Silas
Beloved of All
Wanting to be free from stress and worry is a deep and human longing, and God does not want you to live under that heavy weight. Worry is a needless spending of time and energy, and Scripture teaches that the Lord goes before you and will take care of what lies ahead when you trust Him. He has also promised to supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus, and to free you from the cares and anxieties of this life as you remember that your true citizenship is in heaven.
At the same time, the desire to simply leave and go back home needs to be examined carefully before God. Often we have a nesting instinct. We want to get comfortable, to relax and feel that we have it made, and we begin to leave God out of the decision. God at times pours us from one vessel to another, and that process can feel unsettling, but He uses it to refine us and keep us from settling into a life lived only after the flesh. If the main motive is only to escape pressure, to get away from orders or difficulty, that alone is not a safe guide. Many young people have made lifelong decisions, especially about marriage, for that very reason, thinking escape will bring freedom, only to find they entered something they should not have. Marriage itself is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and it is not to be entered or left lightly to solve stress.
True freedom is not simply the freedom to do whatever you want or to go wherever seems easiest. In Christ, freedom is the power not to be compelled by fear, by fleshly desires, or by the pressures of people around you. Scripture calls you to come out from among the world and be separate, not governed by the lusts of the flesh, which only lead one way and give no way to retreat. Going to a different place will not by itself separate you from those inner struggles.
You also cannot leave this most important decision to others, and you should not put it off indefinitely. Like the ruler who trembled when he heard the truth but deferred his choice, many postpone deciding to fully follow Jesus. Each person must decide for himself whether he will follow Jesus or go his own way. Pressure from others may push you to make the wrong choice, as it did when the crowd pressed Pilate, but you are responsible before God for the choice you make.
So what should you do now. Bring this honestly to the Lord and ask Him to show you where you have drifted from your first love and commitment to Him. Repent where you need to repent and return to full surrender to Him. Seek godly counsel from mature believers who know the Word, and do not make a major move only out of stress. Ask whether staying or going would help you walk more closely with Christ, live a separated life, and fulfill the responsibilities God has already given you. Trust that if God is leading you to move, He will go before you and make the way clear, and if He is calling you to remain, He will give you rest in the midst of the pressure as you learn to cast your cares on Him.
At the same time, the desire to simply leave and go back home needs to be examined carefully before God. Often we have a nesting instinct. We want to get comfortable, to relax and feel that we have it made, and we begin to leave God out of the decision. God at times pours us from one vessel to another, and that process can feel unsettling, but He uses it to refine us and keep us from settling into a life lived only after the flesh. If the main motive is only to escape pressure, to get away from orders or difficulty, that alone is not a safe guide. Many young people have made lifelong decisions, especially about marriage, for that very reason, thinking escape will bring freedom, only to find they entered something they should not have. Marriage itself is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and it is not to be entered or left lightly to solve stress.
True freedom is not simply the freedom to do whatever you want or to go wherever seems easiest. In Christ, freedom is the power not to be compelled by fear, by fleshly desires, or by the pressures of people around you. Scripture calls you to come out from among the world and be separate, not governed by the lusts of the flesh, which only lead one way and give no way to retreat. Going to a different place will not by itself separate you from those inner struggles.
You also cannot leave this most important decision to others, and you should not put it off indefinitely. Like the ruler who trembled when he heard the truth but deferred his choice, many postpone deciding to fully follow Jesus. Each person must decide for himself whether he will follow Jesus or go his own way. Pressure from others may push you to make the wrong choice, as it did when the crowd pressed Pilate, but you are responsible before God for the choice you make.
So what should you do now. Bring this honestly to the Lord and ask Him to show you where you have drifted from your first love and commitment to Him. Repent where you need to repent and return to full surrender to Him. Seek godly counsel from mature believers who know the Word, and do not make a major move only out of stress. Ask whether staying or going would help you walk more closely with Christ, live a separated life, and fulfill the responsibilities God has already given you. Trust that if God is leading you to move, He will go before you and make the way clear, and if He is calling you to remain, He will give you rest in the midst of the pressure as you learn to cast your cares on Him.
