THE UNIVERSALITY OF GOD'S MERCIES: THE BOOK OF JONAH....

I welcome you Episode 28! where we shall try and discuss more about Jonah’s itinerary. But there are many Jonahs (fugitives) in today’s world that we might not hear about or lack information about them. Possibly, some might remember Jonah because of the way he was found sleeping in the lower deck of the ship, refer to Jonah 1:6. What a shame! Shamefully, it was a non-believer that told a man of God to go and pray, yet Jonah did not pray. As recorded in the Bible, So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” Hmm, the captain might be talking to any of my readers right now about their neglected social, financial, spiritual, economic, and parental duties, or what you have failed to do in the house of God. What choice have you made recently about your spiritual life, the salvation of your soul, vocation, education, finances, marriage, and so on? Where is your life heading to, is it to Tarshish like Jonah, instead of Nineveh? One of life’s lessons here is that someone in the Christian faith might be sleeping spiritually now, or possibly not living up to the required standards of their position or calling. The irony is that, if God’s children fail to live up to the expected standards, to their shame, unbelievers or the unsaved like the ‘captain’ will rebuke them exactly like the mariner did to Jonah. I pray that, we all shall live up to the expected standards as desired by God for us. At the time, it was a deliberate choice that Jonah made to go the opposite direction. He was bent on refusing the divine assignment God gave to him. Nowadays, there are many people who have decided to go the opposite direction in life due to issues beyond their control. For such, they need prayers and I pray that the mighty hand of God would snatch them from the clutches of Satan and his forces and set God’s children free in the name of Jesus Christ. And for those who have refused the call to go to their ‘Nineveh’ where God has assigned to them, my prayer is that they won’t learn in a hard way. That sooner than later, they would repent because the Bible says, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, (Hebrews 10:31). If God is calling you to a particular area of ministry, business, or to learn a trade, do not hesitate because your disobedience can attract terrible consequences. Some few lessons can be learned from Jonah’s temperament as we shall soon find out. Hear me, take the right step, walk in obedience and avoid God’s trouble. Remember, that the raging of the sea began unexpectedly, and the suddenness caused the seasoned mariners and other travellers to panic, be in fear of their lives, and desperately needed urgent solution which was not available. How the sailors despite their experience, and the travellers wished the storm ceased suddenly the way it had begun! Unfortunately, that was not the case. Regrettably, the sailors and the traders on board had to throw away some of their merchandise to reduce the weight of the ship. In their mind, the mariners who were likely Phoenicians who knew the way of the sea professionally, had thought that making the ship lighter would help to steady the vessel and keep it afloat. Alas, they were wrong, it got worse and there was a secret they were yet to uncover. Jonah was the secret and the problem. Pray like this: Almighty Father, deliver me from individuals who can cause difficulties (financial, material and spiritual) in my life, in the name of Jesus Christ Almighty Father, deliver me from individuals who can cause economic wastage to my livelihood and family in the name of Jesus Christ. If you are an employer of labour, pray like this: Father, do not allow me to hire the services of a staff that would wreck my business in the name of Jesus Christ. My Father, deliver me from people who can sink and waste my resources, skill, talent and time in business, in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, deliver me from people who can sink and waste my resources, skill, talent and time in ministry in the name of Jesus Christ. Father! Deliver me from people who can sink and waste my resources and endeavour in the name of Jesus Christ. The Lord of hosts! deliver me from satanic agents assigned to sink and waste my investment in life in the name of Jesus Christ. Jehovah— Thou Storm Stopper! Deliver me from all agents of Satan who can attract storm and wastage into my life and ministry in the name of Jesus. Rock of Ages, deliver me from agents of Satan assigned to capsize the ‘ship’ of my ministry in the name of Jesus Christ. Rock of Ages, collide with all satanic agents confronting my life and hand me victory in the name of Jesus