George Warnock emphasizes the importance of following God's lead in ministry and service, highlighting the need for God to give direction and go before us. He contrasts the common teaching of taking the initiative in ministry with the biblical principle of waiting on God and following His guidance. Warnock encourages believers to move forward with God, even if it seems contrary to human reasoning, and to embrace the Rule of the Cloud, symbolizing God's leading and confirmation in our lives.

The walk in the Spirit is entirely contrary to much of our present-day teaching concerning ministry and service for the Lord. Everywhere we find that people are being encouraged to move out for God, and if they do God will follow them and bless their efforts. You take the initiative, and God will be there to establish and confirm. But this is contrary to the Rule of the Cloud, and it is contrary to the Law of the Spirit. God must give direction, He must go before. And as we follow, we will discover His glory will also follow after... "For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward" (Isa. 52:12). In other words, you cannot rush ahead of God-that would be "haste." Nor can you run away from some job you do not like, some disagreeable circumstance that you want to get rid of--that would be "flight." He must go on ahead and open up the way. He must also follow after to confirm and establish. He gives clear direction, you follow Him, then He gives positive confirmation. The Rule of the Cloud must have seemed quite ridiculous to surrounding tribes and peoples, but this did not matter. We are inclined to become very sensitive to criticism if God’s ways lead us contrary to reason and logic. Because of this many simply refuse to move on with God once they have discovered a quiet resting place in their religious wilderness--a nice little oasis, a beautiful Elim of God’s provision. They know God led them there, so there they will remain. But when the Cloud moves on we must pull up our stakes and move forward with Him. It will not always be quite that way. For when the ark of the covenant moved into Solomon’s Temple the staves were withdrawn, and the long, tiring wilderness journeying came to an end. Of course there is still a going on with God even in that realm, as we shall discover. But the blight of the wilderness becomes a thing of the past, and the experiences of life which were intended of the Lord to unsettle us, and shake us, and cause us to move forward in God, have fulfilled their purpose that henceforth we might abide in Him-joined unto the Son, as the Son is joined unto the Father. The Rule of the Cloud is the rule of liberty. But it is a rule. Many would mistake the bondage of the flesh for the liberty of the Spirit. They boast of their freedom in God--freedom to move out in ministry, freedom to activate their ministry in any way they want to--because God has enriched them with gifts and graces and talents of various kinds. But we will never know true liberty in the Spirit until we come under subjection to the Rule of the Cloud. For in Christ Jesus the only way that is acceptable to God and liberating to our spirit is the rule of New Creation Life: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision [neither religious tradition, or the lack of it], but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:15-16).