I am currently thinking and discussing some themes to do with guidance in the context of recognising what God wants us to do when faced with a difficult situation, and for my situation, please PM me.
There are instances when we find ourselves in a bad situation, being in a certain kind of relationship, a certain place, emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritualy. I struggle to understand what God wants me to do through all this.
Im in a situation which is making me stressed and depressed. My "gut feeling" is to change my surroundings, remove myself from the situation and do something different.
Other people however suggest essentially that it is "better the devil you know" and you should stick at whatever it is because to do otherwise could be a lot more detrimental.
I think you should remove yourself from a situation that seems wrong. So if we take the other peoples advice to odd situations, would you stay with an abusive parent because you couldn't afford to live by yourself? Would you stay with a crowd of football or soccer hooligans involved in a fight and risk getting arrested because there is safety in numbers and removing yourself from the situation could make you encounter opposition fans?
Neither choice is appealing, but you know at least where you don't want to be.
So it gets me thinking. Does God want me to endure a bad situation as a test of character? Does he want me to confront it and get depressed by it? I've read in James that God doesn't tempt and Im sure no bad thing comes from God. God could be using the situation to teach me to put him first and trust in him.
Or is this a sign that he wants me to remove myself from the situation and let him guide me on a new path?
People say things like "He puts us through the hard times because he knows that not only will we survive them, but also in the end we will even grow from them."
That would certainly explain the situation.
But does God put us through hard times, or does he forego protection and allow us to go through hard times?
Yes, I think that can be asked as - do bad things come from God? If so, then this depression could be from God, so is that depression a sign to change things, or does he want me to struggle through it remembering to put him first as a learning curve?
If it isn't from God then Im still waiting to hear what he wants me to do.
So two options, neither are great, this causes conflict, causing depression, what exactly is God showing me? What does he want me to do? Stay in the situation or Remove myself from the situation?
I'd add another thing, some people will say things like, take a step back, let God handle it, he will guide you, no need to fear with the Lord etc...
But at the same time, I often think "one step at a time". I get the thought that God wants me to take some kind of action, often times I don't know what it is. But I can't just sit around and wait for an answer, or let God take care of things, because Im scared about letting 20 years go by waiting for an answer. Im pretty sure I have to make the first move.
Like when going to Church. If I waited for God to answer, I'd have never gone. But I made the first move if you like, and he gave me a lot more in return.
There are instances when we find ourselves in a bad situation, being in a certain kind of relationship, a certain place, emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritualy. I struggle to understand what God wants me to do through all this.
Im in a situation which is making me stressed and depressed. My "gut feeling" is to change my surroundings, remove myself from the situation and do something different.
Other people however suggest essentially that it is "better the devil you know" and you should stick at whatever it is because to do otherwise could be a lot more detrimental.
I think you should remove yourself from a situation that seems wrong. So if we take the other peoples advice to odd situations, would you stay with an abusive parent because you couldn't afford to live by yourself? Would you stay with a crowd of football or soccer hooligans involved in a fight and risk getting arrested because there is safety in numbers and removing yourself from the situation could make you encounter opposition fans?
Neither choice is appealing, but you know at least where you don't want to be.
So it gets me thinking. Does God want me to endure a bad situation as a test of character? Does he want me to confront it and get depressed by it? I've read in James that God doesn't tempt and Im sure no bad thing comes from God. God could be using the situation to teach me to put him first and trust in him.
Or is this a sign that he wants me to remove myself from the situation and let him guide me on a new path?
People say things like "He puts us through the hard times because he knows that not only will we survive them, but also in the end we will even grow from them."
That would certainly explain the situation.
But does God put us through hard times, or does he forego protection and allow us to go through hard times?
Yes, I think that can be asked as - do bad things come from God? If so, then this depression could be from God, so is that depression a sign to change things, or does he want me to struggle through it remembering to put him first as a learning curve?
If it isn't from God then Im still waiting to hear what he wants me to do.
So two options, neither are great, this causes conflict, causing depression, what exactly is God showing me? What does he want me to do? Stay in the situation or Remove myself from the situation?
I'd add another thing, some people will say things like, take a step back, let God handle it, he will guide you, no need to fear with the Lord etc...
But at the same time, I often think "one step at a time". I get the thought that God wants me to take some kind of action, often times I don't know what it is. But I can't just sit around and wait for an answer, or let God take care of things, because Im scared about letting 20 years go by waiting for an answer. Im pretty sure I have to make the first move.
Like when going to Church. If I waited for God to answer, I'd have never gone. But I made the first move if you like, and he gave me a lot more in return.
Last edited:
