My heart is heavy today, because God is showing me so much that must be proclaimed. I know it will not be easy, but I am full to the point of spilling over. People of God, I am reposting this message from May of 2006. God is showing me that many of you have been VICTIMS of this Jonah mentality, and it has caused some of you to become stagnant because the "Jonah complex" was prevalent in some of the leaders of your past. Yes, some of them are angry with you because YOU RECEIVED THE WORD UNTO REPENTANCE. Some of them are angry with you because God is using you, despite their rebuke.
Oh, I see the VICTIMS!
Some of you are being slandered by those who were ORIGINALLY sent to bring you a word of judgment. When they thought you would rebel, you RECEIVED IT. You REPENTED! Now, the same messengers are saying that you have a false voice. They are saying that you are out of order. They are saying that you have evil motives BECAUSE YOU ARE PROSPERING IN THE THINGS OF GOD.
Be careful! Do not allow their words of judgment to make you miss God. Some of you are thinking that because you were wrong originally, everything else must be true as well. I see some of you in BONDAGE to the opinions of old leaders. I'm not talking about your spiritual parents or your present leaders. I'm talking about leaders who no longer sow into your life. You are still bound by their thoughts and opinions of you. You have grown since then. You have repented since then. God has elevated you since then. You now operate in order. You are accountable to your leadership. You have a solid relationship with the Father. RELEASE that old bondage, and stop calling it God. Stop allowing that spirit to control you.
I know this is not for everyone. I warn those now who would try to make this an excuse when it doesn't apply. I'm talking about those with a pure and repentant heart toward God and the leaders you served. There is a work to do. If God can release you from past relationships, sinful habits, foul language, pornography, lying, backbiting and so many other things, surely He can release you from a misunderstanding with the church choir or a misunderstanding between you and a pastor you had 7 years ago.
It's BONDAGE. Some things are being held over your head by those who felt like Jonah.
I thank God for my pastors and the many awesome leaders that are in or represented by this group. There are some AWESOME men and women of God who know how to rebuke, instruct and build up. I thank God for them. Embrace them, and be free from those who are not so. Not every severed "church" relationship was due to sin and disobedience. Some were severed as an act of DELIVERANCE.
Please, prayerfully consider you ways to make sure you're not a VICTIM or a PERPETRATOR. God is exposing. This is a time for prayer and humility before God. I pray you are blessed, encouraged and set free!
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The Jonah Complex
Modern Prophets Coveting the Judgment Seat of God
May 12, 2006
Many times I sit in my car or in my office meditating on the Word of God. In the midst of that, He will give me clarity or a prophetic word relating to whatever it is I have been lead to read at that time. This evening, the Lord told me to be careful of the “Jonah Complex.” It’s funny, but I knew exactly what He was speaking of. Many times, I have to ask for clarification, but not this time. Now, this was a word for ME, but I feel lead to share it, because I’m sure there are others who can benefit from it. Amen?
Jon 1:1 And there is a word of Jehovah unto Jonah son of Amittai, saying:
Jon 1:2 `Rise, go unto Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim against it that their wickedness hath come up before Me.'
Jon 1:3 And Jonah riseth to flee to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah, and goeth down to Joppa, and findeth a ship going to Tarshish, and he giveth its fare, and goeth down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah.
So many times, the Lord has given me orders to go to a particular place or face a group of people in order to speak against their transgressions. Yet, instead of obeying, I went in a completely different direction. Too many times…on too many occasions. Like Jonah, I failed to remember two very important things:
1) I cannot run from God;
2) When I am disobedient, it will cause a storm in someone else’s life.
Yes, while the first point is easily accepted, how many of us don’t think about how the intended recipient suffers due to an UNDELIVERED word? Can I be honest? I’ve often thought, “Lord, if you send me to give a word of warning, they will then be held responsible. If I don’t go, maybe it will buy them some time.” Not so. See, God had to show me that many times, the prophet is sent because prior warnings were not heeded. That’s why we must have a face like flint…that’s why we can’t look on their faces and be intimidated. I must be real. I’ve got to GET OUT OF GOD’S BUSINESS. How many of us still question what He does and what He says? Is He not God?
All because of Jonah’s disobedience, the sea began to rage and every passenger on the boat suffered the violence of the storm. How many are being tossed and fro because of my disobedience or yours? Do we not realize that we can curse a situation by not delivering the Word of God? Yes, a sin of omission is just as bad as a sin of commission. Disobedience is still better than sacrifice.
Jon 4:1 And it is grievous unto Jonah--a great evil--and he is displeased at it;
Jon 4:2 and he prayeth unto Jehovah, and he saith, `I pray Thee, O Jehovah, is not this my word while I was in mine own land--therefore I was beforehand to flee to Tarshish--that I have known that Thou art a God, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in kindness, and repenting of evil?
Jon 4:3 And now, O Jehovah, take, I pray Thee, my soul from me, for better is my death than my life.'
Jon 4:4 And Jehovah saith, `Is doing good displeasing to thee?'
Now, this is where Jonah really reminds me of myself. In the 3rd chapter, the Bible tells us that God gave him instruction, once again, on what message to deliver to Ninevah. This time, he is obedient and takes the word he feared delivering. To his surprise, the people RECEIVED it. One might think Jonah would be happy…NOT!
Deep down inside, I believe Jonah expected opposition. Once the people repented, he was mad with God. People of God, let’s get delivered together. Let’s just be real. There are some people I simply don’t like, yet God is sending them a word through me as His prophet. Some of them are going to receive it and get right. Can I handle that? Can you handle that? Can we handle our enemies receiving from the Lord and ending up better off than we are? Can we handle our loved ones getting saved and surpassing us in miraculous works? Can we handle our ex-husbands and ex-wives getting hold to God and walking into prosperity? Ahhh…more flesh that has to die!
Even atop of that, notice Jonah’s excuse for being upset. He feels that his word has been discredited. The people heeded the word given to him, changed and therefore received mercy from the Father. Rather than rejoicing in the victory, Jonah is upset. He tells God this is the very reason he didn’t want to deliver the word in the first place. How many of us have been called to deliver a word, and God completely brought that person out of a dry place? Then, our concern is, “God, why did you make me look stupid…like I can’t hear from You?” Uh oh, there is it again…PRIDE…FALSE HUMILITY. We act like we wanted God to bring forth wrath to protect His word and to set the house in order. Let’s face it…for some of us, it feels good to see others corrected. That brings back a thought…WHO is the measure of your holiness? Yes, seeing others in a seemingly lesser state often makes us feel more secure, but that’s not God’s way. We cannot measure our holiness next to any man…just Jesus Christ.
One of the hardest things for us to do is stand on the Word of God, even when it seems to be wrong. This goes for the written Word (logos) and the spoken Word (rhema) alike. We must learn to walk in obedience and stop trying to judge and/or predict God’s actions. Let Him be God.
As I before stated, this was for ME, yet I pray it is a blessing to someone else who may be dealing with the same thing. I know there are some Ninevah’s in my life. Deep down inside, I know it will be difficult to see some of them prosper. Even moreso after the Word comes forth from my own mouth, but to GOD be the glory. Pray for me on this one, saints. The Jonah Complex within me must die! This is where I struggle within the office of the Prophet, especially because there is so much Teacher in me. Yes, I try to reason with EVERYTHING. Yes, I’m guilty. I want to know God’s entire war plan before taking care of one battle. It’s like I’m a sniper, and I see the enemy. I have a clear shot, yet I don’t just shoot. Instead, I start asking questions. Yes, this is my dilemma. God is telling me to hear and proclaim. That’s it! PLEASE pray for and with me on this. AMEN
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