Time To Withdraw

I received a devastating message from a friend several months ago. After years of marriage and children, her husband was leaving her, stating he was no longer in love and was filing for divorce.

We immediately prayed. And even in the midst of heartbreak and loss, we have continued to pray for the restoration of her marriage and the reconciliation of her family.

She wrote me yesterday to tell me that she feels as though God is asking her to take a social media fast. It seems every time she’s scrolling through Facebook, she is confronted with photos of her now ex-husband and his new girlfriend, and it’s proving, of course, to be more than she can handle. Especially when she’s still contending for the resurrection of her disintegrated relationship.

And I immediately thought of the scriptures that warn us about interacting with evil of any kind… those verses that press us to withdraw from the company of evildoers, and in an effort to keep our peace of mind intact, remove ourselves from the damaging affects of those who choose habitual misconduct.

1 Thess 3:6 commands us to, “withdraw from believers who live idle lives.”
This is so interesting to me.
To withdraw here means to stay away from their company.
Believers here is just that - those brothers and sisters in the faith. Not those outside of the body of Christ, as those people are to be handled much differently, but this command is specific to those who claim Christ as their own.
Idle lives here is a military term meaning “walk disordering” or “out of rank.”

Take a look at the word Idle. It means this = doing nothing, vacant, not occupied, remaining unused, unfruitful, barren, not tending to edification.

Now take a look at Prov 22:24-25, “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your souls.”

The word endanger means this = threaten, expose, risk… to expose to danger.

And I wonder if that’s what we’re doing when we remain in close communion with people who aren’t serving the Lord - even those who say they are. I wonder if that’s what we’re doing when we stay in current conditions that are unhealthy and leave us feeling discontent.

I was talking with someone recently who was sharing a situation she’s currently in with a co-worker and she said, “I don’t like who I am when I am with her. I don’t act the same way I normally do. I am defensive and negative and I don’t know what to do.”

My advice: maybe it’s time to withdraw.
And I would say the same to my friend contemplating a Facebook fast: maybe it’s time to withdraw.

Why?
Because the distraction is too costly.
Because you’re facing soul endangerment.

The warning has been given, “… or you will be like them.”
And the price we pay, we pay with our peace, our contentment, and our joy. Our spiritual advancement is at stake, and we cannot afford to live in a condition where our heart is compromised.

So I encourage you today.. know when it’s time to withdraw.
It’s not about excommunication…. we are called to love everyone.
But know your bent. Know what kills your joy and robs you of the peace you've worked so hard to attain.
Recognize the tendencies of your human frailty, and then make adjustments necessary to strive for righteousness. “And this righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever.” Is 32:17