No Fear

Jonah 1:1-3

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.

Thought For Today

Outreach and preaching on the streets has never been easy.  I've heard some of the old-time ministers talk about how they had rotten eggs, and rotten tomatoes, thrown at them while trying to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sometimes it takes tough skin to be a minister for Christ. Jesus said we would be hated by men for His namesake. Maybe Jonah previously encountered persecution and he wasn't about to face it again.  When God told him to give Nineveh warning, Jonah ran in the opposite direction.  But Jonah soon found out that you can't out run God.  As the psalmist said, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me" (Psalms 139:7-11).  Sometimes God's love towards us doesn't make much sense. Have you ever wondered why God would ask us to do something we were afraid to do?  Moses didn't want to face Pharaoh because he was afraid to speak. Jeremiah didn't want to go because he was afraid of prison. John Mark knew what was happening to Christians and he was afraid of being beheaded. So why would God ask us to go? Because we belong to the Lord, and no longer to ourselves. We are in His Army.  You see, God is turning us into overcomers. Fear is the opposite of faith and fear hinders. Jesus said that if you want to save your life, you must first lose it.  And that means getting rid of the fear in your life so that God can do what He desires to do through you.  Like Jonah, your struggle might not be about running from God as much as knowing where He's wanting you to go. So pray, listen, and be faithful to God’s Word and pretty soon God will show you what He wants you to do and where He wants you to go. When you come to the end of yourself, you'll realize that  Jesus is right there.  As Isaiah said, "Here am I Lord send me!"

Sing this song with me:

Draw me close to you, Never let me go, I lay it all down again, To hear you say that I'm your friend, You are my desire, No one else will do, 'Cause nothing else can take your place, To feel the warmth of your embrace, Help me find the way
Bring me back to you, You're all I want, You're all I've ever needed, You're all I want, Help me know you are near