When God is Dealing WithYou

As an individual often called on to give advice to others, I have experienced the conviction that

comes with advising on a subject that I haven't mastered. Giving good advice is one thing, but having the strength and boldness, from situation to situation to follow that advice is something else. When it comes to a call from God, I have experienced encouraging someone else to go forward, while I myself was in neutral or reverse.

When I look at Jonah and his futile attempt to outrun God, I relearn some things.

1. When God is dealing with you, you'll run from the call since you know you can't run from God. Jonah paid to ride a boat away from where he was supposed to be going. He got further away from a place, but but further away from his calling. To put it best, you can run but you can't hide.
2. When God is dealing with you even your disobedience is fruitful. After Jonah got tossed from the boat, men that weren't thinking about God before, feared God and offered sacrifices (Jonah 1:16). I've seen people disobey their way to prison only to end up having an effective prison ministry. What the devil means for evil God uses for good.
3. When God is dealing with you he’ll bring you back to the beginning so you can get it right. The fish didn't spit Jonah up in the land he was running from. That would be like forcing Jonah to obey, but God wants us to willingly obey so Jonah is placed 3 days away from the place he was supposed to be and God called him a second time. This time, Jonah obeyed.

Jonah is a short book so please read it and let me know your thoughts.

Peace, SLC