I gave God my yes - AGAIN
Birmingham, England
*Wade sat on a stool in font of a large audience. He was struggling to push back painful emotion as he told a compelling story of a big decision that he and his family were facing. His immediate answer had been “no”. The situation did not go away. His wife asked him to pursue exploring this option. Wade then told the story of how he struggled and fought within himself and with God. Was this really what he was to do? Was he to embark on this huge and enormous change when everything was working so well in his life? He decided to explore the opportunity by taking his family to this new city to check out the offer. His still couldn't see that this is what they should do. On the flight home, the battle within him raged and he finally reached a point where he clearly stated, “I gave God my yes”.
Awareness of risk sometimes paralyzes
Wade had barely finished saying those words, when something began to take place within me. I didn’t understand it. His story had nothing to do with me. I was simply listening. Yet, the words “I gave God my yes” sent shivers through me. It brought me to a place a year ago, when God called me to take a step of faith and set up a company to create media, do ministry and help others. It was only a year ago when I had given Him my yes. Upon saying those words, things had begun to happen in amazing ways and a business and ministry came together. Every week came with a sense of amazement at what God was unfolding. Then things changed. I wasn’t even aware of it, but when someone asked me a simple question, “how could your husband let you take a risk like that?”, my eyes opened and I could suddenly see the risk we were taking.
Risk with God is never what risk is without Him
As Wade said those words, I realized that, like him, I too, had given God my yes. However, I had then allowed my faith to weaken – especially when I entertained the idea that God’s way might just be impossible. I had begun to believe that we were taking a risk – a huge risk. I realized that as long as I had not been looking at the risk, and focusing on the direction God had taken us, I had been immune to the fact that this was a risk. But, now, I was trying to walk by faith WHILE seeing the risk. It was time for something to change. These key things became clear to me and I would like to share them with you.
It's time to say yes - AGAIN
Give God your yes. When we give Him our yes and agree to step out in faith to what He has called us, He will equip us and take us through the euphoric moments and the tough spots. He will never leave us or forsake us.
When you focus on impossibility, it makes things impossible. The fastest way to lose hope and to see the absolute impossibility of God’s plan is to look at why it won’t work. This is when we no longer walk in faith and we put our hope in things that we think we cannot do.
You can give God your yes … AGAIN! If you become aware of the risk you are taking for God and focus on the difficulty of the situation you are in, ask God to show you why you said yes – and then say it again.
In the hours since I said yes AGAIN, God has given me an incredible peace. I’m no longer focusing on the risk, but on the opportunity to watch God do His work in and through me in the way that He promised me what He would do when I stepped out in faith with my husband a year ago to obey God’s call on our lives. And… in the way God so often does, He indicated to me the promise of His provision through a very practical communication.
It’s never a risk when we are in the sweet spot God wants us and are walking in faith, giving Him the opportunity to show us what it is that He has in store for us. He alone can see the big picture that He has invited me to have a piece in.
*used with permission