(Part 6 of 12)
⚓ Floatie: When Staying Becomes Destructive
Malachi 2:16 “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”(ESV)
Covenant language has been misused to trap people in situations God never called them to endure. That misuse has done real damage.
Scripture calls believers to faithfulness. It never calls them to participate in their own destruction.
Endurance and enabling are not the same thing. Confusing them doesn’t produce holiness—it produces silence, fear, and generational harm.
✒️ Forge: The Difference Scripture Refuses to Blur
Endurance Is Obedience to God
Biblical endurance is oriented upward, not inward.
It looks like:
- Remaining truthful
- Remaining faithful in posture
- Remaining submitted to God’s authority
Endurance doesn’t mean absorbing endless harm without response.
Scripture consistently ties endurance to:
- Truth (Ephesians 4)
- Repentance (Luke 17)
- Fruit over time (Matthew 7)
Where those are absent, endurance changes form.
Enabling Is Participation in Sin
Enabling occurs when:
- Sin is normalized
- Abuse is minimized
- Repentance is never required
- Consequences are removed
Scripture never blesses this. God repeatedly separates Himself from unrepentant covenant breakers—not because He’s cruel, but because He refuses to sanctify violence and deceit (Jeremiah 7; Ezekiel 18).
Calling enabling “endurance” is a lie that benefits the abuser, not the covenant.
Separation Is Sometimes a Covenant Act
This is where people get uncomfortable.
Scripture contains moments where distance is protective, not rebellious:
- God separates from Israel temporarily
- Paul instructs distance in cases of unrepentant harm
- Jesus Himself withdraws from violent crowds
Separation doesn’t always mean divorce. But it often means refusing proximity when proximity enables sin.
This is not covenant abandonment. It is covenant protection.
⚒️ Anvil: How to Discern the Line
Three Questions Scripture Forces Us to Ask
When deciding whether endurance has become enabling, Scripture presses these questions:
- Is truth allowed to be spoken without retaliation? (Matthew 18; Ephesians 4)
- Is there observable repentance over time? Not remorse. Not apology. Repentance produces fruit (Luke 3; 2 Corinthians 7).
- Is harm increasing or decreasing? Covenant endurance moves toward healing. Enabling allows harm to escalate.
When the answer to these is consistently “no,” endurance must change form.
Why Staying Can Sometimes Be the Most Dangerous Choice
This must be said clearly.
Remaining physically present in an abusive or chronically destructive situation:
- Distorts the victim’s sense of self
- Teaches children false theology
- Allows sin to deepen without resistance
That is not obedience. Scripture never commands a person to remain in danger to prove faithfulness.
Why Leaving Is Not Always Failure
Some people carry lifelong shame because they believe leaving meant they failed God. That is not biblical.
Failure is measured by disobedience, not by outcome. Leaving to preserve life, sanity, and truth is sometimes the only way covenant integrity can survive at all.
🔥 Ember: Faithfulness Is Not Silent Compliance
For a long time, I believed faithfulness meant absorbing pain quietly. It doesn’t.
Faithfulness means staying aligned with God even when that alignment creates tension, conflict, or distance.
Silence in the face of harm is not humility. It is fear masquerading as obedience.
🌿 Covenant Triumph: God Does Not Require Sacrifices He Did Not Ask For
God hates covenant breaking. He also hates violence, deceit, and oppression.
He doesn’t force people to choose between safety and faithfulness. That false choice comes from misused Scripture, not from God.
Covenant doesn’t erase boundaries. It requires them.
And when endurance must change form, God doesn’t abandon the faithful. He walks with them through the consequences—whatever shape they take.
[⚓ Floatie] [✒️ Forge] [⚒️ Anvil] [🔥 Ember] [🌿 Covenant Triumph]
This post follows the Forge Baseline Rule—layered truth for the discerning remnant.
Walking With Christ 
Leave a comment