Yielding to the Call of God

We all experience times in our lives when we sense God leading us deeper into Himself, taking us in new directions, and asking us to surrender once again. These times are so important, because they determine the course of our lives. They are the moments in which we decide whether or not we will say yes to Him and His plans. These significant moments—what I like to call, decision time—is what this book is all about. How do we recognize God’s call deeper, and how do we respond?

In the moments when we hear whispers of our destiny and the great plans God has for our lives, it is easy to feel unqualified or incapable. The good news is, God is not looking for qualified or capable people. He’s looking for willing people—for yielded vessels who will allow His Spirit to manifest gloriously through them. After all, if we were capable or qualified on our own, the plans would not be very great. Only by His abundant grace in our lives are we ever capable of living in greatness. What He asks of us is simple obedience. All we need to do to be qualified for His glorious plans is to be willing to say yes and to step out into unknown and sometimes frightening adventures, trusting in His ability and calling instead of our own.

Often, part of saying yes to God’s new season includes saying no to some other things, making overdue changes in our lives. Yielding to this pruning is often hard, but the fruit that will come from it makes that painful cutting worthwhile. When we trust Him enough to obey, we will begin to see the desires and dreams we’ve been treasuring in our hearts begin to bloom. This is what the prophet Hosea promised:

Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you (Hosea 10:12).