The Importance of Your "YES"

The Importance of Your Yes

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As I laid there, on the floor of the Alabaster House staring at the wooden rafters, I thought about how strange it felt to not feel God there in that particular moment. I knew He was there, I really did. Praying in the prayer house there has always stirred something inside of my heart each and every visit. Weather it’s intercession, soaking up the love of the Father, my hunger for the Word increasing as I read some verses as if for the first time, or just simply dreaming with God-He tends to meet me in new ways when I visit that house.  

Laying there staring up at the rafter with an overwhelming appreciate for one mans yes. While praying there in the past, God would often visit me in a whirlwind. This time was different. It wasn’t about what I could feel, it was about what I could see and hear. The emphasis was on what He had been whispering in my ear as we laid on the ground.. One thing I did feel was GRATEFULL. Feeling so grateful that the Lord can take one true YES and build a home upon it for others to come and go. An unadulterated vision for true hospitality-a lifestyle of hospitality. I couldn’t help but have this overwhelming thought about how important our YES is.

“The importance of your YES.” That’s what He whispered. 

Within seconds I had different thoughts racing through my mind as the Lord whispered these truths upon my heart.  Okay, so maybe I wasn’t “feeling” Him as strong as I had in the past.. But I couldn’t deny how strong I was hearing Him. Earlier that day, while talking to the family who Jared (my brother) is living with while attending BSSM, Kellie the wife shared that their home was their fulltime ministry. She mentioned how many people they’ve had live with them over the years and the countless others who come and go on a daily basis. Not to mention the international students who stay during the holidays when they aren’t able to go home to their families. Just a few hours later was when the Lord began to echo Kellies words in my heart as He and I laid there on the floor. He began to relate that to the phenomena brewing at Bethel. These two were one in the same.

A group of people said YES to God and that’s what opened up the door, years ago, for the Lord to lay the foundation for a home that was built to house the multitudes and for the multitudes to encounter His presence. I don’t think they’ve ever stopped saying yes. I’m looking at these rafters that are holding up the roof in the prayer house and thinking how vital it is to have people who give one big whole-hearted YES to the plans of God, often not knowing a single step, and allowing Him to make a home out of their YES. A home where thousands will be able to pass through and will also encounter the sweet gift of saying YES to the King.

How beautiful that one persons agreement, partnership, and alignment with the will of God can create such holy chaos where the feet of those who pass through the grounds that the Lord has laid are too numerous to count. It’s as though our YES, to God using us and our lives, becomes this forever open door for God to take us to the nations as well as bringing the nations to us. You following Christ with everything that’s in you, everything that you have, is critical for those around you. You saying YES to Jesus not only affects you but it affects your family, your friends, your city, your region, your state, and the nations. Entire cities will come to know the love of the Father because you said YES. The only way this can be true is that you give yourself fully to Jesus. There’s no stopping the influence that the Lord places on your life once you’ve genuinely said YES to the King.

When you say YES to Jesus, you’re forever marked. No longer are you just like the others. No longer will there be any excuse for you to be anything but remarkable. You’re set apart, chosen, called, and loved by the King. Your YES creates a dwelling place for His presence. (Psalms 132:13, 14 NKJV) You become His dwelling place. We must fully commit ourselves to this one thing, falling madly in love with Jesus. Having that moment when we hear the words, “Well done, MY good and faithful servant” as our focal point and running hard after Him. Let our costly ambition be spent on seeking His face and staying focused on this one thing. Everything between your YES and seeing His face will automatically fall into place. It will work itself out. Give yourself fully to Him and fully to His cause. Embrace the greatness of your dreams and the importance of your YES. The nations are waiting for the “burning ones” to arise and put their hands in His hands. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19 NKJV

Early on people would prophesy over me about the nations. They’d prophesy and tell me that the Lord has called me to speak to nations, God is giving me influence over the nations, I will mother the nations into the Kingdom, etc. Each time I heard those words my heart would beat so fast as though it was going to burst out of my chest. It still does. There was something inside of me that resonated with those words and my heart longed to see them fulfilled. I earnestly desire to see Jesus get what He paid for. I’ve given my life and have vowed to do all that I possibly can to see Jesus get the nations as His inheritance. (Psalms 2:7, 8 NKJV) A good half of me was full of faith and couldn’t wait to see how God was going to work this out in me. The other half was purely practical and dwelt on the fact that i was only about fifteen at the time. “Taking nations” just seemed so far in the future I could hardly reach it.

Constantly I’d press God for answers. “How on earth do You plan to do this? I’d really love to know.” He took me on a journey where He would whisper little secrets here and there about my call to nations. Whether it was through His voice, His Word, or the people around me, God was constantly reminding me of my call. He wasn’t about to let me forget it. No matter how far off it seemed to be. (He will do the same for you.) When I was around sixteen years old I found myself praying into this call of mine for the nations. I remember asking God to give me promises from His word that I could hold on to. So that at times when my future would look unreachable and unrealistic, I would have His promises to hold onto. The Lord told me to open up to Isaiah 55:5. This was not a familiar passage to me. I can honestly say up until that point I had probably never read it. This was my promise from God,

Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, And nations who do not know you shall run to you, Because of the Lord your God, And the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you. (Isaiah 55:5 NKJV)

Not only was this passage exactly what I needed but it explained it perfectly. Even the address of this word fits amazingly. God has always dealt with me according to GRACE. He has been ever wasteful with His grace and favor in my life. I knew I had heard from God about this scripture as soon I as I saw the three fives-five represents grace. In this case triple grace. “Nations who do not know you will run to you”, that’s what you call favor and influence. God has glorified me, He has set me apart, and marked me that Christ in me would be attractive to the nations. Nations will be drawn to me, not because of me but, because Christ is dwelling inside of me. They’ll run to me wanting what I have and all I have is Him. God is releasing, today, a grace for influence. The nations are so hungry for the Fathers love that they will begin to come to you. That’s why it is so important that you not only say YES to Jesus but that you fully embrace the importance of your YES. That way you live fully empowered to live out the mandate on your life to shake nations. 

People come because of your YES.

People don’t come for you.

People come for Him.

Like I said a few paragraphs ago, when you say YES to Jesus you are chosen! Just like people would prophesy to me regarding the nations, around the same time people began prophesying to me the verse, “Many are called but few are chosen.” (Matthew 20:16 & 22:14) People would tell me that ALL the time. It sounded really nice but I had no clue what it meant or what they meant by it. I could hardly tell what they were implying by quoting this to me, let alone what God intended by this verse. Frankly, it drove me nuts. I would rack my brains trying to figure out whether I was called or chosen. And if I was merely called then how do I become chosen, vise versa. It wasn’t until one day when God used someone in my life to randomly and prophetically clear the air. While in a conversation with a man of God that has made quite an impact on my life, he said it. This man randomly says to me, “Sarah, many are called but few are chosen. True.. But you, you are CHOSEN.” My thought was this, “Ohh Lord, not him too! How do you know I’m chosen? Prove it.” Of course I didn’t say that but I definitely thought it. lol The next few words out of his mouth were these, “YOU SAID YES. You’re chosen because you said YES to God.” Instantly I made the connection. I am chosen by God because I responded to the call and said yes. This may seem obvious or simple to you, but this radically changed my life. I felt incredibly honored by the Father once I came into this truth and I was blown away that others could recognize that about me..even when I had no clue.

God is calling us all to live a life fully surrendered to Him. He is calling us to lay down our lives for His name’s sake. It’s time to live radically for Jesus. You are a chosen people who said YES to the King. He called me, I said yes, and now I’m chosen. It’s time to live a life of radical love, for God and others. Attached to your YES is a grace to influence nations. Start with your neighborhood. Start with your city. You saying YES to Jesus was and always will be highly important. You are and always will be very important. Once you’re washed in His blood it is now in your DNA to seize and influence nations and to lead others into His arms. It’s only natural that nations run to you.  Once you’ve said YES you officially look like the Desire of Nations. Hints the running. You can do anything..because you said YES to His call. Lets live radical and give Jesus His nations.

Your YES is extremely important.

“I’m not afraid, I was born for this.” Joan of Arc

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That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. (Psalms 67:2 NKJV)

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22 NKJV)

“I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. (Psalms 2:7, 8 NKJV)

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