FAITH CAPSULE: Disobedience to the word can be compared to sleeping on duty.

Jonah 1

Responding to the calling of God by rising up and going in direction of His calling is obedience to God. However, rising and not going in the direction of His calling is an act of rebellion. Rebellion is going against God’s direction and it going in the wrong direction. Rebellion is refusal to submit to authority in the word of God. Rebellion is the most common act among believers because to disobey one of His commands is to have disobeyed all. There is no minor disobedience or serious disobedience; disobedience is flat-out sin. Jonah, a reluctant missionary at the time of God’s calling for him to be a missionary.
Jonah received the word of God but chose rather to move into his own world. It is written, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me. 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 1:2-3) Jonah responded to the calling when he arose as commanded by God but he went in the way which seems right to him. Job’s disobedience was a conscious and deliberate one. He heard God unmistakably and he unmistakably downgraded the command of God. Many have been called but very few are responding.

A believer who receives the call of salvation but yet turns away from the word of God is no different from Jonah’s act of disobedience. Disobedience to the word can be compared to sleeping on duty. Jesus talked about the issue of sleeping in the Parable of the Ten Virgins. In the parable, the five who could afford to sleep and the five who could not afford to sleep, fell asleep. During Jesus’ transfiguration on the mount, sleeping took over the life of Peter, John and James. When Jesus went to the Mount of Olives with His disciples following, He gave a command: “…Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:40) The disciples could not stay awake but fell asleep. The call of duty was neglected and sleeping had its way. They slept through until Jesus came over, “Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”” (Luke 22:46) Rising up and not moving in direction of His command is same as sleeping in the place of watching and waiting for Jesus. There is a reason for each and every one of His callings but to disobey any of His calling is an attempt of falling in line with Jonah’s disobedience.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from every spirit of disobedience.