Begin Today

Jonah 1:1-2 (KJV) Says, "Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord."

In the above passage of scripture Jonah is called by God and instructed to go to Nineveh and warn the people there to turn from their wicked ways. Instead of following God's instructions, and going to Nineveh which is east of Israel, Jonah opts to flee from God, and go his own way. He heads to Tarshish, which is in the opposite direction located to the west of Israel.

Jonah could not have possibly believed that he could flee from the presence of God because God is everywhere. God knows and sees everything. For those of you who are not familiar with the story of Jonah, after he boards the ship for Tarshish a mighty storm comes up. The ship he is on begins to be violently tossed about sending a great fear among all those aboard. The men on the ship got together and decided to cast lots to determine who's fault it was that this evil in the form of a violent storm, had come upon them. The lot of course fell upon Jonah. Jonah then confessed to them that he knew it was him because he failed to follow God's instructions, and was attempting to flee from him. Jonah advised the men to throw him overboard to save themselves, but they in an attempt to save Jonah continued trying to row toward land. Rowing to land proved impossible; so they heeded Jonah's advice, and threw him overboard. The moment they did the sea became calm, and Jonah was swallowed by a great fish that God had prepared for him. He was in the belly of that fish for three days, which was plenty of time to think about the decision he had made to flee from God. Jonah prayed to God from the belly of the great fish, God heard him, and the fish vomited Jonah out onto dry land.

The Lord then came to Jonah the second time, and gave him the same instructions that He had given him the first time. Jonah opts to follow God's instruction, and he goes to Nineveh where he warns the people to turn from their wickedness. The people of Nineveh believed the message Jonah brought from God, and turned from their wicked ways. God therefore opted not to send evil upon them as he had planned to do initially.

If Jonah had listened to God in the first place he could have spared himself, and others a great deal of grief. He could have gone to Nineveh the first time God instructed him to do so, and warned the people there to turn from their wicked ways. The people of Nineveh would have received God's message through Jonah, and repented just as they did the second time. Then, more than likely, God would have blessed Jonah for following the path He had for him, and for carrying out His instructions.

Like Jonah we are all given freewill, and thereby can make choices in life as we see fit to make them. We can have one of two mentalities, I am going to follow God, or I am going to do it my way.  We as believers, having the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, know when faced with a decision that it is wise to pray, and wait on the Lord to lead, guide, and direct our paths. We are also aware that when God calls us to do something, we should do it without hesitation. Many, if not all of us, have felt or heard God give us instructions in our lives, opted to ignore Him, and go in another direction. Jonah being disobedient to God resulted in great turmoil for him. He faced a violent storm that endangered his life, he endangered the lives of others, he was thrown into a turbulent sea, he landed in the belly of a great fish for three days, and he wound up being vomited out of that fishes mouth onto dry land. All of this could have been avoided, if Jonah would have obeyed God the first time.

Are there things in your life that God is calling, or has called you to do? Is there work He desires to accomplish through you? Are their things He is calling you to give up? Are there changes He wants you to make in your life so that He can use you for a great purpose? God has a plan for all of us, and has gifted us with what we need to carry out that plan. In order to use us, however, we must be willing to rid our lives of anything hindering His plan, and we must be willing to follow the path He has laid out for us, and not our own. When God first called Jonah, and he fled from Him it resulted in disaster. Jonah got the point quick, repented, and opted to heed God's call. Are there things in your life you know you need to get rid of, but you are procrastinating? Are there things you know God has called you to do, but you continue to flee from Him?  Don't wait until you're faced with disaster like Jonah did. Begin today ridding your life of the things that you know do not fit who you are as a Christian. Begin today listening to God, and following the plan He has for your life. You will be blessed in doing so, and you'll experience a divine peace, joy, and contentment like you have never before known.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.