Saying “yes” to God can be one of the most powerful things we do as Christians. When we surrender our lives to Him and align our will with His purposes, amazing things can happen. In this post, we’ll explore the meaning and benefits of saying yes to God.
Introduction
As Christians, God calls us to a life of obedience and sacrifice. He wants us to lay down our own agendas and take up His plans. This requires humility, trust, and a willingness to surrender.
Saying “yes” to God means accepting His will, even when it’s difficult or inconvenient. It’s acknowledging that His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). When we say yes to Him, we’re declaring that we want His Kingdom to come and His will to be done in our lives (Matthew 6:10).
Here are some key takeaways about the power and blessing of saying yes to God:
- It deepens our intimacy with Him as we align our will with His purposes.
- It positions us to receive supernatural empowerment to fulfill His assignments.
- It leads to spiritual growth as God prunes and refines us.
- It enables us to partner with God in building His Kingdom.
- It brings breakthrough, freedom and transformation when we submit to His Lordship.
In the rest of this post, we’ll explore stories of biblical figures who said yes to God, the personal blessings of saying yes, and how to develop a lifestyle of saying yes through obedience, trust and alignment with His Word.
Biblical Examples of Saying Yes
Throughout Scripture, we see examples of people whose lives were transformed when they said yes to God’s plans. Let’s look at a few of their stories:
Mary
One of the most powerful examples is Mary, the mother of Jesus. When the angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her she would miraculously conceive and give birth to the Savior, she responded:
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38).
Despite the stigma of becoming pregnant out of wedlock, Mary surrendered to God’s supernaturally ordained purpose for her life. Her yes paved the way for the birth of Jesus and the salvation of humanity!
Isaiah
The prophet Isaiah said yes when He heard God’s voice calling, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
Isaiah responded without hesitation: “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).
This launched him into a prophetic ministry where he spoke God’s messages to Israel for decades. His obedience and alignment to God’s call changed the trajectory of his life.
Noah
When God warned Noah that He was going to destroy the world with a flood, He instructed Noah to build an ark to save his family and the animals (Genesis 6:14-21). Despite the scale and difficulty of the task, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22).
Noah’s obedience led to deliverance and the preservation of God’s creations. He said yes to God’s strategy, even when it sounded implausible.
Abraham
God made a covenant with Abraham and promised to bless him and make him into a great nation (Genesis 12:1-3). When Abraham was 75 years old, God instructed him to leave his home and family and travel to a new land that He would show him.
“So Abram left, as the Lord had told him” (Genesis 12:4). Abraham’s willingness to surrender his own plans and agenda resulted in the fulfillment of God’s destiny for his life. His yes was the genesis of the nation of Israel.
The Blessings of Saying Yes
When we say yes to God, we can expect to receive supernatural blessings in return. Here are some of the ways saying yes leads to breakthrough:
1. We deepen intimacy with God.
As we choose to align with God’s will, we draw closer to His heart. Our primary desire becomes to please and glorify Him. We begin to see circumstances from His perspective and understand His plans on a heart level.
“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:21)
Saying yes abandons our agenda and makes room for intimacy with Him. It’s a pathway into the secret place of His presence.
2. We gain access to supernatural power.
When God gives us an assignment, saying yes releases His power to accomplish it. Even when the instructions seem impossible in our own strength, His grace is sufficient.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
As we say yes, we can expect supernatural enabling and equipping. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. TheMID_SECTIONyes of faith accesses His miraculous power.
3. We are refined and transformed.
Saying yes often requires sacrifice and leads through hardship. But as we relinquish comfort and embrace God’s will, He uses the circumstances to refine and strengthen our character.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
The trials that come from saying yes transform us into the image of Christ. We develop holy perseverance, trust, and integrity.
4. We partner with God.
When God gives an assignment, it’s an invitation to partner with Him in building His Kingdom. As we say yes, we join Him in the work He wants to do.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)
Saying yes allows us to link arms with God as co-laborers and watch Him work through willing vessels.
5. We walk in radical freedom.
As we relinquish our ways for His ways, we experience freedom from sin and bondage. By saying yes to His Lordship, we open the door for deliverance.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
Saying yes to God allows Christ to liberate us from everything that holds us captive. It invites supernatural freedom!
How to Develop a Lifestyle of Saying Yes
Saying yes to God once in a while is good, but we want to develop a lifestyle of surrendered obedience. Here are some practical tips for cultivating a heart that eagerly says yes:
Walk in intimacy through spiritual disciplines.
Set aside regular quiet time to pray, worship, meditate on scripture, journal, and listen to God’s voice. Intimacy fuels our yes!
Surrender daily through declarations.
Declare out loud each morning, “I surrender myself fully to You today, God. My yes is on the altar.” Verbalizing surrender solidifies it.
agreeing quickly when you sense God’s prompting.
Don’t hesitate or overanalyze when you feel the Holy Spirit nudge you to act. Just say yes! Obedience leads to more clarity.
Take steps of faith.
When it requires faith to say yes, do it anyway! God will meet you in the unknown and reveal the next step when you need it.
Trust God’s character and promises.
Remember that God is perfectly loving, wise and powerful. If He’s leading you to say yes, the outcome will align with His nature.
Hold loosely to your own plans.
Lay down your agendas. Make room for God’s agenda by refusing to cling tightly to your own plans and dreams.
Persevere through difficulty.
Once you’ve said yes, stand firm in your decision despite hardship. God will use trials to strengthen and refine you. Let endurance finish its work (James 1:4).
When we continually say yes to God with childlike faith and surrendered obedience, it releases His Kingdom purposes into our lives in amazing ways. The breakthrough, freedom and blessing that flow from alignment with Him are abundantly worth it. May we all cultivate a heart that says a quick, enthusiastic yes when God calls! He is faithful to complete the work He’s begun and bring it to fruition as we make ourselves available vessels for His glory.
