Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Johah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 1:17

 Ever drive around a barricade only to discover that barricade was there for a reason? As a result, you had to waste time by backtracking and finding a different route. Yes, I humbly admit this has happened to me a few times in life and it was a frustrating experience.

 Today’s passage comes from the story of Jonah, where God directed him to go to the city of Nineveh and speak to them about their wickedness. Jonah, was disobedient and ran from God’s directive, boarded a ship and found himself tossed into the sea and landed in the belly of a large fish for 3 days. He wasn’t going anywhere and God used this time to call out Jonah’s disobedience so he would have a change of heart.  

 Let’s bring this home. As a child of God, your body and your life is not your own. God paid a price for your soul and He demands respect, honor and your obedience (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, John 14:15 ). When you bypass God’s warning signs about sin, you eventually find yourself at a dead end and you have to backtrack, experiencing guilt, shame and sometimes pain by hurting those you love. Most of all, you miss out on God’s blessings during this time of undoing your wrong. Whose got time for that?

 As you journey through each day, just know God will instruct you at times, provide warning signs and even throw up red flags deep within your soul, telling you this is not the right way. Follow Him in strict obedience and your blessings will continue to flow uninterrupted and no wasted time backtracking in your relationship with God. Blessings.