Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The morning had a mysterious look about it with the shade of the sun and the fog lingering on the fields, and this buck looked bold and beautiful…and alone. Somehow this scene reminded me of the Journey of Life. It’s a Beautiful Shade and it’s filled with so many things we can’t completely understand on this side of Heaven…and sometimes we feel all alone. Each day is a new day and it will have “enough trouble of its own” so meeting with the Living God to strengthen myself for the Journey is not optional…it’s critical, and turning to my Instruction Manual to find Wisdom for the Ride is the only way to Peace. 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 WILL face adversity and you are inclined to feel all alone in the field if you aren’t careful. I’m no stranger to adversity of 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…and I’m NEVER alone. 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 let what I did and didn’t feel like doing get in the way of what God had in mind for me. 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 in the first place. I’d definitely 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, though. 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. It’s painful enough for me to consider that I could live my entire life without fulfilling what He Created me to do, but worse than that is that I’ll have some explaining to do. when we are Face to face One Day. Now THAT will be painful as He reminds me of Lost Opportunities that could have had an entirely different outcome had I been Obedient to my Call. May it never be that He would walk away from me and Reassign Tasks that He intended for ME to accomplish to someone more willing than I am.

I’m a Willing Vessel and I love Jesus Christ with my whole heart. I want to serve Him all the days of my Life and I’m willing to Stand for Truth no matter what. So, I face adversity…the Price you pay for Obedience, and no doubt I’ll lose a few friends along the way who have different ideas about what God expects of us than I do. I 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…and Repenting when I don’t. You’ll find me standing firm and not being intimidated into quitting by an enemy that has absolutely NO power over me. 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?