Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out (Numbers 9:21).

God brought the Israelites out of Egypt. They had to pass through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. God was their guide through a cloud that appeared overhead. When it moved, they moved. When it stopped, they stopped. Sometimes it was a day, a week, even a year.

Imagine living with the uncertainty of this situation. One day you work at getting your "house" in order, only to have to pick up the stakes and move. Your ability to plan is totally gone. But even greater is the temptation to move when the cloud did not move because you felt it was time to move. Perhaps the grass was no longer green. Perhaps the water was not easily accessible. Perhaps the bugs were a problem. Whatever the case, they were strictly prohibited from moving if the cloud of God did not move.

It is still the same today. We are not to move unless the Holy Spirit instructs us to do so. We are not to make that business deal on the basis of whether or not it makes sense, but on the leading of the Holy Spirit's cloud in our life. It is a difficult process to move only when we are directed, and to remain if we are not. The pressure is always upon us to move, to plan, to act. But if we act we may move into a place where the presence of God may not be. Hence, the rub. The Christian businessperson must learn to move when God says move. It is a sign of complete surrender and dependence on the Spirit of God to direct our steps.

Ask God today if you are sitting under His cloud. Or, have you moved when He said stand still? He will show you.