As I was sitting in church on yesterday and as I listened to my Pastor speak about the story of Jonah, I was compelled to share with you the lesson I learned from his message. His message was taken from the book of "Jonah," in the Bible.
God gave Jonah an assignment to go to a specific place and share a specific message with a specific group of people, who were in a troubled place. In business we call this "your niche and your ideal client:...providing solution for their problems. I like to think of it as "your purpose and vision." Instead of Jonah accepting the assignment on his life and obeying the Voice of God, he ran away to another city called Tarsus and hid.
I began to think back to how many people know somewhere in their deeper parts that God has placed them on the earth with a specific assignment, to share a specific message with a specific group of people? Yet these same people are hiding themselves behind excuses such as, I don't have time because I still work a full time job; I will get started when I get my website up and running; I will do it when I learn how to master social media or I will get started when I get the money.
When Jonah went to Tarsus and hid, there were consequences for his disobedience to God. He found himself in the belly of a fish. He was in a place of deep dark despair. Nothing changed for Jonah, until he relinquished his own agenda and took on God's agenda for his life.
Just like nothing will change for you until you discover that thing God has called and assigned you to do in life. Nothing will change for you until you stop hiding and take action.
There were people in Nineveh who were heading for destruction and God called Jonah to go and speak to them. There are people whose lives are filled with despair and it will not change until you go to share with them what God has given to you. God will fill your mouth with wisdom and witty inventions, programs, products, services and ideas. These talents and gifts that you possess will change lives. But they can't change lives until you take action.
Not only will nothing change for you, think of the many peoples whose lives will not get better because you refuse to take action. God has an assignment for you. Your assignment can keep others from being destroyed...so why are you still sitting?
Angela Carr Patterson is The Love Lifestyle Coach. She coaches women how to unlock the hidden secrets to finding true love and real financial success. She is a certified life strategists coach, a transformation speaker, radio talk show host and author. Each week she inspires and empowers women to live their best life through her weekly Internet Radio Talk Show, "Heart Secrets." Angela is also the founder of The Love Story Women Circle an online global community of women who are inspiring to embrace love, celebration and transformation.