Scripture:

Jonah 1:3 

3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

You Cannot Resist Your Calling

Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh because it was hard. It stretched him beyond what he was willing to do; the People of Nineveh were a brutal people who showed no mercy in battle and were mortal enemies of Israel.  

So, in human eyes, it was easy to understand his resistance.   But we discover that nothing good is easy in this life, and we discover later that God is working out good in this situation through Jonah, bringing a lost people to the Lord that no one thought could be saved.  

Although Jonah was resisting God, He could not escape his calling.  

When Jonah ran, God sent a storm, a fish, and even a plant—all to bring him back.

Sometimes in our lives, the disruptions we face are invitations to pause and turn toward God. Are we paying attention? God is always pursuing our hearts, seeking to bring us into His purpose.

The God-Shot for today is that we cannot resist the plans God has for our lives; they run deep, they cut deep, we will always feel the pressure of Him pushing us toward our purpose like Jonah, but the result is the impossible becomes possible, the lost get found, the Kingdom gains ground, your heart changes, your life changes.

I guess really the question is:  

"What have you been resisting that God has been calling you to?"

Lord, thank you for that which you have called us into; may we never be resistant, always trusting that your plan is better than us.  Let us not be surprised when you call us to reach into places we did not expect, accomplish things we did not think we could, let our hearts be sensitive and obedient to your leading in Jesus' name. Amen! 

Scripture:

2 Chronicles 25:7-8

7 But a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—not with any of the children of Ephraim. 8 But if you go, be gone! Be strong in battle! Even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy; for God has power to help and to overthrow.” 9 Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.

"With God"

I know when you read this, you think Lord that's pretty harsh. But the reality is the LORD is telling King Amaziah and us today that there is a cost for being self-reliant, making all your decisions without God, without help; for Amaziah, it would have cost him his life.  For you and me, it may not cost us our physical life, but it is killing our time (which is life), our energy, and our victories.   

There is a cost for self-reliance, and that is what the Lord was getting across to King Amaziah and us today.  That by excluding God, we exclude

• His Power
• His Wisdom
• The Victory He Brings
• His Protection

Today's God-Shot is that we would become more God-Reliant and less Self-Reliant, that our lives would become shaped by His presence in all that we do.   Proverbs 16:3 says that if we commit even our plans to the Lord, He will bring success.   What I can do alone might be amazing, but what I can do with God is so much more..

Lord, forgive us when we have been stuck in our ways, self-reliant, depending on our strength, our power; help us to trust, to depend, to lean on you for our wisdom, understanding, our strength; help us to learn to include you in our plans, commit them to you that they may be successful, in Jesus' name, Amen! 

Scripture:

Obadiah 1:1-4

1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom (We have heard a report from the Lord, And a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying, “Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle.”): 2 “Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You shall be greatly despised. 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, You who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose habitation is high; You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’ 4 Though you ascend as high as the eagle, And though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down,” says the Lord.

"He Will Fight For You"

The Edomites were bullies; their transgressions went from initially refusing the Israelites passage during the Exodus to bitter exploitation and violence when Judah was being overrun by foreign empires. And here in our portion today, their pride was the end of it; they thought they were indestructible. God sees you, your struggle, the fight you are fighting, the enemy you face; you and I cannot imagine the forces that God is resisting, keeping them from attacking your life.

God is fighting battles for you that you have been completely unaware of. He is just, and He will fight on our behalf.

Ways the Lord is Fighting for You Now:

• Unseen Battles in the Spiritual Realm: 2 Kings 6: 16-17
• Unseen Battles in the Natural: Exodus 14:14
• Known Enemies Deuteronomy 3:22
• With You in the Battle Joshua 23:10

Today's God Shot: You're not alone in the battle. The troubles you have faced have never gone unseen by the Lord; He has never left you or abandoned you. He is our defender, you are His child, and He will not let injustice stand. He will fight on your behalf, He will deal with evil, He will humble the proud.

Remember today and praise Him for:

• The Unseen Victories He Has Won For You
• The Battles You Didn't Have to Fight
• The Attacks He Has Kept/Keeping From You
• The Battles that are Before You

"If God is for us, who can be against us."

Lord, thank you for the silent victories, the things I have been unaware of, but you have rescued me from. Lord, bring down any evil force that would come against us and your plan for our lives, and keep us from the hand of the enemy. Lord, we thank you for your protection and your powerful hand; we thank you for your constant presence in our lives, and for your mighty hand that has rescued us from the enemy's hand, in Jesus' name, Amen!

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