23 At the command of the LORD they remained encamped, and at the command of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Numbers 9:23

Following God’s Spirit is for a purpose. If you don’t know the purpose, you will never get to the destination. If you know the purpose and you can align yourself with it, then you can reach the destination. Something you will find so prevalent in Numbers Chapter 9 is the recurring phrase, “At the command of the Lord.” Following God’s Spirit has one ultimate purpose, and that is to cultivate trust and obedience in you, because every miracle you will ever experience lies on the other side of your obedience.

Let’s cast our minds back to the Red Sea crossing. The children of Israel crossed the Red Sea in panic and fear of the Egyptians who were on their tail. They were running and crying to Moses, and wondering what they were going to do. Moses stretched his rod and as the sea parted, there was a stampede. I can tell you quite confidently that none of them was thinking of God at that time. They all ran through the Red Sea in desperation.
After they had crossed the Red Sea, God knew they couldn’t live like that. So He decided to teach them to trust in Him. They built Him a tabernacle and began to carry the tabernacle about and the cloud was with them.

God taught the children of Israel obedience in two ways. First, was by watching for the moving of the cloud, but second, was through the hand of Moses, their “man of God.” Can you see why it is so critical to choose your pastor care- fully? Moses spoke God’s command. He never contradicted God. It means that there was never a time where the cloud said to move and Moses said to stay; or when the cloud said to stay and Moses said to move. If you are hearing God say stay, and your pastor is saying move, it is either you have the wrong pastor or you have the wrong reference. You have to make up your mind which one it is, because your destination of glory is on the other side of the bridge of obedience.

Confession:

Father, every miracle You have in store for me lies on the other side of my obedience. As I follow Your Spirit, trust and obedience are being cultivated in me.