What Do You Do When The Lord Makes You Uncomfortable?

There's a question that every serious believer must eventually face: What do you do when the Lord makes you uncomfortable?

I'm not talking about the discomfort of difficult circumstances or trials that come from living in a fallen world. I'm talking about that deep, internal stirring when God's Spirit begins to convict you about something in your life that needs to change. That burning sensation in your spirit when you know God is calling you to a higher standard, a deeper commitment, or a more radical obedience.

The prophet Jeremiah knew this feeling intimately. In Jeremiah 20:9, he cried out: "But if I say, 'I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,' his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot."

Jeremiah tried to ignore God's call. He tried to silence the voice of the Lord in his life. But he discovered something profound: when God puts His fire in your bones, you cannot simply wish it away. You cannot ignore it. You cannot suppress it indefinitely.

This morning, Jesus is going to show us in Luke 12:49-56 that this divine discomfort is not a bug in the system of faith—it's a feature. It's not something to avoid—it's something to embrace.

I. WHEN GOD'S FIRE BURNS WITHIN YOU

Let's read our text together: Luke 12:49-56. [Read passage]

"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!"

Jesus is speaking here about the fire of divine purpose, the fire of spiritual transformation, the fire that burns away the chaff and purifies the gold. This is not the fire of destruction, but the fire of refinement.

When God makes you uncomfortable, the first thing you need to understand is that this fire is intentional. Jesus wishes it were already kindled! He's not reluctant about this process. He's eager for it because He knows what it will produce in your life.

Think about what fire does:

* Fire purifies metals, separating the precious from the worthless

* Fire provides warmth in cold seasons

* Fire gives light in dark places

* Fire transforms raw materials into something useful

When you feel that burning conviction in your spirit, when God's word becomes like fire shut up in your bones, He is doing all of these things in your spiritual life.

But here's the key question: What do you do with that fire?

Some people try to quench it. They avoid church when they're feeling convicted. They stop reading their Bible when it gets too personal. They change the subject when God starts dealing with them about their marriage, their money, their mouth, or their motives.

Others try to redirect it. They get busy with religious activity, hoping that doing church work will satisfy the burning in their bones. They substitute service for surrender, activity for intimacy.

But Jeremiah shows us the right response: You let it burn until it consumes everything that needs to go.

II. WHEN GOD'S CALL CONSTRAINS YOU

In verse 50, Jesus says, "But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!"

The word "constraint" here means to be pressed together, to feel pressure from all sides, to be held in a tight place. Jesus felt constrained by His mission. He felt the weight of what God had called Him to do, and that weight created a holy discomfort that drove Him toward the cross.

When God makes you uncomfortable, it's often because He's constraining you—pressing you toward a decision, a change, or a commitment that you've been avoiding.

Maybe God is constraining you about:

* A relationship that's pulling you away from Him

* A habit that's hindering your spiritual growth

* A calling that you've been running from

* A conversation you need to have

* A step of obedience you've been postponing

What do you do when you feel this divine constraint?

You can resist it, like Jonah did. But remember how that worked out for him—three days in the belly of a fish, and he still ended up doing what God called him to do.

You can delay it, like Moses did at the burning bush. But God's patience with our excuses has limits, and the longer we wait, the more uncomfortable the constraint becomes.

Or you can embrace it, like Mary did when the angel announced God's plan for her life. "Let it be unto me according to your word." She accepted the discomfort of God's will because she trusted the goodness of God's heart.

The constraint you feel is not punishment—it's God's love pressing you toward your destiny.

III. WHEN GOD'S TRUTH DIVIDES

Now Jesus says something that might shock us: "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division."