It was in that year that I began to experience gifts of the Spirit, but I didn't have a name for them. I found my voice in a gospel choir, not knowing exactly what that meant. It was also the year I asked the Lord what He wanted me to do in my life, but His answer threw me into an anxious tizzy. I did one of those, "I'll open the Bible and whatever page I land on, wherever my eyes hit the page, is the verse I know You will have for me." So I did and my eyes fell on Colossians 1:25, "Whereof I am made a minister . . ." Even though the verse went on, that's all I saw and it terrified me, and I ran. That's exactly what Jonah did - he received a message from God, it terrified him and he ran. Both Jonah and I were looking at ourselves, our abilities, our limitations, our reputations. Jonah was concerned about looking like a fool; he could deliver the message God had, but what if God didn't carry out the punishment which Jonah feared he wouldn't.
Since then, I've had other Nineveh experiences, hearing the voice of God and fearing what the words could mean for me. What's more important is what the disobedience could mean for me. Who should I fear, man who can destroy the body or God who has authority over my soul?
So I ask, what Nineveh are you facing today? Have you weighed the cost of not heeding God's words? Don't let fear and pride get in the way of receiving God's best for you. We don't know what happened to Jonah after that event, but we do know that Nineveh was saved and lives were changed and Jonah was a big part of making that happen.
