Where oh Where Has My Prophet Gone?

1 The Word of the Lord came to Jonah,
the son of Amittai saying, 2 “Arise,
go to Nineveh the great city, and
cry against if, for their wickedness
has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah
rose up to flee to Tarshish from the
presence of the Lord. Jonah 1:1–3

As a Prophet, verse 1 of the book of Jonah was hunger filling. The sole purpose of the Prophet is to spend time with God, listen for His Word, and Following His instructions, Deliver His Message to His intended hearer. Simply, first you are God’s audience, next, the hearer is God’s audience. While others are ignoring God’s Word and God’s signs, your job is to Hear, and then be obedient to insure that the Word/Message of God is delivered and God’s will achieved.

This brothers and sisters is not everyday. Jonah could have waited days, months, even years for God’s to come. And “The Word of the Lord came to Jonah…” and Jonah “Rose up to flee…” The one who’s job it is to be in the presence of God, listens to the Word of God, and decides its better to flee His presence, than to fulfill His purpose.

Sadly, it seems that the actions of Jonah has become the response of some today. Please say it’s not you! Please say you aren’t hearing the Word of God and choosing not to respond to it. Please say you aren’t hearing God’s Word and choosing to hide from His presence.

Sadly, the Prophet’s Notes have looked like an excerpt from “Green Eggs and Ham”

Would you?
Could you?
In a car?
Eat them! Eat them!
Here they are (Green Eggs and Ham)

But many we keep responding:
“I would not, could not in a tree.
Not in a car! You let me be.” (Green Eggs and Ham)

Sadly, many of us have lost the satisfaction of being fulfilled through obedience, and are playing hide and seek with the Lord. Playing games with the divine, foolishly running from the place where they received the Word, and choosing a place where He has yet to speak, but forgetting that the Lord is Omnipresent.

Why Hide from Your Purpose?

God spoke to Jonah, just like I hear Him crying out today, but many have “hidden themselves” stopping up their ears in rebellion, and choosing not to deliver His message to His people, and His church is suffering our rebellion! Disobedience continues to reign, because correction has been with held, the rod has been burned, and worldly pleasure and pursuits have been elevated in the face of God’s people.

Your Disobedience Drives Disobedience

The longer Jonah pouted, the more the people sinned. The longer Jonah ran, the longer God was angered by their wickedness. Our hatred, dislike and or disgust for a people group does not dictate and or reflect how God feels about them.

Many of us have a school girl approach to ministry and evangelism. We want God to hate who we hate, and love who we love, and God is not moved by your hatred of His creation! That is a personal problem, not a divine one. And in your hatred of this group, should be a reminder that you are just as wicked as the ones you are sent too. Now both Nineveh and Jonah are now walking in wickedness, and are in need of repentance and seeking righteousness.

Prophetic Quid Quo Pro

While most are not reserving His Word for a people group, some are restricting it to social and economic leverage. Foolishly, some of us believe this will work with God. Refusing to deliver His Word if our personal demands aren’t met. Much like Jonah, we will find that our disobedience puts everyone in our path in danger of being destroyed by our disobedience. The remaining balance withholds God’s word for trinket of Gold and Silver, seeing the best part of being the Prophet is the profit that accompanies the position, and not the peace and repositioning the people gain from the Prophecy.

Prophet; your job is to stand and deliver not to decide who receives and benefits from hearing. You can book some tickets to heaven, but can’t reserve anyone a spot in hell! Your Spiritual Real Estate license is for heaven, not for hell!

Yet, we find Jonah and many today building Spiritual Planned Communities,
as though a select few are worthy of entry, and others are worthy of destruction!

Lord forbid we fool ourselves as though we got one of a few golden tickets to the Willie Wankas Chocolate Factory! And the truth be told, the recipients of the golden ticket worked harder than we did to gain entry into Heavens gates! At-least they spent some money! All we have is belief and a confession, and dare to stand in line and complain about our assignment.

You were (correction; are) just like the bunch you were called out of. The sole difference was your willingness to be obedient, and now that is in question? Shame on you! Shame on any of us that restrict and reserve truth from anyone. We must be willing to go into any part we are directed into, insuring that all have a chance/an opportunity to get their relationship right with God.

Just Where are You Going?

Be it know that God is EVERYWHERE!!!!
The Boat
Not Fast Enough
The Sea
Not deep enough.
The Whale
Not Thick enough!
He is with you
and
Can speak to you..
In a car
or
on a train,
while in the clouds
flying on a plane,
while hiking
or riding
on
dangerous terrain
He can speak to you anywhere,
Cause He is simply Everywhere
There is no There
Where He is not There!

God Cries out Today?
Oh Where, oh Where, Has My Prophet Gone?
Oh Where, oh Where, Can He Be?

Prophet; you can not flee from His presence! There is no Hide and Seek! He knows where you are, be it “near” or “far”. These terms apply to us, but to one who is omnipresent, they aren’t limiting or descriptive at all. God is everywhere at the same time, but is not acknowledged everywhere and at all times. He see’s all, hears all, knows all, and we must trust that He knows exactly what is best, despite our advice and counsel.

It is my prayer that the body of Christ will receive the message from God, unfiltered, unaltered, and timely. I pray that we will all have the courage to be obedient, even when its complicated or even inconvenient. May we all accept each assignment with the desire to see God’s will done, and not our own! Go to Nineveh! Never let it be said that the blood of the people is on your hands. Arise, open your mouth and declare God’s truth!

#PastorJDO3