If you would like to extend this over a week, you can easily do one of the points each day of your devotion.  Here is a printable version.

Open your group with a prayer.
                                                                                                              
This is only a guide.  Pick and choose your points.
 
Jonah 1:1-3 - The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." 3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
   
JONAH:          KNOWN AS “THE RELUCTANT PROPHET.” 
                        HIS NAME MEANS "DOVE."
 
AMITTAI:       "MEANS TRUTH." 
 
NINEVAH:      CAPITAL OF ASSYRIA. NINEVEH WAS  ISRAEL’S WORST ENEMY. 
 
Jonah 1:1 - The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai…

Question:  Describe the time when God spoke clearly to you.  __________________________________
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1.  GOD WILL OFTEN ASK YOU TO DO THINGS YOU DON’T WANT TO DO.

Jonah 1:2 - "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."

Question:  What commands in the Bible do you find the hardest to be obedient to?  ___________
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Question:  Now that you know the back story of why Jonah did not want to preach in Nineveh, do you ever find yourself not wanting to reach out to people because of what they’ve done to you or to others?  _________________________________________________________________________________
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Question:  In his mind, Jonah had legitimate reasons for not wanting to preach to the Ninevites. Describe a time when you disobeyed God’s direction and faced the consequences.
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2.  YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND A BOAT SAILING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.  

Jonah 1:3 - But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

Question:  Can you describe a time when you were going in the opposite direction of what God desired you to be going unwillingly or knowingly?  _______________________________________________
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Question: How about a time when you were just drifting spiritually? How did you get back on track?  _____________________________________________________________________________________________
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3.  GOD MAY SEND A STORM TO GRAB YOUR ATTENTION.

Jonah 1:4 - Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.

Question: What has God used in your past or present to get your attention?  ___________________
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Jonah 1:8-10 - So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" 9 He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." 10 This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)

Question: Jonah said “he worshiped the Lord.” Pastor Dan said, “Worship is a lifestyle.” What is the danger of thinking that worship only happens on Sunday?  __________________________________
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Jonah 1:12 - "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you."
 
4.  JONAH’S WORST NIGHTMARE WAS EXACTLY WHAT HE NEEDED.

Jonah 1:15-17 - Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. 17 But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

Question:  Who provided the fish to swallow Jonah?  ____________________________________________
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Question:  What does that tell you about what God will do to get your attention? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Question: When the word of the Lord comes to you. You have a choice:  Obey or disobey.
What has God asked you to do that you haven’t done? Is there any area of disobedience in your life?  _______________________________________________________________________________________________
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