God is the God of the second chance, and if you ask Him for forgiveness, He will grant it to you. The Bible tells us about Jonah, whom God had entrusted with a mission. Jonah, knowing that God is merciful, decided not to go. Indeed, he knew that by delivering the prophecy of the fate reserved for that people, God would change His decision if they repented.

Now, Jonah was the kind of prophet who wanted what he prophesied—good or bad—to come to pass regardless of the people’s attitude.

God is not a man; He does not think the way humans do. God is God, and as such, He is merciful to all; that is why He is God. I will never forget a lesson God used to teach me something in my ministry. Very early in my ministry (1985), I held a crusade in Tarkwa, a small town in Ghana. I used the afternoon sessions to teach people about faith, and they received healings.
There was a woman who was sleeping while I was preaching.

I walked over to her, gently tapped her, and said, “Hey sister, wake up! You cannot sleep!” Immediately, she screamed, letting out piercing cries: “I am healed!” I asked her what was wrong, and she said, “I have had this problem for fifteen years. I told myself that if you touched me, I would be healed. And while I was sleeping, you touched me.” If I had been God, I would not have healed someone sleeping while I was speaking, but I am not God!

Jonah walked in disobedience and judgment. He boarded a ship to flee from the presence of God, and because of him, the people on the ship suffered judgment.

It is very important not to follow those who walk in judgment. Because of the sin of one man, you may face trouble. It was the presence of the Apostle Paul that saved the people who were on the ship to Rome (Acts 27:24). And it was the presence of Jonah that caused the troubles for those on the ship leaving Joppa. They threw all their belongings into the sea but eventually realized that Jonah was the cause of all their misfortunes.

Jonah asked to be thrown into the sea, and God prepared a whale to spit him out onto dry land. Jonah reflected: “I prayed to the Lord, and He delivered me from the belly of the whale” (Jonah 2:1-2).

God is the God of the second chance. You may sin, make a mistake, or fall, but the devil cannot continue to rejoice because the blood of Jesus predicts great things for you. If you miss the mark, do not remain in your sin. He is the God of the second chance.

Rise up, do not return to sin. Shake yourself off and tell your enemies: “If I fall seven times, I will rise seven times; for the Lord is my God, He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is a merciful God, and He will hold me by His right hand and His righteousness.”

However, we must not forget that if we live in sin, our prayers are hidden.

“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Psalm 66:18

Sin can destroy God’s plan for your life. It has destroyed the destiny of many…

This text is an excerpt from the book “POWER IN PRAYER” written by Bishop Charles Agyinasare.

We invite you to read the next article, “THE SPIRITS OF LUST AND COMPROMISE.”

THE SECOND CHANCE.