Friend of God vs Slave of this World

"But they will become his slaves so that they may learn the difference between My service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries." 2 Chron 12:8 (NASB) "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:15 (NASB) The first verse is found in one of the many stories of the rebellious kings of Judah. In this particular story, Rehoboam had decided to forsake the Lord and lead the people of Judah in that direction, so the Lord sent Shishak of Egypt to conquer Judah. Then Rehoboam and the people acknowledged the Lord, so He determined to not destroy them completely. He did, however, allow the people of Judah to become of the slaves of Shishak. That is a very brief overview of the politics of Judah at the time, but it's very interesting when compared to John 15:15. The truth of the matter is that God does not want us to be enslaved to anyone or anything in this world. There is a reason we are instructed to not worry, not covet, and to love instead of hate. Worrying, coveting, and hating, among many other things, enslave us to the prince of this world and the things of this world. How many times does our Father look down and long to see us in His service where He calls us His friends and reveals to us His very own thoughts? How many times does He instead allow us to see what it's like to be in bondage to our worry and stress? I will be honest - I am not going to abandon following the Lord like the Judahites did. I am convinced, as I have been for the last 25+ years, that there is nothing for me apart from my Lord. But, even so, I see the battle - as Paul did - between the Spirit within me and my flesh. I do succumb to worry, stress, anger, frustration, envy, and so much more. I am challenged, in light of this, to acknowledge quickly when those things begin to come over me and to actively fight them. I do not want to be in their service. I want to be in the service of my King, the One who does not call me His slave, but rather calls me friend.