Numbers 9:18
At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.
A critical lesson is taught in this verse that every believer needs to learn. God told the children of Israel that they were not to move until He moved them. How did God move Israel? He moved them by the pillar of fire or the pillar of cloud. In other words, as long as they were by the pillar of fire or the pillar of cloud, they were by the presence and blessings of God. However, imagine if they had moved when the pillar of fire or the pillar of cloud did not move; had they moved, they would have left the presence and blessings of God.
I have watched many believers leave their pillar of God’s presence and blessings throughout the years only to regret the move. Many were sitting in the blessings of God, but they moved and never saw those blessings again. I believe God moves people far less than we think. God is more about stability than He is about instability. Moving always creates instability, and many have moved right out of God’s blessings and presence because they followed what they wanted to do. Let me give several principles about moving that you should consider before making a move.
First, stop looking to move and look to stay. You will always find a reason to move away if you are looking for a reason. You will find another church to go to if you are looking for one, but that does not mean that other church is the right move. If you looked for reasons to stay, you might be surprised how much you could enjoy God’s blessings where you are. You will miss God’s presence and blessings if you are looking to move.
Second, God never moves because of money. Many people have moved away from a good church because they got a raise on the job, but they moved away from God’s blessings and lost their family. You will never find in the Scriptures where God moved people so they could make more money. God is very capable of caring for you right where you are because His promise to provide is not dependent on the world’s economy, but on the economy of His omnipotence.
Third, God’s will has never been about your will. “I have always wanted to move there.” This statement has nothing to do with God’s will. “I have always planned to move there to retire.” Again, why leave God’s blessings just because you want to retire somewhere? You must throw your will out and seek God’s will if you are going to find it. Many have moved because they have always wanted to live where they moved to, but they left God’s blessings and found that where they moved to was not what they thought it would be.
Fourth, never move backward or laterally. If your move does not make you live by faith, your move is not the right move. If you don't know of a good church where you are moving, you are not following God’s will, but your will. Many leave a place where they are highly involved to go to a place where they will either sit or are minimally involved, and they backslide and lose God’s blessings.
My friend, why move if you are where God’s presence and blessings are falling? You would be wise to stay where God’s pillar of presence and blessings are than to move on your own whim and lose what made your life so blessed.
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