THE COST OF LEAVING

    Even though God had made it very clear what would happen if they looked back, Lot’s wife allowed her emotional attachments to prevail. When she looked back, the consequence was immediate. God fulfilled His Word and she became a permanent testament to the cost of disobedience.

    But this isn’t just a story about disobedience. It’s a lesson about where our treasure lies. For Lot’s wife, her treasure was in her home, what was familiar, and perhaps what brought her comfort. It could be that she actually looked back out of concern for her neighbors and friends. And yet, God was testing her heart. Could she trust His Word and believe that this decision was for her good? Could she leave old acquaintances, knowing their choice to stay was going to be even more costly than her choice to leave? Could she let go of her past and keep her eyes fixed on what was ahead? I believe this is the lesson God is teaching many of us today.

    There has been major compromise, sin, and abuse in the Church which God is now calling to account. And it’s not just the Charismatic stream that is being impacted. His entire Body is going through the fires. He is purifying His Bride with a cleansing fire and everyone is having to respond. Do we cling to the past or let it go? Do we hang on to our familiar beliefs, our long-held ideologies, and our favorite ministers, or allow Him to test them all with fire? This is His fire, after all. And to allow those fires to burn and walk away  from what “once was,” may seem like a huge loss.  And yet – what are we really losing? If the things God is asking us to leave behind are only destructive and dangerous, why would we hang on? Are we clinging to those beliefs and associations because they are right and true – or simply familiar? Perhaps they have even brought us comfort in the past. And yet – if God is judging some of those very beliefs and systems, and they are coming out of the fire as fleshly idols, do we dare cling to them for some sense of false security?

    But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8)

    In this time of testing, the Lord wants to remind us that making the right choice will be worth the cost. Whatever He is calling us to leave behind, we must trust Him and place everything we’ve held dear on the altar. That which is truly of Him and for our good will pass through the flames and come out tried and true. But not everything may pass through. Not everything we’ve held onto has been good for us. Thus, for many there will be a pruning of our lives – a cutting away of dead wood that must take place in order for greater fruitfulness to come.

    Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:2)

    Whatever it is that the Lord may be calling you to do, decide where your treasure is. Choose to lay everything on the altar and allow His fires to do the needed work. You have no control over the flames for it is a sovereign work of His Spirit. He will be the one to determine what comes through the fire and what remains. Our part is to simply surrender.

    In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7)

    Not everyone will make the same choice. In this corporate baptism of fire, there will be much change and even loss. And yet, it is simply preparation for what’s ahead. The fires of God leave no regret. They are always for our good and for His greatest glory. And they always serve to prepare for the future and make room for new growth.

    Yes, there is a cost to leaving. But in yielding to His purposes, that which lies ahead carries even more promise, offers more hope, and is filled with even greater power. Just fix your eyes on Him – and don’t look back.

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