By:  Cherie Sheridan


14.  Wherefore they cried unto Jehovah, and said, We beseech thee, O Jehovah, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for thou, O Jehovah, hast done as it pleased thee. 15.  So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging.  Jonah 1:14-15

As I was spending time with the Lord, He gave me the above mentioned scripture out of Jonah.

He began to tell me, if we know we are obeying God and yet there seems to be storms all around us and the sea is raging we must see who is in the boat with us.

2.  Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. Jonah 1:2

God had commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh to release a word of warning.  Jonah, however, did not want to obey God and began going in the opposite direction of where God wanted to send him.  He hopped on a boat to a completely different destination.

We find in the case of Jonah, and I believe with anyone who is called of God, it is not so easy to disobey the command of God.

3.  But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah.

 4.  But Jehovah sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Jonah 1:3-4

God pursued Jonah in the storm.  Jonah’s self-will brought God’s storm into the lives of those on the boat with him.

So I’ll ask you are you going through a storm that God is pursuing YOU in?  Or, do you just happen to be on the boat with someone He is pursing?

Either way you have to determine what needs to be done to stop the storm.  In Jonah’s case, he had to be tossed overboard.  Basically, everyone had to abandon Jonah and leave him to God.  You can run from God, but God has plans to get your attention if you do.  How about some down time in the belly of a great fish? 

17.  And Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 1:17

Our human emotions in a storm situation can get us all killed.  The people on the boat with Jonah did not want to abandon him.  Jonah insisted they throw him overboard.  He knew it was because of him everyone else was in the storm.  When the men on the boat cast lots to inquire of the Lord, the Lord told them who the source of the problem was.

7.  And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

Jonah 1:7

When the Lord shows us in the storm the source of the problem, we must obey God and turn the individual who is the source of the problem back to God.  We can not keep them in the boat with us, or we will perish with them.

Interestingly enough, Jonah didn’t perish when the men threw him overboard.  God immediately stopped the storm and took over Jonah’s care.  He incarcerated him for a few days, with the bones of this great fish acting as his jail cell, and then had him spit back out onto dry land.  He didn’t get spit back out into the ocean.  He got placed back onto dry land where he could get his footing again.

1.  Then Jonah prayed unto Jehovah his God out of the fish's belly.

 2.  And he said, I called by reason of mine affliction unto Jehovah, And he answered me; Out of the belly of Sheol cried I, And thou heardest my voice.

 3.  For thou didst cast me into the depth, in the heart of the seas, And the flood was round about me; All thy waves and thy billows passed over me.

 4.  And I said, I am cast out from before thine eyes; Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

 5.  The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; The deep was round about me; The weeds were wrapped about my head.

 6.  I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed upon me for ever: Yet hast thou brought up my life from the pit, O Jehovah my God.

 7.  When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Jehovah; And my prayer came in unto thee, into thy holy temple.

 8.  They that regard lying vanities Forsake their own mercy.

 9.  But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation is of Jehovah.

 10.  And Jehovah spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. 

Jonah 2

What were the weeds that were wrapped about Jonah’s head,  all the thoughts and worldly images (greed, lusts, perversions, drugs, alcohol, idolatry, people) that prevented him from yielding to God;  selfish, rebellious behavior that continuously fought against God.  God had to get Jonah into a quite place, a place that would be a sensory depravation center; a place that would cause him to faint and cease from resisting God.  Then Jonah, remembered God.  It wasn’t until God cut off everything else in Jonah’s life that He was able to get Jonah’s attention.  God had to allow the affliction in order to get Jonah back on track and pointed in the right direction.  Jonah had to acknowledge that salvation is of Jehovah.  We can’t do it ourselves.  We can’t run away from God.  He will pursue us.

So I’ll ask the question again, are you being pursued by God as a storm or are you on the boat with someone who is?

If you are just on the boat, separate yourself from the person who God is pursuing and toss him into the raging sea so God can rescue them. 

If you are the one running from God, what kind of storm will it take for you to throw yourself into His hands?  To finally recognize He is the only one who can save you from your mess?  Let me tell you, God has a way of getting our attention when He wants it.

Listen, there are storms that come from being righteous and then there is God in hot pursuit of us.  If you have people praying for you, watch out.  We know where we stand with God.  We may be able to fool others, but we can’t fool ourselves or God.

Are you sitting in a jail cell right now?  What is the storm that brought you to this place?  Did people try to intervene in your life? Did they try to warn you? Did they tell you, you were heading in the wrong direction?  Yet, you weren’t going to be told what to do.  Being headstrong, defiant, rebellious and proud got you where you are right now.  That’s what Jonah was. The scripture says “they that regard lying vanities Forsake their own mercy”.  God created the circumstances that got His attention.  But when you continue on in the deception you give up your right to receive God’s mercy on your behalf.  You can be mad at God or repent and recognize you are fortunate that the God of all creation loves you so much to pursue you.  He loves you so much that He will not allow you to miss what He has for you.  It’s time for you to humble yourself before the mighty hand of God.  Stop fighting God and start yielding to Him.  He is love.  Everything about God is love, even His storms.  He sees you as who He created you to be.  He wants you to see yourself that way too.   

What should you do next?  You can’t use God as a “get out of jail” free card.  He knows when you truly mean what you say; it comes from your heart.  Jonah cried out to God and repented.  God is Holy; He is righteous, Awesome and All-powerful.  He could squash us like a bug if He wanted to, but He doesn’t.  He created us for His good pleasure, to bring praises and thanksgiving to Him; to have a relationship with Him.  Not as some distant Unknown God, but as a personal Father.  A Father, that loves us and wants us to personally know Him.  A Father, that hears our prayers and cares what we have to say and what is going on in our lives.  A Father, that speaks to us and wants to reveal Himself to us. 

God is worthy of our love, affection, obedience and loyalty.  You were placed here on this earth for a purpose, a purpose God created you for.  Only He can revel to you what that is.  It’s time to awaken from sleep.  It’s time to awake to your call, your purpose and your destiny.  Awake! Awake! Awake! O sleeper, Awake!

Repentance is recognition and turning away from your sin.  You first have to recognize that your life is filth before a Holy God.  He can not even look upon it.  Then you ask Him for His forgiveness from your sin.  You accept that Jesus went to the cross and shed His blood to wash away your sin so that you may come before a Holy God.  Then thank Him. 

How do you know if you have received the Lord’s salvation?  His peace will flood your being.  You will fill clean.  You will not want to participate in sin anymore.  You will suddenly want to know everything you can about your Loving Father.

Lastly, ask Holy Spirit to fill you.  He will lead and guide you into all Truth.  He is the spirit of Truth.  He will comfort you and teach you.  Get a bible, before you read it ask the Holy Spirit to show you what it means.  Now you are on your way to finding out who you are and what your purpose and destiny is.  Holy Spirit will reveal it to you as you spend time with Him.

Recently during my quiet time with the Lord He asked me if I was ready for Transformation?  My answer was, Lord you know, but I want to be ready.

God has been working on me for years, probably since I was first saved; that I would do the works that Jesus did and greater. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father.”  John 4:12  

Lately He has been showing me that there is a people that will truly be “Jesus” people.  That will do the works that Jesus did and greater; a people that will walk in the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ. “ till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”. Eph 4:13   A people, like Jesus, that will be the Way, the Truth and the Life.   We will be the image of Jesus.  He will be living so much through us that it will be like Paul said, “It is no longer I that liveth.   “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. Gal 2:20.

All the trials and testings have been used to bring us to a place of knowing the “Name” of God.  We cannot properly represent a God we do not know.  When God wanted to reveal Himself to Moses, He did it by revealing to him His name.  5.  And Jehovah descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of Jehovah.  6. And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth, 7.  keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. 8. And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. Ex 34: 5-6.   Moses yielded himself immediately to Jehovah upon the revealing of His name.   It’s in His name that we walk as sons of the Most High God.   It’s in His name that we do the works that Jesus did and greater.  It’s in His name we receive the revelations of who He is in our lives.

Look back at the many trials you have had to walk through.  What are the revelations of God’s name that He revealed to you during each trial?  The Lord my Redeemer, The Lord my Savior, The Lord my Healer, The Lord my Deliverer, The Lord my Provision, The Lord my Strength, The Lord my Peace, The Lord my Protector, The Lord my Justice, The Lord who is Faithful, The Lord who is Trustworthy, The Lord my Defense, The Lord my Friend, The Lord who is Love …. And the many, many more facets of the Lord and His name.

Each revelation we receive of His name, the closer we become to His image because that is one more area of our life that we can know fully embrace Him in.

What does this transformation mean to those of us desiring to be like Jesus?  Psalm 17 tells us. 5.  As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with beholding thy form (likeness). 

There are a few things I believe the Lord place on my heart that will accompany transformation. One, we will see our physical bodies healed.  Two, we will see relationships restored.  Three, we will see finances restored.  Whatever has been stolen; children, flocks, business….will be restored.  This restoration will be for the purpose of finishing our Kingdom purpose here.    Just like Job, once we have been stripped we will be restored.

Interesting note:  The Lord prompted me to look up the meaning of the name for Joplin, MO.  After all the tornadoes and destruction that came through, I knew there was a greater meaning to this than just what was at the surface.  I found out that Joplin comes from the name Job.  Here is one definition of Job that I believe you will find interesting.  This meaning comes from “The Name Book” by Dorothy Astoria. 

Job:  Inherent meaning:  afflicted.   Spiritual connotation:  Delivered  Scripture reference:  Job 36:15  He delivereth the afflicted by their affliction, And openeth their ear in oppression.  Another version says it like this:  But by means of their suffering, He rescues those who suffer,  For He gets their attention through adversity. 

I would have to say this is what happened in Joplin, but greater than that, this is what I believe is happening world-wide and will continue to happen.

Another part of the transformation is that we will not walk in fear.

I John 4: 16-18 And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him. 17.  Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world.  18.  There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made perfect in love.

 

I don’t know about you, but often times in the past when reading this I just gave mental assent to it.  I didn’t have the revelation of what the Lord was saying here.  Jesus was the embodiment of perfected Love.  If we are to be like Him, then we must fully abide in God’s love. 

This is not emotional love or mushy love.  This love is “power”.  This love has substance.  This love has the power to completely displace fear.  Faith works by love.  Gal 5:6.  Love is the fuel for our faith to work.

Fear has torment.  Think about this for a moment.  Fear just isn’t fear by itself.  Something always comes with fear, torment.

tor·ment( tôr“mµnt”) n. 1. Great physical pain or mental anguish. 2. A source of harassment, annoyance, or pain. 3. The torture inflicted on prisoners under interrogation. v. t  American Heritage Dictionary

1. (n.) A sensation of physical or mental pain:

    · suffering · agony · anguish · distress · hurt · misery · pain · sorrow · heartache tribulation · anxiety

Have you been suffering any of these things listed under torment?  According to the scripture this is tied directly to fear.  I know a lot of people do not want to hear this.  The first thing out of our mouths is, “I’m not afraid”.  Evidently God’s definition of Fear is different than our understanding of the definition.  Fear is the opposite of Faith.  Torment, according to this scripture is the opposite of Love.  The perfect of Love of God is an empowering force that literally cast out fear.   God showed me Love like a colloidal gel-like fluid force that will displace all fear.

So what does this mean?  During the transformation we will be perfected in Love.  That’s the only substance powerful enough to heal and transform our lives.  If we are suffering pain or sickness in our bodies that should be revealing to us that we are not perfected in Love, why?  Because fear has torment, sickness and disease are a form of torment.  Anywhere we do not have God’s peace is and area we need Love to be perfected in.

Please don’t let condemnation try to jump on you here.  Just rejoice in the revelation of the Truth and ask God to send His Love into those areas where you need fear cast out.

I fight physical battles and emotional battles just like everyone, so believe me I am first in line here. 

This is what the Lord had me begin to do.  I asked the Lord to reveal the areas in my life that I have fear.  Any area where I do not have peace in my mind or body, then I asked Him to send His love into those areas and cast out the fear and torment.  How do you know if this has worked?  You should experience a change, a freedom, a healing in your body and circumstances.  What if it didn’t work right away?  Keep pressing into the Lord.  Keep believing, keep letting the Lord reveal the areas in your life where His Love needs to fill you.

The purpose for having God’s love perfected in us is so that we will have boldness in the face of judgment.  What does that mean?  It means when all the catastrophes and storms hit we will not be moved because God lives in us and our confidence is in Him.

I look forward to seeing the Transformation each one of us!