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When You Say "Yes"
All of us are called - called to something. Before you and I were born God knew us (Jeremiah 1:5), and had already planned in His mind exactly what He wanted us to do (Proverbs 16:9). Some of us know that we’re called, but we rather not be. We say, “No Thanks God! I’ve got this. I’ll just be a ___________ instead. This route looks a lot more pleasurable to me.”
The funny thing about this statement, which is often what we’re saying when we say “No” to God, (If you haven’t said yes to your calling, have ignored your calling, or aren’t pursuing God, then, yes, you have said, “No” to God) is that somehow we believe that we’re smarter than God, that we know what’s best for our lives, and that we are better off doing things our own way.
#1 Our number one calling on this earth is to have a relationship with God. God created us with this deep desire for intimacy, which was meant to be fulfilled by Him. We all look for meaning in life; however, we miss the mark when we substitute God for money, relationships, parties, etc. And these things can never satisfy us as much as God can. (John 4:14)
#2 After we have accepted a relationship with Christ, God has called all Christians to extend his love towards others and to spread the good news about Him. As it is stated in The Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20. This is the general calling given to all Christians after Christ left the earth.
#3 Now this Great Commission looks different for every person, and this is where our calling becomes individualized. There is a specific calling God has placed on each one of our lives to fulfill the purpose of “making disciples of all nations,” and it looks different for every person.
And “making disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) doesn’t directly convert to, “You must be a missionary preaching to people on the other side of the world to honor God.” For some, this may be your calling - to be a missionary. For others, it may be to work as a lawyer, teacher, pastor, mother, entrepreneur, etc.
God has given each of us specific gifts and talents, and He wants us to use these things for His glory (1 Peter 4:10, Romans 12:3-8). No person’s calling is better than another. Things only get messy when we act against the calling God has placed on our life. (1 Corinthians 12:4-5). Sure, we can still be successful doing what we want, but God is only pleased when we choose to be obedient to Him and follow the calling, He has placed on our lives (Revelation 20:12).
Now, if you know you are called to something, but because of fear, doubt, and distrust, you’ve have decided not to pursue that, I want to encourage you to reconsider that idea for various reasons:
God knows us better than any other human being on the planet. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows the future. God wouldn’t call you to something if He knew it wasn’t going to be good for you and others. He knows exactly what you would be best at and what is needed in this world. (Luke 12:7, Psalm 139)
God rewards those who are obedient to him. There are always consequences for disobedience; yet, God always blesses us in life when we are obedient. The secret to success is obeying God. At the end of your life, you will have to give an account to God for the things that you did and did not do on this earth. You can do great things, but if God has to say, "I did not call you to that," then, all your hard work won't mean as much. Even if you do something that seems small in man's eyes, but knew it was what God wanted you to do, God will say, "Well done." (Deuteronomy 28, Galatians 6:9, Romans 2:6, 1 Cor. 3:13)
God will be with you wherever you go. Most of us don’t accept our callings because we are afraid. We are afraid that we won’t be good enough, we are afraid of failing and making a mistake, we are afraid of what people will think, and we are afraid of what it will cost us. (2 Timothy 1:7, Philippians 4:13, Isaiah 41:10).
So, if you haven’t been able to trust God enough to surrender your life over to Him and don't want to follow the calling he has placed on your life, start thinking about what’s holding you back and read over these truths:
You can also read further, by clicking my article "The One Thing That's Holding You Back",
It doesn’t matter what people think of you, because at the end of the day you must give an account to God and not your friends. (Galatians 1:10). Those “friends” that you're so worried about pleasing, probably don’t have your best interest in mind. They don’t care to see you succeed, some want to see you fail; however, God always has your best interest in mind, so why not trust Him instead.
There’s nothing to be afraid of, because God’s got you. He will defend you from those that come against you, He will lead and guide you, and He will help you. He will give you everything you need to be successful at what He’s calling you to do. He’s not going to call you to something, then leave you stranded and say, “Ok, good luck, now the rest is for you to figure out on your own.” (Psalm 116:1). Truly trust that God has your best interest in mind, trust that He knows what’s best for you and not your friends, family, or yourself.
My question for you today is, “What do you want God to say about you?”
Stepping towards what God is calling you to do can be scary, it won’t be easy, and there will be trials; however, it’s worth it to see the Father smiling at you saying, “Well done, my good and faithful servant!” Just remember that God is with you wherever you go, He will reward you, and equip you if he's calling you. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:8).
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