A house divided against itself cannot stand. Those words are credited to President Abraham Lincoln during a speech he gave in a series of debates with Stephen Douglas in the summer of 1858. The country went on through a bitter and bloody civil war, and the Union did stand.

God exposed His own vulnerability with Israel, which had over and over again, left their first love with Him.

But the struggle of the Christian happens everyday, a battle between good and evil, homes and hearts and lives wounded by hearts divided in affections for which mankind has become susceptible. How do we fight that turmoil of the soul?

I struggled with that very anguish many years ago, when approached by a beautiful woman in another country, while on business. I had an assignment to complete during a week's trip and was not ready emotionally when we met. It took almost a year, following the separation at the end of that week for me to realize that God's call to be joined to one woman, my wife, had been solemnly made at an altar, and that we both had to fight for that oneness we had vowed so long ago.

God had to put a new spirit inside each of us, as the encounter with that outside relationship was just one in a series of temptations, for which I was only one man in millions of men who are assaulted by the devil in that way.

Hearts of stone are not that uncommon and God exposed His own vulnerability with Israel, which had over and over again, left their first love with Him. He fought for them, contended with the hearts of the Jews, and does to a largely atheistic nation today, even as the Word is preached. A heart divided cannot stand, neither can a nation, a marriage, or a man or woman. Repentance and atonement is the core of unity, whether between man and woman, or with each Christian and God.

Lord Jesus, may we renew our hearts this day, resolving to follow You with one heart!