Jonah.

Hello Exceeders,

What are you running from? Everybody is running from something. Most people assume that the only running that you do is from the calling but that’s not necessarily true, its just most common. Dates are going to be very important to this blog because it going to assist in me showing you how God moves when and how He wants to move.

On April 27th, The Holy Spirit had me read Jonah (because I’m a runner, lol) and I was writing all over my bible. I heard the story of Jonah many times but I can admit that I had NEVER read the story of Jonah for myself. When HEARING about the story of Jonah, its about the prophet Jonah that got an assignment from God, he fled and ended up in the belly of a “whale”. As far as me hearing the story, that’s where it usually ends, in the belly of a whale. After reading it and God giving me my own revelation, its so much more than that to me now.

I have been a runner from many things. My hometown, responsibilities, the spotlight, my name, myself in general; The list can get quite lengthy. I have spent a lot of quality time running in one way or another and now I have come to the realization, as Jonah did, you can’t run from God. One of the first things that I wrote in my Bible was, “There are things that God will put you through to make others believe. You’re built to take it.” Whew, that alone had me ready to just fall out. I don’t know about anybody else, but I OFTEN forget that. I often forget that it comes with the walk. There are things that God trusts us to GET through, not go through. He trusts us to GROW through these many tasks to show how mighty HE is. Jonah was the only one on that boat still sleeping peacefully when the waters got rough because he was the only one on there that was built to take it. He wasn’t supposed to be on that boat but we serve a God that said He will work all things together for good. He even already had the answer, “throw me off”. You ever been in a situation where you were the only one that knew what to really do……..and you RAN?? Imagine if he was still on the run, if there was more hesitation. Essentially he thought that he was going to choose death over the assignment. Some of us be that extreme with whatever we’re running from, I know I have.

The next thing that I wrote down was, “God will put you in a place. He doesn’t cast you out to kill you. He casts you out to save you.” I have been in plenty of places THANKS to God. Like looking back, I truly thank Him for saving me from myself. I’m currently being delivered from being so self destructive and self sabotaging. Always getting myself in places and God uses that place to save me from myself. My Apostle always says, “You can make this shorter or you can make it longer.” I never understood at first and then God told me last year, “This season you’re in doesn’t have to last all year”. I was one of those people, my seasons would be year-long and I was bold about saying that. “Well, I definitely didn’t pass that test so this is year ‘fill in the blank’ of my season of ‘fill in the blank’”. Life and death, that’s all I’m going to say.

This is the part that’ll preach right here! Lol I was reading where Jonah was praying and confessing and the Lord spoke to the fish, anybody need God to speak to the walls of the place you’re in right now? Mannnnn, the Lord spoke to the fish and it spit him out on dry land. I heard the Holy Spirit say, “To come out, you have to give in” MY, MY, MYYYY, I tell you what, I began to repent IMMEDIATELY. You have to surrender. The reason that dates are so important to this blog is because I began writing this blog on 5/3. It was supposed to be my 2nd blog back and when I went to go post it, Alignment was done but this one wasn’t. This past sunday, I found out why. I had an encounter with God. One that I have never had before, ever. God used my Apostle to show me the power that was laying dormant in me. He called it forth and as soon as I heard him say the word ‘power’, it literally came FLYING OUT of my mouth and I couldn’t stop it. I had to surrender. My Godmom kept saying that in my ear and I went through so many emotions. I’m still processing the whole day and God is still depositing. The only testimony that I could give was that I have been bound by my own design for so long and at that moment I came into a realization that I was more powerful than I would allow myself to believe. Me? I dealt HEAVY in the Jeremiah syndrome but on Sunday, I was somebody else. By somebody else I mean who I actually am and not who I’ve convinced myself I was and it was a full blown outer body experience. My Apostle said something so good to me before I left. He said “You need that sometimes. You can’t run from it, sometimes you have to run to it” That was my confirmation that it was time to finish this blog and release it.

The back part of the book of Jonah is the part that I never heard about and it taught me so much. After he gets out of the “place” and as soon as I read Jonah 3:4-5, the revelation that I got was that the assignment doesn’t have to last forever, just be obedient. All that running to get the job done in one swoop. How many things have you truly ran from that you could have easily done if you believed God hand picked you? The part that truly blessed me was the fact that I found myself in every part of Jonah, especially when he let his emotions take over. I have been found there so many times. Everybody had their lesson to learn when the pandemic started, mine was to get out my feelings. There were literally times where I wanted to just break down and I couldn’t pay myself to drop a tear. Times where I have been MAD but God used those moments to show me what He really wanted me to see. It was so odd to me because it wasn’t my natural disposition. I was a VERY emotional person and I often led with my emotions and God was like NO MA’AM lol

We don’t understand what all God is doing and we never will. God calls us to worship Him above all else, trust and OBEY! Nothing more, no extra feelings. Believe Him, in every situation. Believe Him when it don’t make sense but it makes God-sense. Jonah taught me about believing God knows what He’s doing. Believing that God has me placed where I am and designed me to walk my particular walk to fit into His masterful plan that works for my good on every end. Don’t let your emotions make God put you in a place. If you just so happen to find yourself in one, know that we serve a GOOD God, all you have to remember is that the only way out is to give in!