Conflict and War

  Conflict is a state of open, often prolonged fighting; a battle or war; a state of disharmony between incompatible or antithetical persons, ideas, or interests; a clash. In psychology, conflict is a psychic struggle, often unconscious, resulting from the opposition or simultaneous functioning of mutually exclusive impulses, desires, or tendencies.
  War is a state of open, armed, often prolonged conflict carried on between nations, states, or parties; a condition of active antagonism or contention.


“Evil will always choose war.”–Edna Lister


Conflict, inner and outer, and war, are degrees of a sin rooted in misuse of the Power principle. Conflict and war begin with personal internal conflicts. God uses war to break down crystallized thought forms, to create perfection. When one nation or person attacks another, self-defense is legal.

  So long as evil exists within the minds of men, war must remain in the arsenal of the good. Not to speak against evil for the good is to condone evil and encourage it to grow. When it has grown arrogant enough, evil will always choose war. Never dwell on conflict of any kind, or you feed it.







Conflict and War

Prayer can and does set aside war.–Edna Lister, September 14, 1938


Speak the full law of Light for God’s war-torn children who live out their own old ideas. All old ideas must come to the surface, even that which some work out as war, until all hearts rejoice only in Joy and Praise.–Edna Lister, August 31, 1939


Those who choose war choose death and the bottom of the ladder.–Edna Lister, September 6, 1939


War results when someone goes wild with Power.–Edna Lister, September 8, 1939


We must lift the “war” idea from the minds and hearts of those who hate and are greedy. The “war” idea is impervious until people express it in thoughts, words and actions, then Light can melt and dissolve it. Many want to want peace. It is another thing to know you want it and to work for it. Cover battlefields, all cities and each soldier with glory. Surround them with Light and pillars of fire. Thus, the war-idea shall be melted and made into Light forever.
  God uses war to create greater and speedier perfection than would be possible without it. All old hidden thoughts and desires must be purged and burned from the hearts of men. What would take five hundred years under ordinary conditions can be lifted within a few months under war conditions. So do not say that war is bad; pronounce it good, for God makes it good. Though hate opens war, we close it in the perfection of love.–Edna Lister, September 10, 1939


You may not see any darkness anywhere, even in war.–Edna Lister, April 9, 1941


Only by constant vigilance and permeating all zones of war with love can we hold all. Only by continued praise and by prayer can we lift and harmonize those whose ruthless power has torn down and hurled civilizations into utter chaos.–Edna Lister, February 23, 1943


Raise the vibration of the war zones, and the places where evil is hatched.–Edna Lister, October 19, 1944


We are the best agents God has to express His glory for things that have not happened yet. First, you begin to see that you must give up self. Second, if your desire and will are in conflict, you can’t agree and adjust. Third, give up conflict. Give up blaming others, for it only creates more conflict.–Edna Lister, July 5, 1949


No matter what happens at each step in war, declare it good. Put the power of your spoken Word on the side of the Almighty to stop the dark ones.–Edna Lister, December 5, 1950


The reason for physical conflicts is that the Power is demanding that you let go of the old.–Edna Lister, January 11, 1951


We do not want war; destruction is not for us, but we must meet and conquer those evil ones still in the flesh who will not cease until they are proven powerless. We must prove our ability to conquer the worst they can do.–Edna Lister, February 21, 1952


We cannot avoid a final outer conflict between the powers of evil still struggling to take over, or the full blasting of evil through the Powers of Light. We cannot blast evil from earth until evil opens fire against the Light. Light may not open it.
  Light must remain beneficent and untainted to change all into itself as healing. Only when evil seeks to conquer Light in ruthless ways, declaring itself to annihilation rather than be healed, can Light absorb evil and send it into the abyss for its long, long pilgrimage of purification. We are ready for this process, ready to blast and reign for a space under destruction of evil forms. It is part of evolution, but nevertheless, a grief to all. We all make sacrifice of the final necessity.–Edna Lister, February 24, 1952


War is how nations use free will in selfishness and negativity. War is the boomerang return of force to the children of God and men. You are lifting this when you pray for the healing of the nations and governments. Refuse to declare anything less than good. Loose the other fellow and let him go.
  “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”–Matthew 6:33. “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him.”–Matthew 5:25. “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”–1 Thessalonians 5:22. “What is that to thee? Follow thou me.”–John 21:22. “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”–John 12:32. “This is Good! Let there be Light!”–Genesis 1. These are the laws of the ascending creator gods, the Elect, and obedience to them will end war forever.–Edna Lister, May 29, 1953


Your only deep repentance should be that you could possibly fail on the slightest point of weakness. When the Elect reach the place where they cannot bear to fail God, then we will have no more war, but peace on earth.–Edna Lister, April 4, 1957


Worldwide political conflict and chaos mean that prophecy is being fulfilled. Every delay means warmongers have less power and God has more time. Political, ethnic and religious factions are fighting each other, which is why no one wins. Wars and rumors of wars are fulfilling prophecies.
  The religion of the first and only Begotten Son of God will absorb other religions. Atheistic communism cannot break religion, so it tries to subvert it. Declare that soft words cannot fool or turn the heart of peace movements. The worship of One God will live forever.
  We are on God’s side; He has never failed in any age. He waits just so long then cuts off evil. As a nation, we want to be left alone; we do not want to control other nations. We stand in honor, yet we are our brothers’ keepers.
  The state of the world and the lifting of war depends on those who can stand up and say, "This is good." Love is lifting it higher. When you pray in love, then you are the kind of person for whom God can answer prayer.–Edna Lister, June 6, 1961


Jesus’ whole message was about right action. He planned to break the bondage of the soul to the little self, and to lift the lower self to the higher soul. The beauty of the song of Spirit running through all his words as to lift forever from earth all outer conflict between darkness and light, good and evil, and between self and soul.
  Man must be at one within himself before he can become one with God. "If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them."–Matthew 18:19-20
  Today’s word for "agreeing" is "integration," which means to mix or enfold as one. The meeting place of Mind, Substance and Power must be on the highest possible level, not the lowest. No integration is possible in darkness, where each unit wants to have its own way.–Edna Lister, Your Key to Right Action, October 1, 1961


Inner conflict is the cause of war.–Edna Lister, November 1, 1961


"He who has ears to hear, let him hear" means that you must listen to what the other fellow says. If you hold to a conflicting attitude instead of loyalty to the Light, you cannot hear.–Edna Lister, Your Field of Wheat and Tares, December 9, 1962


When the Elect take on double shares of service, when they pick up sagging lines and put others, who have chosen less, upon a cloud, God can wipe war from earth!–Edna Lister, September 13, 1964


The whole world is in a state of confusion. Everyone wants "peace," the right to live in freedom, to work, to earn, to grow. A conflict arises from what "peace" means to nations and individuals. The peace that we must have for all people and nations is blocked by inner conflicts within individuals, who lack identity with the Source of All.–Edna Lister, You Are Immortal Now, September 5, 1965


Do not identify with conflicts. Conflicts are a sin against the Holy Ghost, against your own identity. When you want to hang onto the conflict, you identify with the conflict.–Edna Lister, December 18, 1970

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Declarations for Lifting Conflicts and War

You must declare that evil and accumulated force is cleansed from hearts and minds. First, hold the individual using force out there before you. Feel that you lift him as a babe (arms held out with hands uplifted).
  Say for him, Father, let all conflict, inner and outer, be lifted from the mind and heart of Name." For his affairs, say the statement again, using the words, "the affairs, personal and business.
  Personal means relationships as family, and business means partnerships, etc. The force must be lifted from the individual’s mind and heart. Then the force must be lifted from his affairs and business.–Edna Lister, April 24, 1963


The treatment for persons, groups, nations or races in conflict: The Power is going through nation and nation alike to melt, dissolve and absorb all darkness until only love is left and they mingle with each other as oil mingles with oil, as water mingles with water, as air mingles with air. So let the nation and nation mingle in love in the spirit of the Christ. The Hand of God is bringing them together in unity and oneness.
  Use this treatment on one long breath as far as possible. Perfect practice makes perfect action. Use it as an exercise to learn how to speak on the fifth breath easily and comfortably with no strain or consciousness of earthly physical breathing. You must give this treatment from the golden Light, first closing out all noise vibration, all outer sound waves, then thought waves. After closing out the world, use the names, placing each on a cloud. Then ascend into the silence and stand in the golden Light.
  You may substitute any name or any disease, physical, mental or emotional. You may say the treatment once after you have put each whose name is to be used upon his special cloud.–Edna Lister, July 20, 1965


God will stop war when the peace in minds and hearts of men is great enough to do it. But this peace must be in the heart for thirty full days, uncontaminated by what you read, hear, see, or experience before you make a declaration of dynamic Power.–Edna Lister, November 23, 1965


As members of the Elect, our spoken Word has released Power that has stripped away darkness in great gobs. As fast as we can conquer, Light will stop war. We have conquered thus far. Now we must hold.–Edna Lister, December 5, 1965

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New Testament on Conflict and War

Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilence, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.–Matthew 24:1-13

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They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.–Isaiah 2:3-4

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Edna Miriam Lister
1884—1971
The original Pioneering Mystic,
Christian Platonist philosopher, American Idealist, Founder, Society of the Universal Living Christ, minister, teacher, author, wife, and mother.


Edna Lister


Etymology of conflict: Latin conflictus, collision, from confligere, to strike together.

Etymology of war: Frankish werra, from Proto-Germanic werz-a- (source also of Old Saxon werran, Old High German werran, German verwirren "to confuse, perplex")


Conflict and war are degrees of a sin.


Through a Glass, Darkly

Through the travail of the ages,
Midst the pomp and toil of war,
I have fought and strove and perished
Countless times upon this star.

In the form of many people
In all panoplies of time
Have I seen the luring vision
Of the Victory Maid, sublime.

I have battled for fresh mammoth,
I have warred for pastures new,
I have listened to the whispers
When the race trek instinct grew.

I have known the call to battle
In each changeless changing shape
From the high souled voice of conscience
To the beastly lust for rape.

I have sinned and I have suffered,
Played the hero and the knave;
Fought for belly, shame, or country,
And for each have found a grave.

I cannot name my battles
For the visions are not clear,
Yet, I see the twisted faces
And I feel the rending spear.

Perhaps I stabbed our Savior
In His sacred helpless side.
Yet, I’ve called His name in blessing
When in after times I died.

In the dimness of the shadows
Where we hairy heathens warred,
I can taste in thought the lifeblood;
We used teeth before the sword.

While in later clearer vision
I can sense the coppery sweat,
Feel the pikes grow wet and slippery
When our Phalanx, Cyrus met.

Hear the rattle of the harness
Where the Persian darts bounced clear,
See their chariots wheel in panic
From the Hoplite’s leveled spear.

See the goal grow monthly longer,
Reaching for the walls of Tyre.
Hear the crash of tons of granite,
Smell the quenchless eastern fire.

Still more clearly as a Roman,
Can I see the Legion close,
As our third rank moved in forward
And the short sword found our foes.

Once again I feel the anguish
Of that blistering treeless plain
When the Parthian showered death bolts,
And our discipline was in vain.

I remember all the suffering
Of those arrows in my neck.
Yet, I stabbed a grinning savage
As I died upon my back.

Once again I smell the heat sparks
When my Flemish plate gave way
And the lance ripped through my entrails
As on Crecy’s field I lay.

In the windless, blinding stillness
Of the glittering tropic sea
I can see the bubbles rising
Where we set the captives free.

Midst the spume of half a tempest
I have heard the bulwarks go
When the crashing, point blank round shot
Sent destruction to our foe.

I have fought with gun and cutlass
On the red and slippery deck
With all Hell aflame within me
And a rope around my neck.

And still later as a General
Have I galloped with Murat
When we laughed at death and numbers
Trusting in the Emperor's Star.

Till at last our star faded,
And we shouted to our doom
Where the sunken road of Ohein
Closed us in its quivering gloom.

So but now with Tanks a’clatter
Have I waddled on the foe
Belching death at twenty paces,
By the star shell’s ghastly glow.

So as through a glass, and darkly
The age long strife I see
Where I fought in many guises,
Many names, but always me.

And I see not in my blindness
What the objects were I wrought,
But as God rules o’er our bickerings
It was through His will I fought.

So forever in the future,
Shall I battle as of yore,
Dying to be born a fighter,
But to die again, once more.
–General George S. Patton


Quotes

There never was a good war, or a bad peace.–Benjamin Franklin

The power of making war often prevents it.– Thomas Jefferson

If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known, that we are at all times ready for War.–George Washington


References

Franklin, Benjamin. letter to Josiah Quincy, Sr. Founders Online, letter to Josiah Quincy, Sr., 11 September 1783.

Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, 2024.

The Holy Bible. King James Version (KJV).

Jefferson, Thomas. letter to General Washington, , letter to General Washington, December 4, 1788.

The Oxford English Dictionary: Compact Ed., 2 vols. E.S.C. Weiner, editor. Oxford University Press, 1971.

Prioli, Carmine A. The Poems of General George S. Patton, Jr.: Lines of Fire. New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 1991, ISBN 978-0889461628.

Washington, George. Fifth Annual Address to Congress, December 13, 1793.


Related Topics

Inner Conflict

Force