When We Say Yes
Focus Scripture
“So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.” - James 4:7-10 MSG
Introduction
In Sunday’s message titled “Will You Say Yes?” we learned that the gift of the Holy Spirit is God's promise for each of us. The promise is this: God will fill us with His spirit if we repent–if we say yes. My prayer for you is that you would not settle with only knowing the possibility of this promise but experience the truth of this promise. Therefore, our focus for this week of prayer is what happens “When We Say Yes.”
This Week's Devotionals
Day 1: Creates Consistency
In our focus text, James makes an urgent call to the believer to leave the life of contradiction and embrace a life of consistency by saying no to the Devil and yes to God. In his letter, James cuts no corners because he’s challenging believers to walk maturely in the faith. It’s challenging to walk in God’s promises if we have one foot in His will and the other clearly outside. Therefore, James says to stop dabbling in sin and to purify our lives from within, not from without. It’s not enough to look the part, we must live the part.
Day 2: Produces Power
Have you ever seen the birth of a large animal, such as a horse, giraffe, or elephant? It’s a pretty amazing thing to watch. These animals are normally standing and walking within hours or even minutes. This ability to stand in such a short period of time speaks to the sheer power of creature. The reason for this strength is because there are predators that are looking for an opportunity to capture a meal and it’s hard for the mother to protect her young if he cannot move when needed.
For humans, standing in our own strength is a challenge from birth through adulthood. We cannot stand on our own, instead we are made to rely on a greater strength both physically and spiritually. In the flesh, that greater strength changes throughout our lives. First, it’s our parents or caretaker. They make sure that we are fed, washed, protected and educated until we are mature enough to stand on our own. Then as adults we find that we still have trouble standing alone as we learn that there is strength that only comes through community–the power of relationships.
Similar to the physical, when it comes to our spirit man, there is a constant reliance on a greater strength. As infants of the we relied on the strength of our mother and father, whereas from the infancy of our twice-born spirit (John 3:3-8), we must rely on the strength of the Heavenly Father. He is the Greater Strength that gives us the power to stand in this world. However, we cannot access this power unless we give Him our yes.
When we say yes to God, it creates consistency, and that consistency produces power. Many times, we think that we’re so strong that we can do it all by ourselves and only say yes to God when we think we need him. I’ll be the first to say that I need God, not only some of the time but all of the time! Apostle Paul made this very clear to us when he spoke of the thorn in his flesh. We must see that we’re not like the elephant, in a sense we are born with a handicap. Once born, we cannot walk for significant amount of time and even as adults, we still need someone to stand with us in order for us to stand–we call that community. As believers, understand you have a handicap because it’s in our weakness that our strength is made perfect. We need the power that only comes from saying yes.
Maybe you’ve been wondering “Why have I been struggling for so long?” or “Why does it seem like I only go so far and then I fall off?” Perhaps you’ve because you’ve been trying to do this in your own might or your own strength. It’s time stop trying to do this alone and to get down on your knees. James says, “it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet” (James 4:10 MSG). It’s the only way that we’ll have the power to stand. It’s your consistent yes to God that will produce supernatural power in your life.
For humans, standing in our own strength is a challenge from birth through adulthood. We cannot stand on our own, instead we are made to rely on a greater strength both physically and spiritually. In the flesh, that greater strength changes throughout our lives. First, it’s our parents or caretaker. They make sure that we are fed, washed, protected and educated until we are mature enough to stand on our own. Then as adults we find that we still have trouble standing alone as we learn that there is strength that only comes through community–the power of relationships.
Similar to the physical, when it comes to our spirit man, there is a constant reliance on a greater strength. As infants of the we relied on the strength of our mother and father, whereas from the infancy of our twice-born spirit (John 3:3-8), we must rely on the strength of the Heavenly Father. He is the Greater Strength that gives us the power to stand in this world. However, we cannot access this power unless we give Him our yes.
When we say yes to God, it creates consistency, and that consistency produces power. Many times, we think that we’re so strong that we can do it all by ourselves and only say yes to God when we think we need him. I’ll be the first to say that I need God, not only some of the time but all of the time! Apostle Paul made this very clear to us when he spoke of the thorn in his flesh. We must see that we’re not like the elephant, in a sense we are born with a handicap. Once born, we cannot walk for significant amount of time and even as adults, we still need someone to stand with us in order for us to stand–we call that community. As believers, understand you have a handicap because it’s in our weakness that our strength is made perfect. We need the power that only comes from saying yes.
Maybe you’ve been wondering “Why have I been struggling for so long?” or “Why does it seem like I only go so far and then I fall off?” Perhaps you’ve because you’ve been trying to do this in your own might or your own strength. It’s time stop trying to do this alone and to get down on your knees. James says, “it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet” (James 4:10 MSG). It’s the only way that we’ll have the power to stand. It’s your consistent yes to God that will produce supernatural power in your life.
Day 3: Causes Consecration
James was strong and direct in his language when he says “Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field.” These instructions are the recipe to a life that’s consecrated. To consecrate a thing is to dedicate or set apart for God’s exclusive use. It’s God’s desire that we would not be mixed in our own desires. “Dabbling in sin” describes a variety of experiences with an absence of commitment– it’s a yes that’s divided. Every time we say yes to God, it’s a decision to say no to something else. However, when we say yes to something that’s impure, we say no to God by default.
When James urges the believer to “Quit playing the field,” I’m reminded of romantic relationships where one or both parties have not fully committed to the relationship and are still looking into other possibilities. An example of this in the scriptures is found in the marriage of Hosea and Gomer. God instructed Hosea to marry Gomer, a woman who had a reputation and history filled with promiscuity. When they became married, her habits did not change, she stepped outside of the marriage. The law permitted Hosea to end the marriage through divorce, however he stayed and remained committed to her. This marriage is symbolic of God’s commitment to the people of Israel and even us today (Hosea 3:1-3). Although we have played the field over time, he has not withdrawn his commitment to us. This truth is not an excuse to explore, but an expression of the love that draws us to Him.
It’s important to know that giving God our yes is not a one and done ordeal. Saying yes is a decision and each day is filled with opportunities to say yes or no to God; it’s a decision we are presented with for the rest of our lives. Our yes is the cause of our consecration, it is the filter for our purification. When we say yes, we dedicate our lives for God’s exclusive use as “instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (2 Timothy 2:21 NIV)
When James urges the believer to “Quit playing the field,” I’m reminded of romantic relationships where one or both parties have not fully committed to the relationship and are still looking into other possibilities. An example of this in the scriptures is found in the marriage of Hosea and Gomer. God instructed Hosea to marry Gomer, a woman who had a reputation and history filled with promiscuity. When they became married, her habits did not change, she stepped outside of the marriage. The law permitted Hosea to end the marriage through divorce, however he stayed and remained committed to her. This marriage is symbolic of God’s commitment to the people of Israel and even us today (Hosea 3:1-3). Although we have played the field over time, he has not withdrawn his commitment to us. This truth is not an excuse to explore, but an expression of the love that draws us to Him.
It’s important to know that giving God our yes is not a one and done ordeal. Saying yes is a decision and each day is filled with opportunities to say yes or no to God; it’s a decision we are presented with for the rest of our lives. Our yes is the cause of our consecration, it is the filter for our purification. When we say yes, we dedicate our lives for God’s exclusive use as “instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (2 Timothy 2:21 NIV)
Day 4: Total Transformation
What would change your life today if you got up? What transformation would be complete by your agreement with what God has spoken into your life? What business would be birthed if you got up? What relationship would be restored if you got up? What degree would you have if you got up? How would your finances be transformed if, instead of waiting on someone to fix it for you, you finally decided to get up? What if there was a blessing waiting on you on the other side? What if you’ve been cured all this time but you’ve just failed to get up? For some of us we’ve been sitting, made whole but because we would not “get up” we could not walk in it.
I know that we’ve been focusing on the word “yes,” but God is not concerned about our words so much as He’s concerned about our actions. Jesus made this clear in these words to those who followed Him:
“Why are you so polite with me, always saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.” – Luke 6:46-47 The Message
Jesus makes it clear that your greatest yes is in your actions. God doesn’t just want a yes from our lips but in the fruit of our actions. Words don’t woo God, faith does and faith without works is dead (Hebrews 11:6, James 2:17). When we tell God a complete yes with every fiber of our being, it will lead to total transformation.
I know that we’ve been focusing on the word “yes,” but God is not concerned about our words so much as He’s concerned about our actions. Jesus made this clear in these words to those who followed Him:
“Why are you so polite with me, always saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.” – Luke 6:46-47 The Message
Jesus makes it clear that your greatest yes is in your actions. God doesn’t just want a yes from our lips but in the fruit of our actions. Words don’t woo God, faith does and faith without works is dead (Hebrews 11:6, James 2:17). When we tell God a complete yes with every fiber of our being, it will lead to total transformation.
Day 5: Supernatural Success
When we give God our consistent and complete yes to God, it leads to supernatural success. Our yes aligns us with the will of God and where His will is, there is purpose. Where there’s purpose, there is success–a kind of success that is unstoppable, undeniable and indescribable. When we consistently say yes, we are given access to the limitless resources of the Kingdom–we tap into the overflow of Heaven.
Did you know that Thryve Church prays together 365 days a year? Join us Monday-Friday at 6:30am & Saturdays at 8am for "Prayer at the Altar" by dialing 339- 207-7471 and then join us Sundays at 11am for Worship Service! Learn more here!
Watch This Week's Message!
Posted in Prayer365