Jesus had to withdraw himself from others in order to begin His ministry thus He spent forty days in the wilderness for this final preparation. Moses had to withdraw from the camp where the stiff-necked people were. These people were set in their way and were unwilling to submit to change from the status quo:
Exodus 33:7 Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp.
The result of Moses inquiring of FATHER concerning HIS Plan:
14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
There are times where we must remove ourselves from others who have for whatever reason ceased in their maturing process. Other times it is for our focused instruction without distraction. In any case, we must look at this withdrawal to reestablish our priorities in our walk with FATHER.
Separation is for preparation. Jesus ended his previous activities and their associated requirements and departed to the wilderness. This allowed Him to enter into the next phase of His calling. All of the worldly aspects of life had to be set aside so He could complete His final preparation and enter into the new phase of FATHER’S plan thus He had to be removed from the previous attachments of life.
1 Timothy 6:3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness,
4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,
5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself
There is a truth we must keep before us- “We become like the company we keep.” There are many who use the “Christian” card to get you to drop your guard in business. Over the years I have come across many who claim to live by the Word of GOD and then proceed to lie, cheat, and steal. They wear their Christianity as a badge but their actions don’t line up with their words. It is unfortunate but we must withdraw ourselves from their association. It is one thing to minister to them but another to have a business relationship. When their judgment arrives, you do not want to be collateral damage.
As you pursue the revelation of Love, FATHER will expose all relationships that are unwholesome in your life. HE will then give you the opportunity to decide whether or not to continue in those relationships. Some may be personal, others may be business. Business relationships may have been profitable in the past but now that the issue has been exposed, mercy and grace will soon be replaced by judgment. That person has been given sufficient time to repent from his or her lawlessness. If we do not withdraw ourselves from this known lawlessness, we too will take on a form of judgment. FATHER will always provide another opportunity to replace the existing one but the decision is ours.
Don’t look at withdrawing yourself as a bad thing. Sometimes it is to protect you from an impending judgment and FATHER wants to protect you from others’ lawlessness. The result will be peace and rest.