Saying “YES!” to God is often an exciting first step. The Lord moves you, you sign up in a rush of emotion—and you have BIG PLANS!
The idea is adventurous and new. You feel confident you have a plan and a direction for your life!
But saying yes is just a simple word; the actions and faith that follow are what matter.
I gave God a solid “yes” about a year ago when he asked me for more of my life. It was actually a “yes, of course… DUH, Lord.” I felt committed. I felt ready. I felt like I had surrendered it all and was good to go!
Oh, man. Little did I know God would go to work weeding things out of my heart, putting me in extremely painful situations, challenging my commitment and surrender levels, confronting my sin, blistering my destructive behavior, and exposing what weak faith I had.
My flippant little “yes” began to look so foolish, but it is what started my journey MOVING forward. It got the ball rolling. The key was that I had to continue to say yes (and still do) as He works His plans out in my life.
– I said YES to renewing my mind, breaking old habits and patterns of thinking, and conquering fear or need for control.
– I said YES to trusting the Lord with my life even when it was extremely difficult and complicated… and that included my family (MOMS 🤨🫵 – you do NOT love your children more than the Lord loves them. We must surrender them to Jesus if we want His best for them!)
It is one thing to say yes. It is another to LIVE out your yes.
I met a new friend who expressed her desire to return to the gym. I try to exercise every day, so I invited her to come with me to help her with accountability. That is how I got started (shout out to my old gym buddies), and here I am, still going. She was so excited. Me too! That was until she texted me her schedule and that ‘early mornings’ were all she could do😩. Ugh. My ‘yes’ suddenly had a price, but I had to keep saying yes regardless of how I felt.
So, like most things we talk about… we have a choice. This just happens to be a costly one.
Matthew 7:13 NKJV says “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.”
Choosing God’s way, the narrow way, will require us to die. But the reward is a life of purpose and eternity with Jesus. The wide, more comfortable, easily traveled way is also an option – but at the cost of your destiny and possibly your eternity in Heaven.
Our YES to God will always come with a price. It will always come with His refining fire, with His plow, our brokenness, to shape and form you into the fruitful, righteous, healed person you are called to be.
The Lord’s plow causes pain; it can feel cruel, and it uproots the things that have settled and hardened over time. It causes the comfortable, routine, safe, self-satisfied life of ease to be disturbed. It overturns the laid foundations, exposing your life’s perfectly safe, protected, and undisturbed ground. And you must allow His plow in order to expose and produce the fruit you have lying dormant under the surface.
But there is another option. You can quit. You can go back on your word. You can “play” at your yes, fooling around with it, pretending you are doing it. You can lie to yourself, to God, and those around you about your yes, playing with your religion and commitment to the Lord for a LIFETIME.
If you have said ‘yes’ to God in the past, but your life has no growth, discomfort, no signs of conquering, or faith, this might be where you will find yourself. Sadly, this is the condition of many believers today.
Man, I wish I could give you the conviction the Lord has allowed me to feel about this. I wish I could impart the holy fear I have of passing my destiny up for a life of ease. This past year has been brutal. But in the midst of it, I have learned a much more valuable lesson… When I said ‘YES’ and began to live out my yes, I felt like I began to recognize God’s grace working in my life in a new way.
Psalm 108:13 – “With God, we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.”
He has done things for me that I couldn’t do on my own. He has planned out my life in advance, considering my human weaknesses, failures, and extremely dumb mistakes. He is preparing things for my future self, even though those things appear difficult today. He is removing stuff I never thought I could conquer, exposing a level of faith I honestly never thought I would reach, and advancing me quicker than I knew possible. Why? I guess it is because I said yes and meant it with my life. I have a purpose He has given me to fill, and He has given me the ability to fill it. My only regret is that I didn’t jump off the cliff sooner.
James 1:12 talks about God’s blessing when you choose to continue to say ‘YES’ to GOD; here are a few versions:
– “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” ESV
– “Blessed is the man who keeps on going when times are hard. After he has come through them, he will receive a crown. The crown is life itself. God has promised it to those who love him.” NirV
– “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” NLT
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV would explain why I was experiencing His grace in a completely new way!
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
God will not give you a purpose and then leave you hanging. He has given you all you need to do it. Just continue in your yes, and don’t falter at the obstacles and difficulties that you will no doubt face. Don’t quit, give up, or fake it. It’s all part of the plan, girl.
Besides, we need to be tougher in our faith and lives anyway. Life is hard on cry babies. By the grace of God, we can conquer much more than we think, so GO GIRL, let’s GET IT!
