Manna for Your Morning

But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. — Jonah 1:3 (NKJV) The LORD told Jonah to arise and go to Nineveh, and cry out against it; for their wickedness had come up before Him. But instead Jonah boarded a ship to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. (See Jonah 1:1-2) We can run but we can never hide from the Presence of Yahweh. In the end, His plan and purpose will prevail. Proverbs 19:21 (AMP) says: Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the LORD’s purpose for him that will stand (be carried out).  We pay a price for going against God’s guidance. We must trust that He knows what is best for us. In the case of Jonah, after being thrown overboard, spending 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of a great fish, crying out to the LORD and being vomited onto dry land, he went to Nineveh...

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you.” — Jonah 3:1-2 (CSB) The first time the word of the LORD came to Jonah, he attempted to flee to Tarshish, away from the LORD’s presence. However, there is no place we can go, to escape His Presence. (see Psalm 139:7-12) Sometimes, we may blow it, and go in the opposite direction from what God instructed us to do. But praise God, He gives us another chance to get it right. When Jonah delivered God’s message, the people of Nineveh believed God and He relented from the disaster He had threatened them with (Jonah 3:5, 10). As a result of Jonah's obedience, more than 120,000 people were saved (Jonah 4:11). What a revival! We never know how many people’s lives will be affected by our obedience. Let us heed the Word of the LORD, and give it top priority in our lives.

Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence. — Psalm 140:13 (NKJV) Let us dwell in the Presence of the LORD. Surely, there is no better place to abide. In Psalm 139:7, the psalmist asks, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” My question is why would anyone want to turn away from the awesome honor and privilege we have to abide in His precious Presence? In His presence is fullness of joy; (Psalm 16:11). He makes us exceedingly glad with His presence. (Psalm 21:6). His Presence is comforting and soothing to our spirits, souls and bodies. His Presence is loving, gentle, and full of peace. In His Presence, we find strength to persevere, no matter what. The mountains that stand before you today, will melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. (Psalm 97:5) Only in His Presence, can we gain a proper perspective. Let us come before His presence with tha...

I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too— your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful— I can’t take it all in! — Psalm 139:5-6 (MSG) Psalm 139:7 (NKJV) asks: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” Even the darkness is not dark to Him and conceals nothing from Him. May we never try to hide from God. He knows everything about us and He still loves us and wants the best for us. As a loving Father, He enjoys being close to His sons and daughters. His Presence is with us to reassure us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13 NKJV). His Presence goes with us to help, to lead, to guide, and to protect. His Spirit comforts and refreshes our souls. Enjoy His Presence today.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. — Psalm 139:7-10 (NKJV) When we have done or said something contrary to the nature and character of God, we often try to hide, like Adam did in the Garden of Eden. But no matter where we go, our heavenly Father is there. Even the darkness does not hide us from Him (Psalm 139-11-12). What is helpful for us to remember is that He is not there to beat us up, but to pick us up and guide us back onto the path of life and into fellowship with Him. Instead of running away, return to Him and be restored.

The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. — John 10:27 (AMP) Jesus is the good shepherd and He calls His sheep by name. His sheep consistently listen for his voice. They recognize His voice and respond by following Him, wherever He leads. John 10:5 says, His sheep will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. Be careful which voice you listen to and who you follow.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; — Ephesians 6:17 (NKJV) When Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by the devil for forty days, His only response was to speak the Word of God. Three times He responded to the devil by speaking the Word (Luke 4:1-8). For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). A sword never taken out of its cover is useless. Our tongues hold the power of death and life (Proverbs 18:21), when we speak the Word we release that power into our atmosphere. In the midst of your trials and temptations, continually speak the Word and the devil will flee!

As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”  — Genesis 19:17 (NIV) After being warned by an angel, Lot’s wife chose to look back, and she became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26). God gave us free will. We always have a choice. Like Lot's wife, we can chose disobedience and death or we can choose to give up our old ways and follow the LORD's instruction. His ways lead to a rich and satisfying life, full of His blessings and favor. Our heavenly Father, like any good parent, gives us instructions for our own good and our protection. He is not out to get us. He loves us and is on our side.

 LORD, be gracious to us;   we long for you.  Be our strength every morning,  our salvation in time of distress.  At the uproar of your army, the peoples flee;  when you rise up, the nations scatter. Isaiah 33:2-3 (NIV) O LORD, be gracious to us. You're our only hope. We expectantly wait for You. Be our strength every morning and our savior in times of trouble. Thank you LORD, that You give strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak (Isaiah 40:29). May we rely on the supernatural strength of the LORD, instead of our human strength, because we can do ALL things through Him who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13).