Something shifts in the spirit when your desires collide with God’s direction. There are seasons when your heart is set on one thing, yet the Lord—quietly, firmly, and sovereignly—redirects your steps. “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). For years, Wyoming tugged at me. The mountains, the open land, the country rhythm that feels like home to someone raised in the woods of Maine. Opportunities came, doors cracked open, and the idea of pastoring out West stirred something deep.
Yet heaven remained silent. Not a whisper. Not a nudge. Just holy stillness.
As I continued pastoring the church I still shepherd today, I often asked the Lord for an exit plan. I prayed for clarity, for confirmation, for the green light to pack up and head toward the mountains. But the heavens stayed quiet, and sometimes silence is the loudest answer of all. Then, as 2024 closed and 2025 dawned, the voice of the Lord broke through the stillness with unmistakable clarity: “Disciple a Remnant here in Jacksonville. Take the city for the Kingdom.” Before I could fully process that assignment, He added, “Seek My will for the First Coast region.” Suddenly, the silence made sense—God had been waiting for the right moment to reveal His plan.
My first reaction wasn’t bold faith; it was hesitation. I told the Lord, “I’m not from here. Others born here have greater authority.” But the Holy Spirit confronted that lie instantly. “Who told you that? Wherever you go, you carry the authority of the Father. And when you stand in the place I have called you, that authority intensifies.” His words struck me like fire. Jesus declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore…” (Matthew 28:18–19).
Authority is not geographical—it is inherited. It is delegated. It is activated through obedience, not birthplace.
Stepping into 2026, I found myself asking the Lord, “Where is this Remnant You spoke of?” Our congregation is faithful, loving, and growing, but I wasn’t seeing the mountain‑moving disciples He described. They were maturing individually, but the corporate fire, the collective roar, the unified intercession that shakes cities—I wasn’t seeing it yet. And in that moment of frustration, the Holy Spirit whispered again: “Go to Hebrews 11:1 and stay there until the revelation consumes you.” So I went. And I stayed. And I’m still there.
Ever since fully and radically giving my life to the Lord on March 29, 2016, I’ve walked through a refining fire that has burned away self‑will and awakened holy purpose. It has been a season of dying to my own desires, surrendering dreams that once defined me, and embracing the crucible that shapes warriors. In that fire, something deep within me has been quickened—a cry that says, You were destined for this. You were born with a warrior’s heart. Every battle, every pruning, every delay has been forging the steel of obedience for the assignment unfolding now.
The Lord never wastes a surrendered life; He weaponizes it for His glory.
Now, as February 2026 approaches, I remain seated in the furnace of Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I have revelation for books—check. I’m mentoring leaders afar—check. I’m walking in obedience—check. But the Lord is showing me that faith doesn’t begin with what you see; it begins with what He said. The Remnant is not missing. The Remnant is forming. The Remnant is awakening.
The Remnant is being summoned by the Word of the Lord, not by my natural eyes.
So what am I missing? Perhaps nothing at all. Perhaps this is the season where faith becomes substance, where unseen promises begin to take shape, where obedience becomes the birthplace of manifestation. Maybe the Remnant isn’t something I find—it’s something God forms through surrendered leadership, persistent prayer, and unwavering trust. And maybe, just maybe, the very thing I thought I lacked is already growing beneath the surface, waiting for the fullness of time. Because when God redirects your steps, He never wastes your longing—He transforms it into fuel for the assignment you were born to carry.
And now, to every warrior in the Jacksonville region whose spirit is burning even as you read this—this is your moment. If your heart has been crying out for something real, something weighty, something Kingdom, hear this call. If you’ve felt the ache of being underutilized, unseen, or spiritually misplaced… if you’ve carried gifts that others didn’t know what to do with… if you’ve longed for an apostolic family where fire, strategy, assignment, and honor flow together—your season of wandering is ending. The Lord is gathering His Remnant, and He is summoning those with a warrior’s heart to take their place in a movement that is rising with precision, purity, and power.
If your spirit leaps at the sound of this—if you know you were born for more than church-as-usual, if you hunger to be discipled, deployed, and developed in a Kingdom family that recognizes and honors what God placed inside you—reach out. The Remnant is forming. The warriors are awakening. The assignments are being released. And there is a place for you in what God is building here on the First Coast.
Give me a shout at remnantwarriors4christ@gmail.com. If your heart is burning, don’t ignore it. That fire is your confirmation.
— Dr. Russell Welch
Dr. Russell Welch is a prophetic teacher, apostolic builder, author, and founder of faith-driven publishing and media initiatives. He is known for crafting bold, Kingdom-centered messages that call the Ecclesia into maturity, doctrinal clarity, and governmental authority. With a passion for equipping the Remnant and honoring generational legacy, Dr. Welch writes and teaches at the intersection of Scripture, history, and spiritual governance, challenging believers to live as sons and daughters who legislate Heaven on earth through truth, holiness, and unwavering fidelity to Christ.
Be sure to check out his book: The Consecrated Firebrand: A Warrior’s Guide to Holy Living, available exclusively on Amazon … here
Radical Disciples - A Remnant Revolution 