FAITH CAPSULE: Get to know the presence of God.
Jonah 1
The Word of God is God.
John 1:1 testifies, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Word of God is His presence.
Genesis 15: 1 states, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
The word of God went to Abram, evidence that the living word moves.
The presence of God visited Samuel by His word to rebuke the disobedient of Saul, saying, “Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments…” (1 Samuel 15:10-11)
The word of God located Jonah saying, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” (Jonah 1:1-2)
The word of God is to be engaged as the presence of God, not to disobey.
Jonah disobeyed the presence (word) of God by walking in rebellion against God.
Just like Jonah, man has been rebellious in response to the word of God. Glaringly, disobedience is the evidence of not knowing God but knowing about God.
It is rebellious for anyone to walk away from God, the word of direction.
It was the mercy of God that preserved Jonah with a chance to obey God later.
God in His mercy gave Jonah a second chance to obey His word. Jonah 3:1-3 states, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” So, Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord…”
Jonah obediently responded to the word (presence) of God.
The word of God is His presence and is always with direction, deliverance, and preservation for one that will give self to the word (presence) of God. Disobedient to the word of God is rebellious to the presence of God.
God is near to man, but with sin, man is far away from God.
Deuteronomy 30:14 records, “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and your heart, that you may do it.”
Are you one that is near to God by your mouth but far from God in your heart?
Jesus said it all in Matthew 15:8, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” Man quoting the word of God but not carrying the word of God in the heart to obey God is the evidence of being far from God.
What is your testimony about your distance from God?
In this wicked world, make it your way of life to be near to God by obeying the word of God consistently.
Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled to live life by the word of God.