The Power of a Surrendered Will

by Joyce Meyer

And the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach and cry out to it the preaching that I tell you.

- Jonah 3:1-2

We read in the book of Jonah how God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance to the people there. But Jonah did not want to, so he went to Tarshish, which is geographically opposite to Nineveh. Running from God does not help us to be at peace with Him.

What happens when we go in the opposite direction from where God has directed us? What happened to Jonah? When he boarded a ship and headed in his own direction, a storm arose. Many of the storms we face in life are the result of our own stubbornness. In many instances, we have been disobedient to the voice and leadership of God.

The violent storm that came upon Jonah frightened the men on the ship. They cast lots to see who was causing the trouble, and the lot fell on Jonah. He knew he had disobeyed God, so he told the men to throw him overboard in order to deliver them from danger.

They did as he requested, the storm stopped, and a great fish swallowed Jonah. From the fish's belly (not a pleasant place), he cried out to God for deliverance and repented of his stubborn ways. The fish vomited Jonah upon the dry land; and in Jonah 3:1, we see that the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. God told him again to go to Nineveh and preach to the people there. No matter how long we avoid God's instruction, it is still there for us to deal with when we stop running.

God's will makes us uncomfortable only as long as we are not pursuing it. In other words, we always know when something is just not right in our lives. Eventually we see that being in God's will, not out of His will, is what brings peace and joy to us. We have to surrender our own wills, because walking in our self-centered ways is what keeps us unhappy.

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By Grace Through Faith

Eph 2:1 You were living in your sins and lawless ways. But in fact you were dead.

Eph 2:2 You used to live as sinners when you followed the ways of this world. You served the one who rules over the spiritual forces of evil. He is the spirit who is now at work in those who don't obey God.

Eph 2:3 At one time we all lived among them. We tried to satisfy what our sinful nature wanted to do. We followed its longings and thoughts. God was angry with us and everyone else because of the kind of people we were.

Eph 2:4 But God loves us deeply. He is full of mercy.

Eph 2:5 So he gave us new life because of what Christ has done. He gave us life even when we were dead in sin. God's grace has saved you.

Eph 2:6 God raised us up with Christ. He has seated us with him in his heavenly kingdom because we belong to Christ Jesus.

Eph 2:7 He has done it to show the riches of his grace for all time to come. His grace can't be compared with anything else. He has shown it by being kind to us because of what Christ Jesus has done.

Eph 2:8 God's grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn't come from anything you do. It is God's gift.

Eph 2:9 It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it.

Eph 2:10 God made us. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good things. Long ago God prepared them for us to do.