Wake up from your slumber! Break camp and move forward into Divine Purpose and Destiny.
Breaking camp is to walk away from the familiar and accepted structures, groups and conventions in your life to pursue your passion and purpose in God. The journey back into God may be hard going as you swim upstream against the tide of convention, culture, superstitious belief and doctrines that have no light.
For many of us, including some who may be reading this, the journey into God and Jesus Christ, may at some point bring you to the cross road of decision making; break camp or stay?
In the book of Hebrews (13:13), the writer called on Jewish believers to step outside the camp, like Jesus did, to share in his reproach (or disgrace). In the old testament book of Deuteronomy (1:7), the Israelites were instructed through the prophets to break camp, pack up their tents and move on – “you have stayed too long at this mountain (place of habit, comfort and security).
At first glance, Break camp may be a difficult message to contemplate for you. It could require that you break away from the social comforts of church, church friends, activities and culture. It’s even harder if those people and groups are all that you have ever known. Your reputation, gifts, identity, faith and values may so far have been expressed through your membership and affiliations within this social and cultural networks. But now you may be feeling a sense of urgency, a sense of destiny, a ‘knowing’ within your heart. You find yourself at a point where if you must stay true to your first love and persuasions, then you must at great risk break camp from the church and step into the unknown – alone with God. Destiny beckons!
Breaking camp, to many observing you, may look like a step backwards and even ‘backsliding’ (a Christian phrase for someone who has ‘fallen away from the faith’). Indeed, you may backslide in the sense of unlearning many beliefs, habits and ideas you’ve adopted over the years within the church. It is risky! You may suffer loss and damage but there is a greater loss and risk if you don’t respond and break camp. Destiny beckons!
Do not waste your life and legacy by spending it going through the motions of being a good Christian in the church and totally miss out on the best of God’s will for your life and purpose.
Has church life (if you are a christian) became a lie for you? The personal and corporate experience of many in the church is different to what is professed. Many would justify living this lie by saying ‘it will all be OK in the sweet by and by’. Break camp – renounce the hidden things of dishonesty, stop walking in craftiness and handling God’s word deceitfully. Instead be a living witness to the truth by appealing to men’s conscience in the plain sight of God (paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 4:2).
Are you willing to break camp?
Initially, the journey back into God may be hard going as you swim upstream against the tide of convention, culture, superstitious belief and doctrines that have no light. Be of good courage in the face of fears and doubts that might assail you. Throw yourself on the on the mercy and provision of God. This route will cost you much and you are not even sure where it will take you. All you know is that you find within yourself a quest to press into God and to know Him. Staying true to that quest takes you down this scary and unknown path which you perhaps would rather not travel. Take heart. You will not get lost. You will arise in strength. You will know fulfillment and victory as you come to realise and walk in your true purpose and destiny!