Good morning, world.  Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today.  I spent my time with the Living God this morning to strengthen myself for the Journey, and I dug into my Instruction Manual to find wisdom for the ride.  It’s true what they say… when you’re a willing Vessel for the King and you boldly proclaim your Faith for all the world to see; you’ll be facing adversity.  I’m no stranger to adversity in all kinds of shapes and sizes.  After all, I’m a Force to be reckoned with in the Spiritual World and I’m a threat to the darkness.  If I were the enemy I’d try to stop me too!  But my enemy doesn’t stand a chance if I’m prepared to do the biggest kind of Battle of all…the Battle against Good and evil…that invisible one that goes on 24/7 in the heavenly realms.   Isn’t that the way you look at the battle too?

I’ve learned my lesson when it comes to refusing to do what God calls me to do.  There have been a few times that I’ve ended up like Jonah in the belly of a big fish when I’ve ignored my Marching Orders from God.  Sometimes I ignored them because I was scared, and sometimes I ignored them because I felt inadequate for the Job.  Sometimes I purposely shut Him out so that I wouldn’t hear what He had to say, and sometimes I was too lazy to roll up my sleeves.  But whatever the reason, it’s never a good idea to refuse to do what God calls us to do, and there’s always a big price to pay when we do.  Sometimes we are thrown into misery to get our attention like Jonah was, and sometimes we leave this earth without having accomplished what we were born to do.  I think I’d choose misery over squandering my life away, never fulfilling my Purpose.  So, I’ve learned to endure and I’ve learned to persevere.  I’ve learned how to be Strong and I’ve learned what it looks like to be Bold.  Mostly I’ve learned how to be Victorious through every kind of adversity that I face ALL because I’m a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the Biggest Battle of all.

While it’s possible to run from God… it’s not possible to hide.  We could hop on a ship headed for faraway places just like Jonah did to avoid our Marching Orders; but God will seek us out every time.  He’s relentless when He has a Plan that is intended to be fulfilled, and He’s been known to nudge His people with a Heavenly Cattle Prod to get us moving.  But He won’t do it forever.  If we continue to ignore what He wants us to do over and over again; He’ll eventually leave us in the dust, and He’ll find a willing Vessel to take our place…someone willing to do whatever needs to be done to fulfill His Will.   May it never be that He would walk away from me and reassign the Task that He intended for ME to accomplish to someone more willing than I am.

I’m working hard on something that God has called me to do and I’m paying the Price for my obedience.  I’m facing adversity and conflict from friends AND from strangers and I’m “taking one” for the Spiritual Team.  I may get weary and sometimes I’ll shed a few tears; but I WILL NOT quit and I won’t give up.  You won’t find me swallowed up in the belly of a big fish because I refuse to run.  You’ll find me on my knees and following Directions.  You’ll find me standing firm and not being intimidated into quitting.  You’ll find me working my way through the fiery darts of adversity and you’ll find me laughing at the lame attempts that my enemy tries to use against me.  But more than anything else; you’ll find me Victorious as I follow the Marching Orders set before me and as I walk through this Journey as a Willing Vessel for Him.

How about you?