Chapter Seven

When It’s Time to Leave, Follow Him

There are moments in your walk with Jesus when He speaks clearly, unmistakably.
Not in thunder, but in quiet conviction.

And sometimes what He says is this:

“It’s time to go.”

Not everyone will understand your exit.
Not everyone will see what you see.
But when the Spirit says move, you cannot stay just to make others comfortable.

“By faith Abraham… obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”  (Hebrews 11:8)

That verse used to scare me.
Now it steadies me.

Because Abraham didn’t wait for a full map.
He trusted the One who called him.

There were places I remained far too long.
Rooms where I could feel the Spirit grieving while I smiled politely.
Relationships I tolerated even though I knew they were slowly eroding my joy, my purpose, my clarity.

And I stayed, out of fear.
Fear of being misunderstood.
Fear of being alone.
Fear of looking unstable.

But here’s what I’ve come to know:

Obedience will make you look unstable to people who are settled in disobedience.

Jesus didn’t always explain His departures.
He just moved.
And those who were hungry enough followed.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.  ( Matthew 4:19–20)

They didn’t overthink it.
They didn’t negotiate.

They let go.
And they followed.

That’s faith.
Not having all the answers, but trusting the One who does.

I’ve walked away from familiar things, sometimes shaking, sometimes crying, but always trusting that if Jesus was ahead of me, nothing behind me was worth clinging to.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”  (Isaiah 43:18–19)

Yes, Lord. I perceive it now.

And no matter how many good memories are behind me,
Your presence is only ever found forward.

Have you ever felt that tension?

Like God was pulling you out of a space you once prayed to be in?
Like you were outgrowing the soil you used to thrive in?

You’re not unstable.
You’re just being stirred.
Because growth requires movement.

Obedience often starts with a step no one else sees.
But you’ll know it’s right because peace will follow, even if people don’t.

So let me say this to your spirit, the way I had to say it to mine:

If Jesus is leading you out,
you are not abandoning something, you are being sent.

Lord,

I don’t want to stay anywhere Your Spirit has left.
I don’t want to sit at tables You’ve called me to rise from.
I don’t want to camp in places You’ve asked me to pass through.

Teach me to move when You move.
Even if it costs me comfort.
Even if it hurts to leave.

I trust that where You lead, You provide.
Where You send, You go with me.
And what You ask me to release,
You always replace with something better, something eternal.

I will follow You.
Not just in theory, but in motion.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.