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INTRODUCTION

It is about you.

I realize those are not typical words you would expect from a pastor. I mean, when was the last time you heard a sermon series called “It’s All About You”? You probably never have and never will. Those four words make us feel uncomfortable. Honestly, they make me feel uncomfortable. We have been told our entire lives that it’s not about us. We have heard countless messages telling us to always put others first. We have been taught that God needs us to do great things for him. And although we have been full of good intentions, maybe we have unintentionally placed unhealthy expectations upon each other. You know the kind: Try harder. Do better. Change your behavior. Bury your feelings. Fix yourself. It’s not about you anyway, so pull yourself together. And from experience, I can tell you that is an exhausting way to live.

But what if it is about us? What if it is more about us than we have realized? What if our lives are more about what God wants to do in us than what he wants to do through us? What if the journey that God invites us on is really about discovering who we are, who he is, and what we were created to do?

Maybe God is more interested in setting us free than making us religious.

To be honest, I am afraid to write this book. I know that’s not a very inspiring way to start, but it’s true. My life is full. I am leading a large, fast-growing church. My kids are young and full of energy, which means I am constantly tired. I have very little free time. And I am not sure how to take what is in my heart and put it on paper. But here’s the thing: I think this is my next step. I believe that God is inviting me to do this. The very act of writing it is what the heart of this book is all about. Following the cloud—courageously taking next steps when we see God move. I am following the cloud because in many ways writing this book is about me. It’s about following God to a place I have never been before to discover things I have never seen before. And that is the invitation I believe God is extending to you—to follow the cloud. To go places, do things, discover truths, and find a freedom you have never experienced before.

I mean, let’s be realistic: it’s not as if God really needs us to accomplish his purposes. I don’t know about you, but I have quickly realized that I don’t have all that much to offer anyway. God didn’t need Noah to build the ark. He didn’t need David to kill Goliath. He didn’t need the disciples to establish his kingdom. And he doesn’t need us to change the world. In fact, if you don’t feel very qualified, you are in good company. Yet for some reason, he always chooses us. This sometimes mysterious God has chosen broken, hurting, and confused people to follow him to places they have never been before. Why? Because it is his deepest desire to set us free. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). He longs to break off the limits, labels, and insecurities that fill our hearts and minds. Every next step he asks us to take is an invitation to live in the freedom of his love, a discovery that without him we will never make. God is a loving Father whowants his children to live beyond the brokenness of this world—the brokenness many of us never seem to get free from.

You see, God knows something we tend to forget: the greatest thing we can do for others is become the healthiest versions of ourselves. I can’t love my neighbor if I don’t love myself. And the reality is, very few of us have a healthy love for self. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). John, the Apostle of Love, reminds us that we can’t give what we have yet to receive. And people in bondage can’t lead others to freedom. So if you want to live a life that is not about you, you first have to embrace that following him is about you.

But not in the way you think.

It’s about you awakening to life. It’s about you discovering who God says you are. It’s about you and finding freedom from your past. It’s about you resting in his love. It’s about you receiving the fullness of the finished work of Jesus. It's about you submitting to his Lordship. God is most glorified when your heart is alive and free, and you can become that person only by following the cloud.

So what is the cloud? Well it’s a physical picture of a spiritual truth hidden in the ancient story of the Exodus. “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night” (Exodus 13:21). Can you imagine what that would have looked like? The entire nation of Israel following a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire by night. The presence of God leading them from slavery to the Promised Land. Of all the ways God could have led his people, he chose to do it through a personal and ever-present cloud. Because that is who God is: intimately personal and always present. This cloud represented his tangible presence. It defined their identity, surrounded them with his love, and led them into a land of freedom. From within this mighty cloud, he spoke with the gentleness of a whisper: Follow me, one next step at a time. When I move, you move. When I stop, you stop. Where I go, you go. Keep your eyes on me. Stay in step with the cloud, and I will lead you to discover who you are, who I am, and what you were created to do.

Following the cloud is how I have learned to live my life and how our leadership team leads our church: listening to God’s voice and following his presence by faith wherever he goes. And although I don’t always understand what he is doing, I have learned that every time I have the courage to follow, I learn more about who I am, who he is, and what I am created to do. Every time I follow, he awakens more of my heart. With every next step, I see a little bit more of Jesus and become a little bit freer of myself. And that is the same journey I believe he is inviting you to take.

A JOURNEY OF THE HEART

When we read about the Israelites following the cloud from Egypt to the Promised Land, we tend to focus on the physical aspects of their journey: like wandering in the desert, gathering manna from heaven, and fighting the nations of giants. But what we often fail to realize is that the Exodus was really a journey of the heart. While God was leading the Israelites out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into new lands, he was actually leading their hearts out of bondage, through their fears, and into new lives of wholeness. The goal wasn’t just to get them to a new land; it was to help them learn to live free as beloved children of God. Every physical next step was an invitation toward emotional, relational,and spiritual freedom. The physical journey of the Exodus was the process, but freedom of the heart was the outcome. The same is true for us today. While God is leading us through what often feels like our own Exodus, the goal isn’t to find the perfect life; it’s to heal and free our hearts. A journey of next steps isn’t really about where we go, what we do, or what we accomplish; it’s about who we become.

At the church where I serve as a pastor, Valley Creek Church, we have a simple illustration that captures this truth, which we call the three circles—or life in the Father’s heart. We believe that as we receive his grace, we are drawn to experience his presence and then are empowered to release his kingdom—that as we discoverour new identity in Jesus, it will lead us into relationship with him and empower us to live out our purpose. At the center of where these three circles intersect is the Father’s heart for us. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus is the way, but the Father is the destination. Jesus came not only to show us but also to lead us into the love of the Father. The Father’s heart is the Promised Land, and it’s where the cloud is always drawing us one next step at a time. This is the pattern you find all throughout Scripture.

My hope is that like the Israelites, you will start moving toward the freedom of living in the Father’s heart one next step at a time. And our movement always starts with receiving his grace. When we receive his grace, we will experience his presence and release his kingdom. As we receive our new identity, we will run to relationship with him and live out our purpose. When we believe we are beloved sons and daughters, we will desire to be with our Father and will spend our lives building his kingdom. When we know we are forgiven, we will joyfully approach him and live with courage. But the inverse is also true. If we resist his grace, out offear we will avoid his presence and will strive to earn his approval. If we believe we are spiritual orphans, we will be afraid of the Father and will spend our lives building our own kingdoms, trying to find significance. If we don’t know who we are, we won’t know how to relate to him and won’t know what we were created to do.

Sounds simple enough, right?

We are drawn by grace, not driven by expectations. But unfortunately this world is full of expectations. So instead of life in the Father’s heart, we are often driven through the cycle of performance (the three circles in reverse). Starting with circle 3, we spend our lives performing, trying to earn God’s approval so that we can become significant. We strive to behave to gain God’s acceptance so that we might earn our forgiveness. In the cycle of performance, we go against the current of grace: we do in order to become. And as I already said, that is an exhausting way to live.

Order is everything.

Identity leads to relationship, and relationship releases purpose. This is where the cloud led the Israelites and where it is leading us. This is the gospel. The gospel isn’t just for salvation; it is for all of life. And it is always drawing us to live free as beloved sons and daughters. If at any point in this book you get stuck, refer back to these three circles and remind yourself that the grace of Jesus is leading you into the freedom of the Father’s heart: the ultimate Promised Land.

RESTFUL MOVEMENT

All throughout the Bible, clouds are pictures of promise, presence, protection, and prophetic potential. That is a great description of a Spirit-led life. The first time the word cloud is mentioned is when God gave Noah a “rainbow in the clouds” (Genesis 9:13) as a promise of his goodness. “The Lord came down in the cloud” to be with his people (Numbers 11:25). “He spread out a cloud as a covering” (Psalm 105:39) to protect his people in the world. And, finally, Jesus said the nations of the earth “will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). The cloud is always revealing the Father’s heart to his beloved sons and daughters. We are following the cloud toward him, and he is riding the cloud toward us.

Following the cloud is simply a life of restful movement. We rest in Jesus and yet never stop moving forward with him. Like the first-century Christians, we are the “followers of the Way”(Acts 9:2, nlt). We have nothing to achieve, prove, or earn. We have everything to receive, discover, and explore. We restfully move in step with him. That is the way of Jesus.

So here is my question and challenge for you: What if you had the courage to follow the cloud—to listen to God’s voice and respond to his presence, to move when he moves and stop when he stops? You might not fully understand it, and it might not always make sense, but you can trust that he is always leading you toward your Promised Land. In fact, your next step is often in the direction of your greatest fear. He leads you toward your fears so that you can become fearless in his love!

The cloud is moving in your life right now, leading you toward his freedom one next step at a time. Maybe he is inviting you to follow him into a new job, a new career, a new relationship, or a new school. Maybe he is inviting you to let go of something old or pick up something new. Maybe he is inviting you to extend forgiveness, release generosity, share your story, or give up your addiction. Maybe he is inviting you to break out of the rut and routine you’ve been stuck in for years. I don’t know what your next step is, but I know he wants you to get to your Promised Land even more than you do.

And your Promised Land isn’t a destination; it’s a revelation of who you are, who he is, and what you were created to do. It’s life in the Father’s heart. And although you may not even be aware of it, he is there. Calling. Drawing. Inviting you to follow. Inviting you home.

One.

Next step.

At a time.