YIELD

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

“Each day the Spirit of God assured me that He wasn’t looking at my intellect or talents, but my yieldedness….He’s seeking: humility, contriteness of spirit.― Francis Frangipane

“These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word. – Isaiah 66:2 (ESV)

GOD is looking for “yieldedness” from us today, humility.

In recovery circles that means surrender.

We made a decision to turn our wills and our lives over to the care of God. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1) – Step 3 Celebrate Recovery

That can be tough.  At least it is for me.

I don’t want to yield, I want to “speed ahead”.

I don’t have time to consult the Word much less be “shaken” by it.

I have a FULL AGENDA today.

I need GOD to get on MY page with MY agenda today. 

And yet, while listening a little to Andy Stanley yesterday in preparation for a class I was about to teach before the lovely weather decided differently, Andy made an interesting comment about our “selective yieldedness” to GOD. 

He said (paraphrasing) “that we like our GOD to fit in our back pocket. 

We like to pull Him out when the big deal needs to close or when we are faced with crisis, but we like to slip Him back into our back pocket until our AGENDA and His presence require Him. Yet GOD’S Hand can’t be FORCED (our agenda) and HIS Will can’t be thwarted.”

But we, at least I, STILL don’t consult Him first and often just apply our intellect to the situations and PRESS on. 

No yield in us!

Boy that punched me right in the face.

Frangipane and Andy to some degree remind us what GOD wants is our contrition and sensitivity to HIM, His Word and His Will right from the jump and all day long. 

GOD is not impressed with our wills, intellect or smarts.  What He loves and where He does His most amazing work is in the hearts of the “yielded”.

Like the old song says…

“I yielded myself to His tender embrace,

In faith taking hold of the Word,

My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul;

The Haven of Rest is my Lord.”

When we yield the fetters or the things that binds us, things like pride, insecurity, fears, confusion etc. fall off.  We enter the rest of the Lord when our hearts yield in humility to Him.  We rest when our decisions are guided by His word. 

We can and will find safe haven for TODAY in that.

But that REQUIRES that we YIELD first.

That requires that our decisions and plans “take hold” of His Word.

For if we contritely yield today to GOD He will bless it.  He will. If we surrender our wills and agendas to Him, GOD’S best will emerge.

“God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and trust”

― A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Question is will we?

Will we yield?

I love you ALL!

Opportunities for Hope (Champions Charge)