Saying yes to God

The most important word is….yes. Today our church choir sang a song that simply said: “in response, we say Yes”. Sure they sang it beautifully, but mere talent rarely moves me. What moves me is Biblical truth and the anointing of God. That song dripped with both.

I contend to say the most important word in the Christian faith is the word “yes”.

In scripture, God asked time and time again for His people to choose Him – to choose His path, His laws, His ways. He beckons us to obey and submit…regardless of the cost.

He’s asking you this very second, “Are you willing to follow me, not knowing where I will lead you?”

I’ll ask:

Are you willing to show kindness to a hateful neighbor, colleague, or mate?” Proverb 25:21-22

Will you choose to silence the world and spend time with Him? No TV, no driving…just with Him? Saying yes to God will mean saying “no” to you and other things you like.

“As the deer pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, my God.”
Psalm 42:1

“YES” is everything…

If we truly think about it, saying yes to God is one of the most important things are Christian could do.

No harm comes to us by saying yes while refusing to do what God says can bring us a lifetime of misery and heartache.

For years I’ve heard people say that obedience brings a blessing and disobedience brings a curse. Have you heard that before, Christian Woman? I have and I’ve tested it too.

Yeah. Let me tell you, it is completely true.

I’ve lived in disobedience to God and I’ve lived saying yes to Him.

I’m in my 50’s now and every time I disobeyed God some sort of hardship followed.

Like when I stubbornly refused to pay my tithes for years on end. The end result was MASSIVE financial problems.

Now, I don’t believe God allowed the problems to punish me. by any means, but I do believe in Biblical principles. Tithing is one of them and I repeatedly violating His commands in that area.

Every Christian knows God tells us to give a tenth of our income to the storehouse.

Obedience to God is so worth it…

Next, He speaks of many blessings that follow when we obey Him.

Back when I was young and stupid, I have often questioned this promise and kept that 10% for myself.

It wasn’t to buy a Maserati or anything. It usually was because I was a young (dumb) woman with very few resources. I needed absolutely every penny that flowed through my hand – or so I thought.

As I began to mature in the Lord and sit under good teaching I started to exercise the faith of paying my tithes even when it left me with very little to live on.

He blew my mind!

When I tell you God supplied all my needs according to His riches and glory, I mean it! As I made tithing my lifestyle, I begin to see prosperity come to me in ways that few could understand.

For one thing, I lived in an upper class area of town and I did not pay nearly what other people paid to live there.

I drove a brand new car, yet I always had enough money to live my life.

Despite being a divorced mother, my child went to a private school.

It seemed we wanted for nothing.

God made every dollar stretch.

To crown it all, He also found weird ways to bless me time and time again. For example, I designed websites and wrote code before it was a thing to do. That was nothing but God.

I went to school and earned my college degree by the favor of the Lord. I did not pay one red cent to go to school nor was I in any way compromised. God’s favor made all that possible.

I rarely had car trouble and always seemed to have enough money to bless others.

“…and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
Malachi 3: 10

Along the same lines, people blessed me too.

People would give me furniture because they wanted to redecorate or something. And I’m talking about gorgeous beautiful furniture. Indeed, I lived well.

God was beyond faithful and I learned saying yes to God was the best way to go. Obedience did bring a blessing. I’m not just talking about money but walking in God’s sort of lifestyle.

The opposite was true too….

On the other hand, when I held onto my tithes during those early years I always seem to have trouble.

My car is would never last and I was always embarrassed to drive them because they were ugly and old.

I lived in apartments that I hated for the most part anyway and it always seemed to be something going on in my life.

As the old people used to say: if it ain’t one thing it’s another. That was indeed my testimony. I hated my job. I hated my struggle and I hated my life. It often felt I was cursed.

Stay with me, I really am talking about saying “yes” to God.

Don’t worry. This is not a blog post about tithing. Go ahead and exhale. I’m just focusing on one area of obedience in my own personal life. 🙂

Anyway, I’m writing about the power of saying yes to God as it relates to finances, but it applies to anything He tells you to do.

When we say yes to Him, not only do His principles snap into action. But so does His provision.

So do His blessings.

We are here for His namesake…for HIS glory.

Don’t forget, we live to bring glory and praise to His name.

What better way to do that than to prove right His systems and His way of living? It points people directly to Him and gives Him lots of glory. It also gives you the blessed life you crave and want to enjoy.

As for me, people knew I did not have the capacity on my own to live my lifestyle. They knew it was God keeping me blessed. People marveled at what He was doing. Most couldn’t believe it.

I’m writing about the power of saying yes to God.

Do you know what else I discovered?

Once I surrendered and allowed God to do his work in my life regardless of how inconvenient are painful it was, I had peace.

No fighting, not struggling, just peace of knowing I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Saying yes to God rendered less stress for me.

It’s so much easier to do the right thing.

Similarly, it’s so much more relaxed to just obey God. When we disobey him it brings so much stress and anxiety. Saying yes to God brings a moment of exhale and a lifetime of peace. 

Will your response be “Yes?” Yep, that is one of the most crucial…and costly words in the Christian experience. The very cornerstone of maturity it is. So, I’ll ask you again….will you say “yes”?

This is how they sang it when I grew up:

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