The journey is full of confirmation

I LOVE God so much! He blessed His people with confirmation throughout their journey in the wilderness. They had a cloud by day, a fire by night, food, and water. God is so gracious to us on our journey as well. He has given us confirmations that we are on His path. Let me remind you what the path is...it is a personal, 100%, everything sacrificed walk with God. This journey has nothing to do with me and EVERYTHING to do with a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I have no agenda, but God's. I have no hope, outside of Him. He is my everything...well that is where He wants me to be...I've got a long way to go, but He loves me on the path!

So, back to confirmations. I don't expect confirmations, I don't anticipate confirmations, in fact you have to be careful not to focus more on the confirmation than on the One who gives them. When my wife and I felt God leading us away from institutional churches He gave us 3 very special confirmations. The first is the Bible (the same one I've read for 40+ years, but it is living and He is revealing). I've spent hours on airplanes reading and re-reading what God said about "church". The second is a book by Wayne Jacobsen called, "So, You Don't Want to go to Church Anymore". It is told as a story and it gave my wife and I some very well timed confirmation. I have already sent a thank you e-mail to Wayne and I was shocked that he responded within a day...wow! The third is a book by George Barna called, "Revolution". I had anticipated a book with studies, numbers and statistics but I finished the book totally sold out for Jesus Christ and I cannot wait to Serve Him by being the Church, no longer going to a "church".

I was so excited to begin this blog, because I hope to be a confirmation to others that might be drawn by God to a "revolution", or to those who want to be, the "Church" rather than just showing up at a "church". In Jacobsen's book, I like the message that we don't have to worry about what God is going to do with us outside of the institution. God will place us where He needs us and when He needs us. This is what I read in the New Testament; individuals (the "Church") being lead by God to others who needed to hear about Jesus Christ. They didn't have a plan, a vision, an organization...they knew "only Jesus Christ and Him crucified". Barna's book was so amazing because it talks about individuals that are so on fire for God, that want nothing more than to walk intimately with God, people that love God with all of their heart, soul, mind strength. We are not leaving God when we leave the institution, in fact we are running to Him!

So, be encouraged. Don't seek confirmations (especially from men). Seek God. Did you catch that...Seek God. God will respond, God will encourage you, but don't panic if you end up in a wilderness for awhile. God will be with you in the wilderness...every step of the way and He will be glorified!

Mark