The Importance of Instructions

In Jonah 1:1 to 17, we read about Jonah, who ran away from the presence of the Lord, because he did not want to follow the instruction that God gave him. God instructed Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach against them, but because the people of Nineveh were wicked, Jonah was afraid to go, for he thought they would kill him. Jonah then boarded a ship to Tarshish, to flee from the presence of the Lord, but God caused the sea to be enraged, so Jonah said, the other sailors must throw him out into the sea, so that their lives can be spared, so he was not afraid to be thrown into the sea to die, but he was afraid to preach against Nineveh.

Some of God’s children today are suffering because they are afraid to carry out the instruction that God gave them. Many of us wonder why our lives are in so much turmoil, but if we look back, we realise that God did warn us about every challenge that we face, but we did not obey His instruction. When we are in trouble, only then do we start to want to do the will of God.

After Jonah was thrown into the sea, God prepared a big fish to swallow him, but the fish did not kill him, he was in the belly of the fish 3 days and 3 nights. When he prayed, God caused the fish to vomit him. Is this not the goodness and mercy of God? This was Jonah’s chance to repent. It’s like most of us here, you may be in trouble for 3 years, or for 33 years or for however long, due to your not following instruction, but because God is kind, He is giving you an opportunity to repent. I’m here to tell you child of God, go and do an introspections, and confess your sins to God, repent and follow the instruction of God.

Some of you here were not working, you prayed and asked God for a job, God gave you that job, but when you started working you forgot that you must tithe, now your bosses are fighting you at work. You did not follow God’s instruction. Some of you asked God for a husband or a wife, but because you did not follow God’s instruction, your marriage is full of disagreement and fighting. You are in the belly of the fish, but you can still get out. Even when you get your deliverance, when you do not follow God’s instruction to maintain the deliverance, you will fall back into bondage.

Some of you here, God instructed you to forgive somebody that has hurt you, but you did not obey, now you are being rejected left right and centre. God is not saying you did not feel pain, He says forgive, you say how many times, God says 70 x 7. Some of you have been born again for many years, but you remain in bondage, why? Because you did not follow God’s instruction for his born again children. When you are a born again child of God you do not gossip, you do not drink alcohol, you do not smoke, because that is against God’s instruction, God cannot bless you when you are living like that.

In Jeremiah 33:3 God says “‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Are you in deep darkness because you did not follow instruction? Call unto God, when He answers, follow His instructions. When you follow instructions, you will testify. When God says, wake up and pray, He knows why you must pray, what you have to do is jump and pray.

God has called you to be the light to your family. In order for you to shine, you must follow instruction. In Jonah 3:10, the Bible tells us that when God saw that the people of Nineveh repented from their evil ways, He revoked His sentence against them.

Today we are going to pray and repent to God, where ever you have missed God’s instruction, whatever God has called you to do and you did not do it, repent, and He will surely revoke the sentence against you. When the sentence is revoked, follow His instructions diligently, even if you don’t understand them. God will bless you.

To Him be all the Honor and Glory.

By Prophet Rodney