When You Want to go Back

Sis, I know what it feels like when the pressure builds and the storm doesn’t seem to lift. When healing feels more like breaking. When you look around and wonder if it would just be easier to return to what you used to know—old habits, old patterns, old ways of coping.

Sometimes, the temptation to go back doesn’t look like outright rebellion—it looks like reaching for the familiar, even if the familiar was destructive.
It looks like isolation when community feels too vulnerable.
It looks like shutting down when emotions feel too loud.
It looks like scrolling through the past because your future feels uncertain.

But hear me: It’s not time to retreat.

In the crucible of healing, God isn’t punishing you—He’s refining you. Yes, it hurts. Yes, the fire is hot. But what’s happening right now is holy work. In the book of Malachi, God is described as a refiner's fire—not a consuming one, but a purifying one. The purpose of fire in God’s hands is not to destroy you; it’s to draw out what doesn’t belong so that what remains is strong, pure, and radiant.

The enemy would love to convince you that you’re going backward. That all the work you’ve done—the therapy, the journaling, the prayer, the boundaries, the tears—was for nothing.
But that’s a lie.

You’re not going backward—you’re breaking through.

Every step you take in faith, even when it’s hard, is building a life rooted in healing and truth. Don’t let the momentary pressure convince you to abandon the progress. You’re closer to freedom than you think.

Journal Prompt:

Where am I tempted to retreat right now?
What does “going back” look like for me, and what is the truth God wants me to hold onto instead?

Prayer:

God, I feel the weight of this storm. I’m tempted to run back to what I know, even if it’s not good for me.
But I trust that You are with me in the fire, refining me with purpose.
Help me stay rooted in truth, not fear.
Remind me that my healing is not in vain.
Give me strength to keep moving forward, even when I feel like giving up.
Thank You for being faithful in the fire.
Amen.