Romans 12:16-18
Here are 3 signs that mean God may be telling you to let it be.
1. If Trying Something More Will Only Make Things Worse, This Is a Good Sign God Is Saying, “Let It Be”
Perhaps you are wondering if you and your ex should get back together, but every time you two have parted ways in the past and gotten back together again, this has only produced more pain. Or perhaps you and a close friend had a big argument. You’ve talked it out, you’ve forgiven them, but you feel that this person has not yet forgiven you. But every time you try to talk about the issue, it feels like things just get even worse. Or maybe you are dealing with a fellow employee that you just can’t seem to see eye to eye with when you have to work together. Every time you share some constructive criticism, this person lashes out at you and ruins your work day.
Christians often feel pressured in their daily lives to help solve the problems they see because we know that we have the final solution to all issues through Jesus Christ. In love, we desperately want others to see our point, to see our solutions, and most importantly, to see our Savior.
But there are many times in life where you will see a real need that you may have a good solution to, but then God will tell you to let it be. Just because you are right, just because you actually can help someone if they would just listen, and just because you may be more qualified than those making the decisions – none of this means you should keep offering help when they don’t want it (Matthew 7:6).
Eventually you have to let some stuff go or else you always be getting stuck in other people’s stuff. Proverbs 19:11 (NIV) says, “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.” There are other passages in the Bible that state we should correct people living in sin (Galatians 6:1) and to let people know when they have sinned against us (Matthew 18:15). But here we are told to “overlook an offense.” This is an example in the Bible of there being multiple options to the same issue.
Likewise, oftentimes there is not just one answer for each situation in life. Sometimes God will tell you to keep trying to work on something, but at other times God will simply say, “Let it be.” May we seek the Lord to know what he is saying in each situation to us.
2. If You Would Cause Unnecessary Division About a Subjective Conviction, This Is Often a Sign God Is Saying, “Let It Be”
It’s so important to realize that God’s word rarely gives us rigid roads to follow. When it comes to God’s clear commands that start with, “You shall” or “You shall not,” then yes, we have a rigid road to follow and it’s not hard to know what God is saying to us. We need to simply obey the clear commands in the Bible and not overcomplicate things.
But most of life comes down to applying the word of God, which is much more subjective than simply exegeting God’s word. There’s always one meaning to each Bible verse but there are always countless ways to apply each Bible verse to our lives. I would say that most church splits do not occur because of some disagreement on a clear doctrine. Some do, but most people know what they are signing up for when they join a church. They look at the doctrinal beliefs of that church and say, “Yes, I agree with that.”
Most issues arise when it comes to the application of what is in Scripture to what is happening in our current lives. For example, if a pastor needs to be disciplined, some will say he should be forced to step down forever while others will say he just needs to step away and then can come back in a few months. Or when it comes to dividing up the budget, everyone will agree that the church should be generous but people’s feelings start getting hurt when the church decides to give money to a one ministry and not to another ministry. People place different values on different ministries and then they argue about which one is more important. Or perhaps everyone in the church wants to do something about a problem they see in society, but everyone gets mad at everyone else because they all disagree about what is the best way to help solve this issue.
So how can you know when you should let something be or when you should keep fighting to accomplish what you believe is the right thing to do? When something is a matter of right and wrong as defined by a clear command in Scripture, that is a hill to die on. But if you are dealing with an issue in your church, a relationship, or at work that is not really a matter of right or wrong but it’s more about what you feel is the best application of Scripture – then share your opinions, but stop sharing once it will cause division. As Romans 12:16-18 says:
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
Share your opinions, but don’t confuse your opinion about biblical application with clear biblical commands that have divine authority because they are the very words of God. Our application of Scripture is subjective. The Scriptures themselves are objective and hold authority regardless of our opinions.
If you’ve shared your thoughts about a matter but people are not willing to listen, sharing more might cause more harm than good. God might be saying, “Let it be.”
3. If Trying Something Again or Holding Onto Something for Longer Would Bring More Damage to Your Heart, This Is a Good Sign God Is Saying, “Let It Be”
Love requires sacrifice. But the Bible also says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
The key to living a biblical life is to live in such a way that your attempt to obey one command does not cause you to disobey another command. Scripture never contradicts Scripture; therefore, we should not live duplicitous lives when seeking to apply Scripture.
God will tell you to sacrifice for others in love. But God will not tell you to sacrifice your relationship with him for something else. Yes, do hard things in love for others. But never sacrifice your own heart in an attempt to save someone else (Galatians 6:1).
If doing something for someone or holding onto a relationship for longer will cause damage to your heart, God is saying, “Let it be.”
