Staying and Leaving: Following God’s Leading in Hard Times

A friend and I were enjoying a time of fellowship together some time ago. During the conversation, I asked about a man who had been a pastor in the town where I was visiting. The answer was all too familiar — he was no longer in the ministry but doing very well in business.

And then my friend said something I cannot forget: “The last time I heard from him, he said that life couldn’t be better.”

How is that possible?

I believe the greatest life is the life given to God, the life of obedience to His will. It is not always the easiest life — in fact, it never is! Following Christ leads to a cross. But there is joy in that life, and we should remain faithful.

Life Couldn’t Be Better?

Money. Trips. Toys. Stuff. Is that what makes a better life? That’s it?

Then I heard that Voice that I have learned speaks softly but more emphatically than any other. The Holy Spirit gently said to me, “But what about eternity?”

Life is but a brief parenthesis before eternity. Our few years on this planet are just the preface to forever. If we live our lives for this life alone, what will we say when we stand before Jesus? We must never allow “the American dream” to substitute for eternal reward.

Robert Murray M’Cheyne advised young preachers to always speak for eternity. Good advice. Live every day for the day you will see Christ and the endless day that is coming when we leave this world.

Eternity is coming, for the saved and for the lost. Keeping an eternal perspective on hell will keep us focused on the great need to share the gospel.

“Life couldn’t be better?” Nothing in this life could be better than eternity. Be faithful to make your life count.

Learn to Stay when God Says Stay

It is often easier to leave. Problems come, and we think that is our cue to go. Our transient world tends to promote this idea. “Leave the marriage! Quit the job! Forget the friendship! Find another ministry! Move on, and things will get better.”

The result is a plethora of broken marriages, empty churches, and frustrated lives. People leave where they are and what they should be doing for many reasons…curiosity, boredom, discouragement. Any reason will do, and the devil will always provide one.

I served at Temple Baptist Church and Crown College for over twenty years. I learned so many things through those seasons of life, but perhaps the greatest is that there are rewards for those who stay. The privilege of watching God work — in your own heart and the hearts of others. The joy of realizing that there is One who never changes, while so many other things do.

I recently celebrated ten years in evangelism. It has been a grand adventure, a journey of faith, and I am glad to still be on it.

Sometimes God says, “Go.” Abraham understood this principle and obeyed. Sometimes God says, “Stay.” Remember this: It may take more faith to stay than to go!

Do Not Quit

Are you in the middle of a great trial and tempted to quit? “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3). Get your mind stayed on God and you can stay the course. Your life will follow your thoughts! The key to staying is to not entertain thoughts of leaving. Put it out of your mind and look to the Lord. Quitting is not an option. You do not have a plan B when you are in the will of God! Keep on serving Him.

My dad pastored the same church for thirty-three years. Pastor Sexton labored at Temple Baptist Church and Crown College for over thirty years. These are men that I admire — their tenacity, perseverance, and willingness to press on. A lot of good men have come and gone. The longer I live the more I thank God for those who came and stayed. May God bless them and multiply their kind!

Learn to Leave When God Says Leave

Like the Psalmist David we sometimes feel like we would like a change of scenery and circumstance. He wrote in Psalm 55, “Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.” We have all been there.

There are days when the word escape sounds beautiful. The problem is that leaving does not always bring the peace that our pragmatic hearts promise. There is a rest in the middle of the storm. One of life’s great lessons is that we are to grow where we are planted — and even the wind that seems contrary to us is part of that growth.

That being said, there are times when God directs us to something new. There are moments when it is time to go. I faced this moment ten years ago when I became an evangelist. I must give this disclaimer: it is never time to leave if leaving violates a clear command of Scripture. God never leads contrary to His own revealed will. Likewise, it should not be the newness of a thing that prompts a move. Novelty is the besetting sin of our generation. Here are a few principles that can serve as guidelines during the transitions of life…

1.  Wait on God.

Do not leave anywhere hastily. Hurried decisions are rarely motivated by God’s leading, and usually driven by our emotions. You never waste time waiting on the Lord.

This is the time to get as close to the Lord as you possibly can. Seek wise counsel. Listen for the voice of God.

2.  Be as certain about leaving as you were about being there in the first place.

Do you remember the clarity with which God led you to where you are?  Do not leave without that again.

Just this week I prayed with a fine, Christian young man who is seeking direction for the next step in his life. I recommended that he take the prayer of David as his own: “O LORD…lead me in a plain path” (Psalm 27:11). Do not move as long as there is doubt. God will make it plain.

In the end, Christian people should not move because they are fleeing something, but because they are following the Lord. Do not use “God’s will” as spiritual camouflage for your plans. The call of God is key. Am I doing what I want or what my Father desires for me?

3.  When you know — obey.

Delay is disobedience. Once God makes something clear, act on it. Do not get ahead of God…and do not get behind Him. I well remember leaving home, my family, my church as an 18-year-old boy. There were plenty of options and sufficient desire to stay. But there was something on the other side of those arguments — the will of God for my life. I was doing what God had chosen for me. That helped me leave and that has been the thing that has helped me stay.

4.  Finish well.

Pastor Sexton always said that people remember how you start and how you finish. So few finish well. Do not give up on what is before you until your course is through. Leave behind a testimony of faithfulness. You will be glad you did.

5.  Leave right.

I have watched people leave churches, colleges, and places of employment, throwing hand grenades back in the door on their way out. Not good. If you must leave, leave peaceably and with grace. Do not just walk away. Leave so that you can come back, and others will always be happy to see you.

6.  Appreciate the past as much as you anticipate the future.

I like everything about my car, until it is time to trade. Suddenly, I can spot every scratch and flaw! They were there all along, but for some reason, pointing them out makes me feel better about getting rid of the car. Silly, isn’t it? We try to justify what we want by tearing others down. People do the same thing when they “move on” in life. Do not criticize everything you did not like.

There are no perfect places and no perfect people. While serving at the college, there was a rule for transfer students: they were not allowed to criticize the place they came from. God used it to get them where they are. Thank God for every step on the journey and those who were on that journey with you.

Oh, and by the way, express that appreciation to those who loved you and invested in your life…

7.  Stay connected.

Little children tend to think that they can only have one friend at a time. You do not have to trade in one for another. Keep all the friends you can — you are going to need them! Pray for those God has allowed to cross your path and work at staying friends until Jesus comes.

Some of my best friends have come through one ministry through the years and have gone on to serve in other places. I am glad they are still my friends. And I am blessed to have watched certain people leave with such grace that I have been instructed by their example.

I hope that God will allow me to do what I am doing now, serving Him, for the rest of my life. If He chooses otherwise, I want to leave right. For servants of Christ, life is not a chain of endings; it is “a series of new beginnings.”

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About Scott Pauley

READ: Making Decisions: Principles from Genesis 24 for Finding the Right Way

Making Decisions: Principles from Genesis 24 for Finding the Right Way