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Conscious Decision to Disobey God

Our decision to obey God or ignore God is a conscious one.  Each time we are faced with a decision we have this choice.  Jonah decided to deliberately disobey God.  Jonah 1:3a “But Jonah arose to flee from the presence of the Lord”

Jonah wasn’t just a Christian, he was a prophet!  Prophet definition:  a person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God.  Jonah knew better than anyone what he was doing.  Yet his flesh was able to control him.   Jonah decided with 100% resolution "to flee" – he turned and RAN from God.  Are you running from God?  I was running for a long time!

While I was running, I knew better.  I grew up in the church.  My father was a pastor.  I graduated from a Christian school and I got my master’s degree from Regent University. I’ve worked with and for some of the top ministries in the world.  I’ve sat on the board of the National Religious Broadcasters.  

My point? I heard and knew the word of God.  Yet, I still CHOSE to “run” from God. 

My thought process went like this:  I wasn’t a bad person, I wasn’t out drinking or cheating on my wife and I was for all practical purposes, an upstanding citizen.  Therefore, all was right in the world, right?  It wasn’t.  My tree wasn’t producing the right type of fruit.   

Are you making a conscious decision to “run” from God?  Be honest, how’s it working out?  It didn’t work out well for me, I was absolutely miserable. 

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