My Story His Glory
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· 367 viewsOne of the signs that you are walking in the light is that you are honest about having walked in the darkness! God Never Wastes an Experience! In other words, God Uses Our Story For His Glory!
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The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying,
“Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.”
But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.
Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep.
So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”
Each man said to his mate, “Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.”
Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.
He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.”
However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them.
Then they called on the Lord and said, “We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.”
So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.
Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.
Introduction:
Introduction:
The other day, I asked my maps app to take me to a specific location, it navigated me with perfect British Female voice precision, and announced, “you have arrived at your destination.” It was at that moment that I realized that we both were lost. Not a good feeling.
Have there ever been times in your life that the vision that you had for your life and the place where you were at did not match.
One of the signs that you are walking in the light is that you are honest about having walked in the darkness! God Never Wastes an Experience!
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Not all things are good… but he works them together for our good, because we are called according to His Purposes. Paul said once again of his suffering and experiences:
Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,
In other words, God Uses Our Story For His Glory! Today I want to look at the lives of two preachers, Jonah and David Crawford and allow God to use those stories for His redemptive glory to help you today.
Never Put A Question Mark Where God Puts A Period
Never Put A Question Mark Where God Puts A Period
Verse 1 says, “The word of the LORD came …” It says this quite often in Jeremiah, Isaiah, Joel, and Hosea. Whenever you see the phrase in the Bible, “The word of the LORD came …” that is a technical Hebrew phrase to describe the calling and/or functioning of a prophet. What it means is the prophets were called by God to preach and speak and communicate his will.
When it says in verse 1, “The word of the LORD came to Jonah …” and verse in 3, “But Jonah ran …” this is not simply an isolated incident of disobedience. This is a resignation. It doesn’t just say, “The Lord asked Jonah to do this, and he didn’t.” That’s just a simple isolated incident, or it’s a particular incident of disobedience.
What’s happening here is Jonah’s whole purpose in life had been to be a prophet. His calling, his vocation … He was called to be a prophet, so everything in his life was oriented toward what God had called him to be, so he’s not just simply disobeying God. He is now saying, “I am going to go off and run my life my way. I am no longer going to get my identity, my purpose in life, anymore from what you say. I’m going to go do what I want to do. I’m going to live my life as I want to live.”
Jonah was getting divine revelation spoken to him but it could not break through his paradigm. He was putting a question mark where God put a period.
You Can Not Let the Past or Present Difficulty Paint Your Current View of God.
How many times have we allowed the disappointments, detours and disasters of life to become the filter that we view God and interpret scriptures.
It is not “Thus saith the Lord…” it is “well it has been my experience…”
Never Let Your Current Circumstances Cause You to Make Permanent Decisions.
Many years ago, after over twenty years in the ministry, my life derailed and I spiraled down in depression, anxiety, fear and failure. I was exhausted and hurt and thought my life and ministry was over.
Share Testimony. I was sitting in a place I never thought I would be sitting, I was doing things I never dreamed I would be doing, when the guy sitting beside me, who I did not know and had not said a word to looked at me and said, “Pastor, what are you doing here!” I’ve gone too far off track, I’ve messed up to bad, it is over for me, God is mad at me, God doesn’t love me…If we are not careful our depression, defeat and discouragement will lead us to a place we never attended to be.
Today the gap between where we are and where we want to be can seem like an ocean, but I have a word for you, Jesus built a bridge.
God and a wife who would not give up on her husband and the call of God on his life is why I am here today. God restored my life, my marriage, and ultimately my ministry. As we were praying about what was next in God’s plan for our lives, we felt a burning desire to plant a church in Franklin, Kentucky. It is no accident that we are calling it Restoration Church. Like he did for me, we’ve been called to reach those who declared they would never step foot in a church and those who said they would never go back. Simpson County Needs a Spirit-filled church!
God is mad at me! I’ve gone too far off track, I’ve messed up to bad, it is over for me, God is mad at me, God doesn’t love me…If we are not careful our depression, defeat and discouragement will lead us to a place we never attended to be.
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
Shame Shackles but when we shine the light of truth to the dark places we not be embarrassed but empowered by the truth that really frees. I believe authenticity is liberating, painful, and it’s the only thing that will connect with the power to change and bring hope.
You Have to Love Everybody But You Don’t Have to Let Everybody In Your Boat
You Have to Love Everybody But You Don’t Have to Let Everybody In Your Boat
So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”
Each man said to his mate, “Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
The people in your life, they can be the greatest spiritual asset, or they can be your worst spiritual curse. The people around you, they can be a tremendous spiritual asset; the right people who lift you, encourage you, equip you spiritually. The wrong people though, they can be incredibly distracting and destructive and poisonous in your life if you are not careful. God is not interested in halfhearted commitment, partial obedience, or the leftovers of your time and money. He desires your full devotion, not little bits of your life.
You must be willing to let God work on the inside of you, before you can expect things on the outside to change. That may sound like a simple statement, but many will never understand it. Too many people think their problems are external, placing blame for their lives on anything or anyone, without ever taking responsibility for themselves.
So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.
He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.”
However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them.
Then they called on the Lord and said, “We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.”
So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.
Many Times, God Will Give Us What We Need In A Package We Don’t Like Or Understand
Many Times, God Will Give Us What We Need In A Package We Don’t Like Or Understand
And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.
Many times, when we find ourselves in desperate situations we look for God to show himself in obvious or extraordinary means. Faith doesn’t always mean that God changes your situation. Sometimes it means He changes you.
When you change your focus, you change your feelings! With our mouths we pray, ‘thy will be done,’ but with our hearts we hope, ‘thy will match mine.’
Why would we limit a Sovereign and Holy God to our human condition? We must learn to hope for immeasurably more.
Greatness Is.... The Willingness To Speak Right Words... When You Have Wrong Feelings.
What would happen if you stopped asking, “God, WHY am I going through this?” and started asking, “God, WHAT are you preparing me for?”
People believe that they can live in sin for years, spend one hour in church, 5 minutes at the altar, and every problem in their life will disappear. It’s not about God snapping His fingers, and making your problems go away just so you can repeat the same mistakes. It’s about true change from the inside out. It takes one second to be born again, but it is a long, complicated process that turns someone into a disciple.
Despair over sin should not lead to self-pity, causing us to think more about ourselves than God. Instead, it should lead to confession and then to God’s mercy, forgiveness, and redemption.
Broken People Become Master Menders
Broken People Become Master Menders
We not only like to throw broken things away, we sometimes like throwing broken people away. On the contrary, God seems to love and is actually drawn to broken people.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
I believe the experiences you face in life are not just for you. They happen so you in turn can help someone else.
Don’t allow the enemy to use your moments of pain to distract you from the purpose God has for your life. Your greatest weakness may actually be God’s greatest platform to display His power and glory in your life.
I can’t do what God wants me to do until I become what God wants me to become.
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,
Faithfulness is not a feeling – it’s a choice you can make – even in the midst of great frustration.
John Palmer’s prayer: The call of God is without repentance. I thank you God that you called David already knowing he would fail you but the calling and the gifting you placed within him was greater than any failure he would ever make. I think you for the character you developed within him not to remain in his failure.
Closing:
Closing:
There is an old expression out there that says God helps those who help themselves. That is not true, and it is also not in the Bible. What the Bible teaches us is that God helps those who realize they can’t help themselves and who recognize their need for him. The broken person recognizes that they need God. When they understand their need, they call upon him. When they call upon him, he comes to help.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
If your heart is broken today and you are in a place where you recognize your need for God, you are exactly where God wants you to be. He is close to you ready to step in and help you in your situation. All you have to do is call upon him.