The word "shipwreck" has kept being brought to my attention. Being shipwrecked is the hopeless feeling situation of losing control of direction and ultimately losing all ability to continue on course. I immediately think of the verse reading: "Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked." 1 Tim 1:19 NLT God cries "Your faith! Don't forget your faith! Don't forget why you started on this journey! Don't forget the word that sent you!" I saw an image of a compass in each person's hand. The compass showed the direction to go based on what the person holding it BELIEVED. As some believed in the exact words given to them by God, they began to walk with clarity and purpose. As others began to try to fill in the blanks that God hadn't spoken or began to lose hope in their destinations, their compasses began spinning. God has been speaking to me about the Jonahs. Those who hear Him and feel as though they're on a destiny course in a direction they anticipate NOT ENJOYING. While Jonah's calling- saving Ninevah- COULD have been very exciting and huge honor, his interpretation of it left him dragging his feet. There are many right now doing the same. God has set something ahead of you that you fear, dread, or just aren't excited about. God is going to move through your heart and cause you to look at that thing again and feel hopeful excitement begin to rise. "What are you dreading, My child? What are you worried about? What KEEPS you from being EXCITED?" Says the Lord In the 1 Timothy verse quoted, it mentions not only clinging to faith but keeping a clear conscience. Oxford Dictionaries traces its origin: "Middle English (also in the sense ‘inner thoughts or knowledge’): via Old French from Latin conscientia, from conscient- ‘being privy to’, from the verb conscire, from con- ‘with’ + scire ‘know’." Combining that with the verse, God tells us to keep CLEARITY in what we have been made privy to by the Holy Spirit...keep clear what we know. What DO you know? What information has God given you in His words about where you're going? Often it's what we DON'T know that keeps us as reluctant Jonahs! Even with this verse God gave me the image of a knee. Knees bend. Knees kneel. And knees reflexively respond when hit. Spiritually, what we bend knees to, kneel down to, or REFLEXIVELY RESPOND TO should not be anything but God. Pray and ask God what these things are in your life that you are responding to without thinking- reflexive things- that are keeping you disappointed about your destiny. As God eradicates what you're bending your knees to, you'll get your "sea legs" and be better able to avoid having your faith shipwrecked in hopelessness!  Â
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