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Running From God? – Now Think On This by Steve Martin

 November 11, 2019  Steve Martin  0 Comments call of God, Jesus, Jonah, obey, walk in His wayEdit

“But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” Jonah 1:3, NKJV

God spoke. Jonah heard. Jonah ran from God.

Ever happen to you? God speaks a word to you, either through another person, reading His Word in the Bible, or through a circumstance which you know is from Him, giving you a directive, and yet you run from Him?

Your response was “No. I am not going to do that.”

We all have done it at one time, and more. We heard the word. And then we ran from it. Fear. Uncertainty. Laziness. There is always a “good” reason not to do it.

The Lord speaks to us through His still voice, or we receive a prophetic word. We deny it. We say, “It isn’t so.” We do everything we can to pretend we didn’t hear it, so we can believe we don’t have to respond in obedience to Him.

And yet, He doesn’t give up on us. He has a very good reason He has given the word to us. And as the “hound of heaven”, He still seeks after us to reveal His will and direction for our life, knowing there will always be life in obeying the word, that “this is the way, walk in it.”

“O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:19-22, NASU

It reads in Jonah 1:1-3, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” NKJV

Jonah heard the Lord speak a word of direction, and yet he did as we do too many times ourselves, we run from it. We tell ourselves that “That word isn’t for me, I can’t do it, what will people think?” Or, “How can I walk in faith when I am too fearful to step out and obey? It will cost me too much.”

And yet the very word the Lord is giving us too is the word that will change our life. And at the same time, it will change the lives of those He wants you to be the one who will bring the word of change to them.

As I read the first chapter of Jonah, it is very interesting that Jonah was very clear in what the Lord told him to do. There was no uncertainty. There was no ambiguity. He just didn’t want to do it. He ran from the Word. He ran from God Who gave it. “But Jonah rose up to flee…from the presence of the Lord.” Jonah 1:3

It was only after the fierce wind came down upon the ship he was hiding in, the other men found out it was he who was the cause of this before throwing him overboard, and the large fish swallowed him up.

“Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:17, NKJV

I like how the Lord had already prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. He knew the plan. He was making the way for it to be done. Jonah still had a choice all along, but the Lord was setting him up to make the right choice.

The Lord spoke a clear word to Jonah (whom I believe was a real person, and the book of Jonah is a real, historical book of the Bible and not a fictional story.) It took a while, but Jonah finally did respond the way he should have in the very beginning and save himself from a lot of trouble.

He knows His plan for us. He will do all He can to get our attention and accomplish His will in our life. If only we quit fighting His plan, His purpose, and do what He has called us to do.

You may have known the Lord for a year, and after the excitement wore off and the challenges became too great, you quit the zeal and the adventure.

You may have followed the Lord for 10 years, 20 years, or even 40 years, and the vision you once had has become too dim, the zeal has been lost, the disappointments too many, or the wind of opposition in your face has been more than what you now think you can take.

But the Lord is still calling you. The Lord is still making a way where there seems to be no way. The Lord has not given up. He is calling you back. He is telling you to still “Come, follow Me.”

The decision is yours. But the gift and grace of God is always available to help you make the right one. I hope you choose life and walk continually in His ways.

Run to God, not from Him.

Now think on this and see what good things the Lord has in store for you and those around you.

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

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Now Think On This #468 – in the year of our Lord 11.11.19 – “Running From God?”, Monday, 7:30 am

Come Out of Hiding by Elaine Tavolacci By Identity Network

Come Out of Hiding by Elaine Tavolacci

Identity Network  April 16, 2019

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The Lord showed me something interesting today. There are several men and women in the Bible who hid from God's calling. There's a prophet in the Old Testament named Jonah. The Lord told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh to prophesy against it because of their great wickedness. Jonah refused to go and went from the presence of the Lord on his own way. He got on a ship in Jaffa that was going to Tarshish, which geographically is in the opposite direction of where the Lord told him to go. As he walked out of God's will, he not only put his own life in jeopardy, but also the men in the boat as well as the people in Nineveh.

As Jonah was asleep in the lowest part of the ship, the Lord sent a great storm. The men on the ship cast lots, to see who was responsible for this great tempest, and found that it was Jonah. Jonah then told the men to throw him into the sea, and after this, they did this, the sea ceased from its raging. Jonah was saved by being swallowed up by a large fish, which the Lord prepared. Jonah prayed while in the fish, and after three days, he was vomited out at the Lord's command. 

Jonah then went to Nineveh, prophesied to the people and the whole city fasted and prayed and turned from their wickedness. Then God relented and did not bring the destruction on Nineveh that they deserved.

This is an unusual story of a supernatural occurrence. Some of you may understand the metaphor of this story. (Matthew 12:40). The Lord is showing me that He wants to use many of us today to bring repentance, revival, and restoration to our cities. He is not a God of judgment and just as He had mercy on Jonah and the people of Nineveh, Jesus will also have mercy on people today. In return, multitudes will turn from their wicked ways and come into the Kingdom of God.

Let Me Awaken You

The Lord says, "I am the God of mercy and I am calling you to come into alignment with what I have called you to do. As you walk into your calling, you will see things begin to fall into place in your personal life and ministry. You will begin to see others being set free from their self-destructive ways. Don't be afraid of confrontation. Don't fear the opposition of the enemy. I will go with you and I will speak through you. Things may look unfamiliar to you as you go along, but trust in Me. I will never mislead you but you will become familiar with My ways as you take each step of faith. 

For those of you who are asleep in the boat, allow Me to awaken you. You are carrying something precious and now is the time to raise your voice in the victory that I have given to you. Speak My words in boldness, proclaiming the good news to the nations. Don't fear those who threaten you, because My word in your mouth carries greater authority. My anointing on your life will bring change. Never compromise who you are and what you believe in, but take a stand for righteousness at all times.

Take no offence when you are confronted with the views and opinions of others. Don't be intimidated or swayed by their words of deception. Do not be concerned about your reputation. Do not fear the spirit of anti-Christ because you have been called to greatness. Do not be afraid of their faces, and don't be alarmed by their words. I am looking for those who will yield to the calling that I have placed on their lives, and will walk by faith and not by sight", says the Lord.

Psalm 139:7-9 Where can I go from Your Spirit? or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

Jonah 1:1-3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me." But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

Ephesians 5:15-17 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Elaine Tavolacci

www.awordinseason.info

www.TheVoiceOfBreakthrough.com

www.TheVoiceOfProphecy.com

Don't Run if God Has Called You to Speak - J. LEE GRADY CHARISMA NEWS

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Don't Run if God Has Called You to Speak

 7/12/2017 J. LEE GRADY  charisma news

If God has called you, don't run away. (Getty Images)

This past Sunday I stood in a pulpit, looked out over a congregation of mostly strangers, cleared the lump in my throat and preached a message that the Lord had laid on my heart from the Bible.

Thousands of men and women speak publicly like this every week. It's what preachers do. No big deal. But even though I speak often, I've found that preaching the gospel is one of the most frightening assignments anyone could attempt. I feel as if I die a thousand deaths right before I do it, and I die several more times after I go home and evaluate what happened.

After one discouraging experience in which an audience stared coldly at me with their arms folded, I determined that preaching surely must not be my calling. I shared my struggle with an older pastor.

"Sometimes I feel discouraged after I speak," I said. "Does that ever happen to you?" I was sure he would counsel me to stop preaching.

His answer shocked me. "Son, I feel that way every Monday morning," he said.

When I tell friends that I stubbornly resisted the call of God to preach because of my lack of confidence, they act surprised. They don't know how much anguish I went through. They think most people who stand in pulpits want to be there. They can't believe that I wrestled with God for months when I felt He was calling me to speak.

We assume God chooses certain people to preach because of their oratory skills. But true preaching is not a natural exercise—it is one of the most supernatural tasks anyone can ever be called to do. It requires an imperfect human vessel to yield himself or herself to speak the very words of God.

If we do this in the flesh, the results are miserable; if we wholly trust the power of the Holy Spirit, prophetic preaching unleashes supernatural anointing.

Most preachers in the Bible were reluctant. Moses made excuses about his stuttering, Gideon tried to disqualify himself because of his family background, and Jeremiah complained about the responsibility of carrying a prophetic burden. Jonah bought a one-way ticket to the other side of the Mediterranean Sea so he wouldn't have to give his unpopular sermon!

And the apostle Paul, who was a silver-tongued Pharisee before he met Christ, was stripped of his eloquence before he preached throughout the Roman Empire. He told the Corinthians: "I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God" (1 Cor. 2:3-5).

If Paul trembled when he spoke, I have no right to complain when I feel butterflies in my stomach for the thousandth time.

Charismatic revivalist Arthur Katz wrote about the power of true preaching in his 1999 book Apostolic Foundations: "The only one qualified to preach ... is the one who wants to run the other way, like Jonah. ... The man who sighs and groans when called upon to speak, who does not want to be there, who feels terribly uncomfortable ... is the man out of whose mouth the word of true preaching is most likely to come."

That is certainly not the way most of us view pulpit ministry in contemporary America. We celebrate the smooth and the polished. We measure the impact of a sermon not by whether hearts are slain by conviction but by how high the people jump when the preacher tells them what they want to hear.

That kind of carnal preaching may win the accolades of men, boost TV ratings, get lots of hits on social media and even build megachurches. But the kingdom is not built on hipster style or smug self-confidence. We need God's honest words, sent straight from the authentic heart of a broken vessel. The church will live in spiritual famine until reluctant, weak and trembling preachers allow His holy fire to come out of their mouths.

If you have a message from God, stop running. If you are wrestling with God like Jacob did, quit resisting, and let your Maker break your pride; He wants you to walk with a limp the rest of your life so you can lean on Him rather than on your own ability. Die to your fears, doubts and excuses, and drink the cup of suffering that accompanies the genuine call of God. 

J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years before he launched into full-time ministry in 2010. Today he directs The Mordecai Project, a Christian charitable organization that is taking the healing of Jesus to women and girls who suffer abuse and cultural oppression. Author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, he has just released his newest book, Set My Heart on Fire, from Charisma House. You can follow him on Twitter at @LeeGrady or go to his website, themordecaiproject.org.

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Jonah's Major Prophecies: The Parallel Path Between Israel and the Church - ASHER INTRATER/REVIVE ISRAEL CHARISMA NEWS

We serve the dual restoration of Israel and the church.

Jonah's Major Prophecies: The Parallel Path Between Israel and the Church

1/2/2017 ASHER INTRATER/REVIVE ISRAEL  CHARISMA NEWS

Jonah delivered two major prophecies. The first is recorded in 2 Kings 14:25—to enlarge the borders of Israel.

It was a message of victory and power. He seemed to be very motivated to deliver this kind of prophecy.

The second was recorded in the Book of Jonah to bring repentance and revival to the nation of Assyria—a Gentile nation, often seen as an enemy of Israel. Jonah very much did not want to bring this message. It was counterintuitive and contrary to his motivation and orientation. He said no to the Lord.

He had to overcome his own resistance to the message. When he did (with the help of a big fish), the message brought revival to the whole nation. The message about repentance was based on his own personal testimony of a miraculous "death and resurrection" experience. That was a form of pre-gospel message. He fulfilled an image of Yeshua (Matt. 12:40).

An entire nation came to faith. This was an initial stage of the future international Gentile church. It was a predecessor to Paul's preaching to the Gentiles and establishing churches around the world.

In addition, the moral reformation in the nation of Assyria changed the whole society. They became the most powerful nation on the earth and dominated the history of the Middle East for the entire 8th century B.C. They became a great kingdom power on earth.

Repentance, revival, testimony of Yeshua's future death and resurrection, Gentile church, kingdom authority, changing history ... all of that resulted from one message. Jonah's two prophetic messages were parallel, but the message to the Assyrians had more effect than the one directed to the Israelites. The message that required death to pride and ego produced more than the one of victory and power.

People are usually more motivated to deliver the types of messages that fit our idea of victory, but often it is the message that requires denying oneself and one's ambition is what has the greater results for the kingdom of God. Even Yeshua had to pray "not My will, but Yours" (Luke 22:42b) at Gethsemane before the crucifixion. Ultimately, that self-denying obedience produced much more fruit than His healing revivals before the cross.

We may also see in these two types of prophecies the two parallel paths of Israel and the church. The disciples of Yeshua wanted to "restore the kingdom to Israel" (Acts 1:6) in the first century. However, Yeshua instead sent them out to the Gentiles "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8c). Perhaps, like Jonah, they didn't want to "give" the kingdom to the Gentiles.

Thank God, today we have the opportunity to do both. We serve the dual restoration of Israel and the church (Rom. 11). Both are coming to their fullness as we approach the coming kingdom of Messiah on earth. 

Asher Intrater is the founder and apostolic leader of Revive Israel Ministries and oversees Ahavat Yeshua Congregation in Jerusalem and Tiferet Yeshua Congregation in Tel Aviv. Asher was one of the founders of Tikkun International with Dan Juster and Eitan Shishkoff and serves on the board of the Messianic Alliance of Israel and Aglow International. He and his wife and full-time partner in ministry, Betty, have a passion for personal prayer and devotion, local evangelism and discipleship in Hebrew and unity of the body of believers worldwide.

For the original article, visit reviveisrael.org.

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Just A Coincidence That A Historic Blizzard Named ‘Jonas’ Hit D.C. On The Anniversary Of Roe v Wade? - Michael Synder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Just A Coincidence That A Historic Blizzard Named ‘Jonas’ Hit D.C. On The Anniversary Of Roe v Wade? Posted: 24 Jan 2016  Michael Synder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG On January 22nd, one of the worst east coast blizzards in history slammed into Washington D.C. like a freight train.  More than three feet of snow was dumped on some areas, hundreds of thousands of people were left without power, and coastal cities all long the eastern seaboard experienced flooding to a degree not seen since Hurricane Sandy.   Tens of millions of people live in communities that were completely paralyzed by this storm, and it is being projected that the total amount of economic damage done will ultimately be in the billions of dollars.   January 22nd also happens to be the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in all 50 states.  Since that Supreme Court decision, more than 58 million babies have been murdered in abortion clinics in America.  Could it be possible that it is more than just a “coincidence” that both of these events happened on January 22nd? In a previous article, I noted that this east coast blizzard was officially given the name “Jonas”.  It turns out that “Jonas” is actually a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name “Jonah”. In the Bible, Jonah was sent to the city of Ninevah to warn that the judgment of God was about to come.  Some are suggesting that it may not be any accident that a historic blizzard named after this Biblical prophet hit Washington D.C. on the exact anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision. And without a doubt, this was a whopper of a storm.  According to USA Today, some cities broke their all-time records for snowfall from a single storm… It was the biggest snowstorm ever recorded for three cities — Baltimore (29.2 inches), Allentown, Pa. (31.9) and Harrisburg, Pa. (34), the National Weather Service said. New York City picked up 26.8 inches of snow, missing its all-time record by one-tenth of an inch. In the D.C. area things were absolutely crazy.  Dulles Airport got a total of 29.3 inches of snow, and Baltimore-Washington International Airport got 29.2 inches of snow.  Some of the outlying areas actually got closer to three feet of snow, and it could take weeks for transportation in the region to get back to normal. New York City got absolutely pummeled as well.  CNN is reporting that John F. Kennedy International Airport got 31 inches of snow and New York’s Central Park has been buried under 27 inches of snow. In addition to crazy amounts of snow, vast stretches right along the coast had to deal with tremendous flooding.  In fact, CNN is reporting that the flooding was even worse than during Hurricane Sandy in some areas… Margate City, just down the coast from Atlantic City, was also affected. “In a lot of our business areas and our back bay areas, water is coming over the bulkhead in a lot of the same areas as Hurricane Sandy hit,” Lt. Matt Hankinson of the Margate City Police Department said. “Some areas I would say it’s thigh- to waist-deep.” Farther south in North Wildwood, the high tide was much higher than anticipated and caught many of the town’s 5,000 year-round residents off guard —with flooding levels that actually exceeded those during Hurricane Sandy, said Patrick Rosenello, the city’s mayor. Meanwhile, a very powerful El Nino pattern continues to send storm after storm slamming into the west coast.  It didn’t get much publicity because of the giant blizzard on the east coast, but the California coastal city of Pacifica just declared a state of emergency due to the damage from these storms.  The following comes from the Daily Mail… As the East Coast is hit with one of the most powerful storms in recent years, the West Coast is continuing to be slammed with storms thanks to El Nino. The city of Pacifica in northern California declared a state of emergency Friday after continuous El Nino storms slammed into the city’s coastline,KNTV reported. A sinkhole and a severely damaged sea wall are part of the destruction in the city from the wild winter weather. ‘El Nino is hitting the city’s coastline very hard and creating almost daily reports of impacts to both public and private property,’ City Manager Lorie Tinfow told KNTV. All of this continues a very unusual pattern of disasters that we have been witnessing over the past six months.  Just consider what we have seen happen since last September… -Around the turn of the year the middle part of the country experienced absolutely horrific flooding.   The only thing people can really compare it to is the great flood of 1993, and Missouri Governor Jay Nixon says that some communities saw floodwaters get to “places they’ve never been before”.  Normally if the middle of the country is going to see flooding like this, it is going to happen when the snow begins to thaw in the spring.  For something like this to happen in December is absolutely unprecedented. -Prior to that, a conveyor belt of storms that barreled into coastal areas of Oregon and Washington caused horrible flooding in many areas.  In fact, in early December we witnessed the wettest day in the history of Portland, Oregon.  The resulting landslides and floods made headlines all over the nation. -Before that, the remnants of Hurricane Patricia caused nightmarish flooding in many parts of Texas.  The flooding was so bad that at one point an entire train was knocked off the tracks. -Out on the west coast, flash flooding in southern California sent rivers of mud streaming across highways in southern California.  The lifeless body of one man that had his vehicle completely buried in mud was recovered several days later because that is how long it took emergency workers to get to him. -To kick things off, moisture from Hurricane Joaquin caused horrible flooding all up and down the east coast back in early October.  The governor of South Carolina said that it was the worst rain that some parts of her state had seen in 1,000 years. All of this flooding has happened since the end of September. Never before in U.S. history have we ever seen a series of catastrophic floods like this within such a concentrated space of time. And let us not forget that 2015 was also the worst year for wildfires in all of U.S. history, the state of Oklahoma absolutely shattered their yearly record for earthquakes, and much of the rest of the country has been experiencing highly unusual natural disasters.  In fact, the state of Alaska was hit by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake just today. In addition, my regular readers already know that global financial markets have just had their worst start to a year in all of modern history. Could someone be trying to tell us something? Most people out there would dismiss such a suggestion without even thinking about it.  To most Americans, it must just be a “coincidence” that we have been hit by major disaster after major disaster since the month of September. But there are others that would point out that you eventually reap what you sow, and this nation has been doing a tremendous amount of evil for a very long time. As I mentioned at the top of this article, America has murdered more than 58 million babies since 1973.  Instead of being horrified at our crimes, we just continue to shake our fist at God as we celebrate all of the evil that we are doing.  In fact, Barack Obama took time out of his day on Friday to actually celebrate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade… President Barack Obama issued a statement today, celebrating the 43rd anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that declared abortion a constitutionally protected right. “Today, we mark the 43rd anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, which affirmed a woman’s freedom to make her own choices about her body and her health,” said Obama. Despite being shown our guilt over and over again, we have absolutely refused to change our ways, and so now we will pay the price for our crimes. As I have said on television, on the radio and in my articles, 2016 is the year when everything changes.