How To Get Out and Then Back in the Will of God

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09
Sep '24

How To Get Out and Then Back in the Will of God

Posted on Sep 9, 2024 in Devotions |

09
Sep '24
Introduction: Admit-tingly, although we would rather not, we’ve all at times stepped out of the Will of God. With wrong actions, reactions, and wrong decisions. Have you? But how can we be restored, and get back in the Will of God. Today, we are looking at a man who stepped out of the Will of God. He was the prophet, Jonah.
 
Let’s see what happened:
 

1. First comes our Lord’s instructions! (Jonah 1:1,2) – “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.”

Did Jonah obey? No. Did Jonah pray? No. Was Jonah O.K.? No. Did Jonah pay? Yes.
 

2. Next came Jonah’s direction! (Jonah 1:3) – “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.”

Jonah learned; You can run, but you can’t hide from God. Instead of going in the right direction, he went in the total opposite direction. Although he paid a high price, he learned a valuable lesson.

** What is worse than learning from our mistakes is not learning from our mistakes.

In this case, it was surviving in the stomach of a great fish!
 

3. Next comes the restoration! (Jonah 2:1) – “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly.”

Like a torpedo, his cry flew up to heaven where our gracious Heavenly Father heard and responded.
 

4. Finally, the message of restoration turned into a message of reconciliation! (Jonah 3:1-3) – “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.”

By praying the right way, we are restored and used in a mighty way. A revival which swept across Nineveh was the result of obedience.
 
Conclusion: How are you responding to God’s will? Remember. James writes that if we know to do good and don’t do it, it is sin. But also remember we serve a God of a second chance!
 
Love y’all,
Pastor Randy Reese