many Christian couples live in tension instead of agreement. Sometimes, church becomes an escape for people who don’t want to deal with problems at home. I’ve met women who are deeply involved in ministry, but when you talk to them, it’s clear they’re running from unresolved issues in their marriage.

I remember one young wife who received healing and deliverance during a prayer time. She was so excited, she said, “Now I want to be a missionary or a Sunday school teacher!” But I gently reminded her that her first calling wasn’t to a platform or a mission trip—it was to be a godly wife to her husband and a loving mother to her children. Everything else comes after that. Ministry begins at home.

Some women tell me, “I’ve received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but my husband doesn’t believe in it.” And I always ask, “Have you shown him something different in your life since then? Are you more patient? More loving? Has your home become more peaceful? If the baptism hasn’t changed your relationship, why would your husband want anything to do with it?”

Spiritual gifts are wonderful, but if they don’t transform how we treat the people closest to us, we’ve missed the point. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just want to empower us for ministry—He wants to shape us for relationship. That’s where the real fruit of the Spirit is shown.

The heart of God is for His people to walk in unity—not just in theory, but in practice. That means examining our hearts, making peace where we’ve held grudges, and choosing love when offense feels easier. It means laying down pride, asking for forgiveness, and being willing to be wrong. Unity isn’t a feeling—it’s a decision. And when we finally choose it, we’ll find that God’s power flows more freely, His presence becomes more tangible, and our witness to the world becomes far more compelling.