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Jonah Ran Away from God and tried to Escape God’s will.

God sends a Storm into his life to get his Attention.

But God is Not Finished with him yet.

The Great Fish teaches us 2 Great Truths:

1. How Serious God is about Sin.

This was a Miracle. The story of Jonah, is a Type of Jesus Christ.

a. Sin has Consequences.

God cannot be Mocked. What we Sow, we Reap.

b. God wants to Fumigate our Sin.

The storm helped Jonah to stop Running from God

The great fish helped Jonah to start Thinking about God

2. How Great God’s Grace is.

God’s chastening does Not mean that God is Trying to get Even.

Rather it shows us that God Loves us.

After we have worked all our lives, when we come to the end of life all that is left is God.

Jonah exercised a Decision to change Direction, to Consciously and Willing follow the Lord.

When God calls us to do something we have 2 simple choices:

1. We can either Believe Him, and Obey Him.

2. Or we can Rebel and Run.

1. Running away from God does Not mean Escaping God’s Presence.

· God is Omnipresent. Wherever we go, God is There.

· Running away from God is not trying to get Out of his Presence, that’s impossible, it is trying to place ourselves Outside His Will.

2. We need to Know about the Consequences of Running away from God.

When we run away from God:

a. We Invite Satanic Influence.

b. We invite God’s Intervention.

The Christian life is No Guarantee that we will have No Problems.

We need to know there is a big difference between Self-inflicted suffering and suffering that comes due to our Commitments.

c. We are Deceived by Sin.

Running away from God is Exhausting and we can be Oblivious to the danger those around us are in, due to our Actions.

d. Our Sin will be Revealed.

e. We are brought to a Decision.

God’s discipline comes in the context of His Mercy & Grace.

God had him in place where he could no longer run or hide.

He could no longer Ignore God. He had to Make a Choice.

Jonah’s Experience is very Contemporary.

In Jonah’s experience we see the Concern of God for the World.

1. The Situation from Jonah’s Perspective?

· Jonah has been a Successful prophet. He was able to Hear the Voice of God.

· Jonah’s problem was Not that he did Not Hear God’s voice,

Jonah’s problem was What he Heard he did Not Like.

Jonah’s Perspective:

a. Those people were Not his Kind of People.

b. This was Inconvenient.

c. This was Risky.

2. The Situation from God’s Perspective?

· God had a Totally Different perspective.

· Instead God looks at Nineveh and sees their Real Need.

· What we need to do is See God’s Perspective and

· Have Our perspectives Subservient to God’s perspectives.

Men have been looking so hard at the great fish,

that they have failed to see the great God.

(G.Campbell Morgan)

Primary Sources God uses to impart to us a knowledge of His will:

1. The Bible.

2. The Burden.

3. The Bearings.

What are the Circumstances of our lives, Through which God imparts Direction to us, and Helps us find our Bearings?

God may direct us through Circumstances:

i). Not every Circumstance is something God is Orchestrating.

ii). But some things Don’t Just happen.

God can work Circumstances to do a couple of things:

a. God may use Circumstances to Confirm our Path.

i) Something may be Consistent with God’s Word.

ii) We are Sensing His leading through the burden.

iii) Then God does Something to Confirm those things through our circumstances.

b. God may use Circumstances to Change our Path.

Our Disappointments may be God’s Appointments.

c. Circumstances by Themselves are Not Reliable indicators

of God’s leading.

i) An Open door does Not Necessarily indicate God’s Will.

ii) A Closed door, a disappointment, a delay, does Not Necessarily indicate God’s Prohibition.

You need to Line Up All Three of these primary sources God uses to impart to us a knowledge of His will.

Primary Sources God uses to impart to us a knowledge of His will:

1. The Bible.

2. The Burden.

A burden is a Divinely initiated and Sustained Impression on my

spirit that a particular matter is God’s will for me.

How can we seek to describe the Spirit’s work in our hearts in this:

a. Seeding.

The Spirit initiates a burden by Planting an Idea.

b. Stirring.

The Idea comes and God Stirs us to Think about it.

The Spirit initiates Thinking about that Seeded idea.

c. Strengthening.

God uses a variety of means to Affirm our Thinking and

move it towards a Conviction.

God can use many things to start to form a Conviction:

a. He can use the things People Say to us.

b. He can use the opening of Coinciding Opportunities.

c. He can use the Counsel of Mature Christians.

d. Sustaining.

What God intends, He Sustains.

He will Sustain that in you so that you can’t get away from it.

He also Sustains it in the face of Opposition.

Some Precautions:

i). An Inner Voice is Not always from God.

ii). If something is of God it will Agree with Scripture.

iii). If something is of God it will be Confirmed by Reality.

The Bible must be Read to be Helpful. It must be read Personally.

As you read the Word you will Increase your Discernment.

1. The Bible.

Read the Bible to:

a. Take Advantage of Pre-ploughed Ground.

b. Find Revelation, Not an Echo.

c. Develop a Biblical Mindset.

2. The Burden.

This comes by the Inward Leading of the Holy Spirit of God.

We are all called to Kingdom Work, Not Surveillance.

A burden is a Divinely initiated and Sustained Impression on my spirit that a particular matter is God’s will for me.

Discerning is an ability given by the Holy Spirit.

Working Definition:

Discernment is a Spirit given ability working in and through human Intelligence that Enables us to Identify God’s Word and God’s Will.

Some foundational spiritual disciplines that will allow us to grow in our Spirit given ability to have discernment.

1. Pray for Discernment.

We should ask for God’s Direction and ask for God’s Assistance.

2. Seek to Know God.

The Apostle Paul’s Primarily goal was Not seeking the Lord’s Directions and Will, but Knowing the Lord.

He knew Discernment due to his Relationship with Christ.

3. Surrender Your Will.

Submit your Plans and Desires to God for His Approval.

4. Walking in the Fullness of the Holy Spirit.

5. Trust God – Even when we don’t Understand.

Unbelief Hinders discernment.

We live by God’s Promises, Not by his Explanations.

6. Don’t Fret over Mixed Feelings.

Beware the Paralysis of Analysis.

Roughness on a road does Not necessarily mean you’re on the Wrong road.

7. Develop a Ministry Mindset.

Our Affections Drive our discernments.

They will Drive your Ability to accept a Ministry.

8. Learn on the Go.

9. Know your Bible.

Discerning is an ability given by the Holy Spirit.

Working Definition:

Discernment is a Spirit given ability working in and through human Intelligence that Enables us to Identify God’s Word and God’s Will.

Why are there so many substitutes for genuine discernment? Satan’s work.

Detours in no particular order:

1. Biblical “Chocolate Wheel”

You close your eyes and put your finger on a verse etc.

The Bible is not a magic book. Don’t treat it that way.

2. Peace as Ultimate Proof.

A subjective state of peace is the not the acid test of a decision.

The Word of God provides the acid test for a decision.

3. Laying Out A Fleece.

If you have a decision to make you say “God if you want me to do that, make this happen”

4. Seeking Signs.

In looking for signs, you try to interpret everything around you.

The problem with seeking a sign is it is highly subjective.

5. Bible By-Pass.

When God has spoken, do not ask him to give you a sign or to give you peace to violate what he has already told you.

6. Infatuation with the Unusual.

Something does not have to be bizarre to be of the Spirit.

7. Prophetic word syndrome.

I see a prophetic word is given for confirmation, not for guidance.

If God has it for you to do something, he will tell you.

Discerning the will of God correctly is very important.

Working Definition:

The will of God is His Ongoing Expression of Love through the Directives of the Word and the Holy Spirit.

Everything God does is an Expression or Extension of His Love.

We need never Fear the will of God because it is the ongoing Expression of Love for you.

3 Types of God’s will.

1. The Intentional Will of God.

This is what He Intends or what he Desires.

2. The Circumstantial Will of God.

The knowledge of God’s Circumstantial will should bring

Hope and Comfort to you.

3. The Ultimate Will of God.

This is the will of God that will Occur No Matter What we do.

Not Everything that happens Is God’s will.

But Nothing that happens can Ultimately Defeat God’s will.