"But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep."Jonah 1:4,5

It must have been a bad storm. These men were experienced, hardened sailors who had seen it all at sea. If they were scared, this could have been the first "perfect storm" since Noah's flood. So they started the first interfaith prayer meeting in the Bible, each man crying out to his own god.* As the ship groaned and creaked in howling wind and massive waves, and the men threw cargo overboard in a desperate attempt to save it, where was Jonah? On deck helping them? Confidently praying to His own God? Shaking with fear and paralyzed with deep conviction? No, he’s taking a nap down below... How could anyone sleep through a storm like this -- especially a prophet of the Most High? I see a few possibilities: one, Jonah was a prophet whose relationship with the Lord was so close he was used to trusting Him through all kinds of difficulties, so he was just abiding in his usual trust. Remember Jesus also slept during a very bad storm on the Sea of Galilee. Or, maybe the hold of the ship was so deep and Jonah was so tired that he wasn't aware of the grave danger up above; a perfectly natural explanation. But there's another possibility: Jonah's disobedience made him vulnerable to a demonically induced sleep. That gets my vote. We know for sure the enemy wants us to sleep while the world falls apart around us. His interests are served when we relax in our own eternal security while others are dying in the storms of this world. But Jonah's apathy toward Nineveh morphed into one which actually threatened his own life, without his even being aware of it. He had the authority and capacity to save the others, but the enemy may have poured out on him such a spirit of apathy and deadening slumber that it required the desperate pagans, far more aware of the danger, to rouse the prophet back to his true calling. Brothers & Sisters, More storms are brewing of every kind; social, economic, political, military. Houses are "burning"; ships are "sinking". Many lives are falling apart. We might be weighed down and paralyzed by it all, or just deeply apathetic because they all deserve judgment while we await the "rapture". But I don't think the Lord wants us to sleep through these storms. At least, not with Jonah's attitude. * We witnessed a modern example of this recently, for the first time in history at the Vatican, when a Christian, a Jew, and a Muslim” prayed together in a desperate attempt to save the Middle East peace process. It was the first time that the Quran, and Islamic prayers were ever uttered at the Vatican. WAKE UP!

" 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

After hearing the call to go to Nineveh, Jonah goes down to Joppa, heading for Tarshish, which is Westward, the opposite direction from Ninevah. The scholars debate it, but some believe Tarshish could be as far away as modern day Spain...nearly 2000 miles West from Joppa! So God says – “Go East!” and Jonah responds by going "West" – not just West, but as West as he can go! Notice the text also says that Jonah went "down" to Joppa. Throughout the first chapter of Jonah, the prophet always seems to be going "down". He goes "down" into the hold of the Ship (Jonah 1:4), He went "down" into the sea (1:15), He went "down" into the belly of a great fish (1:17). You've got to hand it to him for consistency. But this "down" in relation to God is not the prophet's humility; it's a clear expression of his disobedience, and lack of respect for the Lord. Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh, he didn't care about the city, and he didn't think God should care about it either. He didn't want the Ninevites to repent, or God to forgive them. And he definitely didn't want God to love a people like that! Jonah had a problem with Nineveh, for sure – but he actually had a much bigger problem---his problem with God! Did you ever consider that your problem with people may be concealing a deeper issue? An issue between you and the Lord? All that righteous anger and self-justifying criticism toward those "evil sinners" might just find you in a big controversy with their Creator, the one who loves them a lot more than you ever could. So Brothers & Sisters, be careful if you find yourself going "down" in judgment and criticism, when you ought to be looking up for grace and Divine love ... up toward the most gracious Being anywhere, the same One who forgave all your sins. DOWN...... OR UP?

"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God."Colossians 1:10

In this way, as we seek to serve the Lord, we need to love to eat His word. We need to be in a place where we can't get enough time with the Lord, worshiping Him, studying, praying fervently! We want to outgrow our spiritual clothes! We have been given a calling by the Lord which seems all too huge -- clothes too big! We are called to be part of a royal priesthood, set a good example to the world around us, love our neighbor as ourselves, share the good news of Messiah, and later to sit at the Lord's right hand and rule with Him! I would say that those are big clothes to fit, but this is the Lord just showing us that we need to grow into our calling -- we need to grow into our royal positions! These tasks may seem too large for us but the Lord wants us to grow into the ministry He is calling us to! Brothers & Sisters, don't worry if your clothes seem to large now. Spend time in prayer and worship -- leave sin and the power of sin over your life behind you -- be filled in His power to live out your calling. You will soon fill the clothes that He has prepared for you! HOW ARE YOUR CLOTHES FITTING?

"The LORD will perfect that which concern me: thy mercy, O LORD, endures for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands."Psalms 138:8

When we face difficult trials, often we get to feeling sorry for ourselves -- we wallow in our self pity, thinking things like "I'm not worthy enough, not strong enough, not able enough, not adequate enough to get through these things -- I just can't do it!" But hear the truth of God's word today! HE will perfect that which concerns us! It is not us -- it is HE who perfects us! It is HIS great strength and mercy that works through us, that allows us to be worthy, strong, able and adequate! Brothers & Sisters, let's start giving to the Lord all those things which concern us. God will have the victory! IT'S NOT ABOUT US!

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."John 14:13

Christ taught us... to approach the Father in His name. That is our passport! It is in His name that we are to make our petitions known... There is no limit to the power of that name. "Whatsoever ye shall ask." That is the divine declaration, and it opens up to every praying child a vista of infinite resource and possibility ... and that is our heritage. All that Christ has may become ours if we obey the conditions. We need our prayers to reach the throne of God! And in order for them to travel, they need a good passport! Brothers & Sisters, when we pray in the mighty Name of Jesus today, our requests are transported right to God's holy throne room! Let's petition the Father according to His will and expect GREAT things to happen! DON'T FORGET YOUR PASSPORT!

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” – Luke 6:38

Jesus taught, fruitfulness and productivity are the result of a simple pattern: Sowing Seeds into His Kingdom. This timeless principle can revolutionize every area of our lives. Brothers & Sisters, in your life, look to God for wisdom. Seek Him for solutions to the problems you face and for miracles. Remember: He can transform your life and give you amazing new insights. As you apply basic Biblical truths, you can confidently trust Him for blessing and increase.

"And Jesus looking upon them said, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."Mark 10:27

The world loves the extraordinary, the spectacular. It relishes on the big, bright, grand and expensive. The bigger, the brighter, the more expensive -- the more the world worships it. I don't think God is very impressed though. I think He Has a slightly different take on the spectacular. One of many examples in the Word is when Gideon defeated the Midianites. It wasn't with a grand army of thousands -- it was with an army of a measly 300! You see, God took a few ordinary men and created out of them an "extraordinary" victory! We may think to ourselves "I'm just an ordinary person. I don't have much to offer." But when we are born again, God takes our ordinary and makes it "extraordinary!" Brothers & Sisters, let's dare to let God in on the things we find weak and uninteresting about our lives today and watch as He turns it to spectacular! Be encouraged! God has great things planned! ACTION!