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An Honest Heart by Victoria Osteen

In scripture, there was a man named Jonah. God asked him to do something that he didn't want to do. In fact, he ran away from that opportunity and ended up in the belly of a huge fish. In the belly of that fish, he prayed to the Lord. He finally surrendered. He finally got honest with God and said, "I know I was wrong. I know I ran in the opposite direction. But You God, are faithful. You have redeemed my life from the pit." Jonah began to cry out to God in honesty and humility. See Jonah knew that he could have died. He knew God was merciful and spared him even though Jonah disobeyed God.

At the end of Jonah's prayer, the next verse in scripture says that God commanded the fish to spit Jonah up on to dry land. In an instant, God relocated Jonah from the darkest, lonely place in the deep, to the warm, sun kissed, soft sand on dry land.

You know, sometimes we try to hide from God. Sometimes we know what we are supposed to do and we don't want to do it so we do the exact opposite. It never goes well for us when we do that.

Proverbs 11:3 tells us that a good person is led by the honesty of their heart. Sometimes, if we aren't in the place we want to be in life, we have to stop and get honest with ourselves and with God. The thing is, God has already seen every twist and turn of your life. He already knows what's in your heart. He already knows the decisions you've made. He's just waiting for you to call on Him and be honest with Him like Jonah was.

If that's you today, if you aren't where you know God wants you to be, know that God can turn things around in an instant. Don't get stuck in the "If onlys." Don't get stuck in regret. Don't focus on what could have happened, focus on what will happen when you have an honest heart before God.

"In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6, NJV