Say Yes to God!

Do you believe that God wants to bless you and help you live life to its fullest? Do you believe He is in control and worthy of your trust today?

If you do … then you must realize that God’s abundant life is a gift from Him. He is the One who chooses to bless you and make you prosper. Even though we all strive to do things in our own strength, only God Almighty can give us the favor we seek and the rich rewards that come with our obedience.

The one thing we can do, however, is make a decision to receive His blessings. We have the power to choose His life over our own. While it’s true we have no choice regarding who we are or where we come from, we can choose the principles that lead to abundant life. We can say yes to our Creator and purposely live to glorify Him.

Oswald Chambers once said, “Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.” Do you know who is leading you today? Are you fully surrendered to the One who loves you and wants to guide you in Spirit and in truth?

Trusting the Unseen God

Of course, it would be much easier to walk through life knowing what’s behind every curve in the road rather than walking by faith. But that is seldom how God’s plan works. He wants us to trust Him completely even when we can’t see what’s coming down the road.

I can’t help but think of Abraham, known as “the father of all those who believe” (Romans 4:11). When God called him to take a step of faith, “he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). Step by step, he was willing to trust the Lord and follow His plan even when he didn’t know all the details of where that plan would lead.

When we face times of uncertainty, though, it can be tempting to take the wheel back from God. In some ways, Abraham and Sarah did this when they devised a plan to have a child through Sarah’s handmaid Hagar (Genesis 16). That idea must have made perfect sense to them at the time, but their decision has had dire consequences even to this day. Where did they go wrong? They were trusting in their own ingenuity and fleshly ability rather than in the plan of God.

If you find that you’ve gotten off track like Abraham and Sarah did, it’s time to go back to the first step in the process of discovering God’s will. Surrender your life, desires, hopes, dreams, gifts, and talents to Him once again. Spend time in His presence, asking Him to reveal His plan. But remember, you’re unlikely to hear clearly from the Lord until you’ve fully committed yourself to doing His will—no matter what it is!

As you devote yourself to discovering God’s plan, your faith will be stretched at times, challenging you to trust Him for breakthroughs in your life and the lives of your loved ones. When you know God’s will and walk in His wisdom, Paul says you will please the Lord “in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work.” In addition, God will strengthen you “according to His glorious might” (Colossians 1:10–11 NASB). Isn’t that the kind of life you want to live?

Whatever He Says

There’s a powerful statement in John 2 that I believe puts all this into perspective. It’s the story about the wedding in Cana where Mary asked Jesus to intervene because of a wine shortage at the celebration. Knowing her Son well, Mary gave specific instructions to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5).

And that’s the message God is speaking to you today. Whatever He says to you … do it! No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, if you’ll listen to what God is telling you … He will bless you because of your obedience. Remember, Jesus took plain, ordinary water and turned it into miracle wine. He took what He saw in the natural and transformed it into something supernatural.

He’ll do the same with your life today. He’ll take what you see in the natural … your problems, your circumstances … and turn it into a breakthrough … Hallelujah! All it takes is your obedience and your willingness to be led by Him.

In its first 14 verses, Deuteronomy 28 paints a beautiful picture of some of the blessings you can expect when you just do what He says to do. Not only does the Lord say you will receive these blessings if you obey Him, but He also says they will “overtake you” (v. 2). In other words, instead of you having to chase God’s blessings, they will chase YOU!

And notice how all-inclusive God’s blessings will be when you are walking in His favor. God promises to bless you …

• In every place you go, whether in the city or in the country (v. 3).
• In the fruit of your body and your labor (v. 4).
• In both your coming in and going out (v. 6).
• In gaining victory over your enemies (v. 7).
• In EVERYTHING you set your hand to (v. 8).
• In being established as a “holy people” to the Lord (v. 9).
• In experiencing a life of plenty with God opening “His good treasure” to you (vs. 11–12).
• In becoming “the head and not the tail” (v. 13).

But notice that this chapter attaches conditions to this abundant favor from God. All of the blessings listed in Deuteronomy 28 are based on your response to His invitation in verse 1: “Now it shall come to pass, IF you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today.”

Too often, when people read God’s promises in Scripture, they overlook the conditions He includes in the context. But if you expect to experience the amazing blessings described in Deuteronomy 28, you must set your heart to hear the Lord’s voice and follow His instructions.

Take time today to make a fresh commitment to live a life pleasing to the Lord. Then remind yourself not to settle for anything but God’s best. There is no limit to what you can do if God is working on your behalf.

Listen to what God is saying … then do it! His plan is perfect, and His grace and mercy for you will last an eternity!

God bless you!