DOZ Issue 22 August 2017 | Page 13

“ “ “ Holding onto the wrong company will cost you more than you are willing to pay, let go now and walk into your victory. As we make progress in life, we must bear in mind that at different stages in our journey certain people are not required of Lot. At some point in the to travel with us, and so we journey, however, there was would need to separate from strife, and he separated from them. I do not mean that we Lot. Interestingly, it was at that point his eyes opened to see his become enemies with them future and the greatness that lay ahead of him. but if they are not travelling As we make progress in life, we must bear in mind that at in the same direction as we different stages in our journey are, dragging them along for certain people are not required to travel with us, and so we would sentimental reasons, will be need to separate from them. I burdensome, slow us down (or do not mean that we become enemies with them but if they worse still stagnate us) and are not travelling in the same direction as we are, dragging stop us from seeing where we’re them along for sentimental going. They will become the reasons, will be burdensome, slow us down (or worse still crab that pulls us back into the stagnate us) and stop us from seeing where we’re going. They basket every time we try to get will become the crab that pulls out. us back into the basket every time we try to get out. Certain merchants were travelling to Tarshish in the same ship as Jonah. What they did not know though was that Jonah was not Tarshish-bound as they were, he was Nineveh-bound. For those who don’t know the story well, Jonah should have gone to Nineveh but chose to go to Tarshish. He went to Joppa and joined a merchant ship travelling to Tarshish. As the journey progressed, the sea became very boisterous and as can be expected everyone feared for their lives and began to inquire of their gods the reason for their troubles. Then the truth was revealed, Jonah was the culprit, but interestingly the revelation was not sufficient to lead to a decision to separate from him; they remained with him and inevitably lost all their goods and almost lost their lives. Finally, they separated themselves from Jonah, and the result was that they had peace and could make progress. The children of Israel tried to conquer a little town called Ai but lost the battle because they went to battle with the wrong company. A man named Achan had stolen precious items from the previous battle, and his presence in their midst spelt doom and forbade their progress. Eventually, Achan was singled out and separated from the entire camp of the children of Israel and only then did they have the victory and progress that was theirs all the time. When God was going to destroy the company of Dathan, Korah, and Abiram, the children of Israel were asked to come out from amongst them. Holding onto the wrong company will cost you more than you are willing to pay, let go now and walk into your victory. DOZ Magazine August 2017 13 «