New Year's Resolution
This blog post is about one of my new year's resolutions and that is: don't say no just because you are scared. I am challenging myself to go all in for God. I am challenging myself to say yes to God even if it means giving up some things. I keep learning everyday how important it is to follow God rather than man. Paul reminds me in Phil.3:8, "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ." This verse inspires me. When I read those words; "for His sake I have discarded everything else," it reminds me of martyr after martyr who gave their life for Jesus. I mean that's inspiring. Some people will ask you, "what's the proof of your faith?" You could go into the history and show them all the historical documentation of the death and resurrection of Christ and the documents of scripture, but I think the most compelling proof is you! It's the people. If God wasn't real and if everything we know about the Bible is a lie, then why are hundreds willing to die for Him? Why do we worship Him with our whole hearts? I think it's so cool! More and more people are understanding what Paul meant. More and more people are realizing that nothing matters more than following God completely. It's so beautiful and it brings me to tears. I am blown away by the lives of Christians past who have said yes to God and have suffered for it. I am blown away by their unwavering trust. All of this inspired me to write this post.
When I think of saying yes to God, I think of two stories of two men who both responded to God's call drastically differently. One said no and ran away from God and the other said yes and ran towards God. I think first of Jonah. Jonah was a prophet and He was called by God to preach to the people of Nineveh. But when called by God, he panicked. He was terrified! Nineveh was full of wicked people who didn't fear the Lord. Jonah walking into Nineveh and attempting to talk to them about God, would be like me going to the Arab countries and trying to talk to radical terrorist Muslim groups about God. Scary, insane, even. It seemed as though Jonah wasn't completely in the wrong, I mean he was human. How could he be expected to carry God's message to all those violent people who hated God? Why did he have to be the one to do it? The thing Jonah lacked was trust. God called Jonah. For whatever reason, God wanted Jonah to be the one to give His message, no one else. It makes sense that Jonah said no and ran. So often, when we feel God tugging on the strings of our heart, we panic. We say, "please God, not me." Why is that? I think it is because we think we can't do it. We are only human. How could we be capable of handling something so big? But what we miss, what goes over our heads, is that God never asked our human selves to do it alone. We forget His power. We forget that He doesn't just watch us, He goes with us. God wouldn't have called Jonah if He Himself would not be walking with Jonah.
I'll give a personal example. I often go to my room and I shut the door. I walk over to my bed and kneel and I pray. I pour out my heart to God. I tell Him how my family really needs Him right now. I cry as I tell Him how my friend is struggling or how I need His help. I read my Bible or listen to some inspirational music. I feel God's presence there with me. When I'm done, I feel amazing! I just talked with God! I leave feeling so energized and inspired. I go out into the world and expect everything to be perfect or at least much easier. And sometimes it is easier but it is never perfect. When I try to do everything right, I fail. And I get discouraged. And I've come to realize it's because I've been doing things in my own strength, without God. I feel like God will call me to do something as I'm kneeling by my bed and then as I go, it's like He's in heaven watching me and waiting to see if I'll succeed or fail. But what I've missed is that, as I walk out of my room, so does He. As I drive to the store, He's in the passenger seat. As I sing in church, there He is again! We sometimes, as Christians, get the idea that He isn't with us. Yes, He watches over us but He's not actually with us, we think. But He is. "And be sure of this: "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20b. Always. He is with us always. The truth is, He never leaves! And that is why we can trust. That is why Jonah could go to Nineveh and do the unthinkable. Because God, the King of every living thing, would go with Jonah and He would be right there with him. David understood this.
David, a shepherd boy and servant of King Saul, heard that a giant named Goliath was threatening to turn the Israelites into his slaves if someone didn't come out and fight him. David went to King Saul and insisted that he fight the giant. Saul and everyone thought David was crazy, because he was just a shepherd boy, small and totally unequipped. Everyone doubted...except David. The Bible tells us that David ran toward the line of battle. David ended up defeating Goliath and received the victory. David and Jonah's situation were the same. Both were called by God to do impossible things. Both had every reason to run, every reason to doubt. David and his five stones were no match for Goliath's nine foot self, muscles, and armor. Jonah was no match for the Ninevites, who deeply defiled God and could kill Jonah as soon as He spoke of God. Both ran when God called them. Jonah ran away from Nineveh (Jonah 1:3) and David ran toward the line of battle (1 Sam. 17:48). Jonah didn't trust what he couldn't see, but David did. David said yes and he trusted in his God completely,"Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you...this is the Lord's battle and He will give you to us." 1 Samuel 17:46 + 47. David said yes and Jonah said no at first. Jonah eventually said yes after being swallowed by a whale and God accomplished His plan through Jonah in Nineveh. When God calls, we can fully trust and be as confident as David was because He is with us.
There is power in saying yes to God because God knows what He is doing. There is a ripple effect or a domino effect if you will, when you say yes to God. God prompts you to go up to a friend and invite them to church<>the pastor shares a message about the very thing your friend was struggling with<>your friend gives their life to Jesus<>your friend ends up being a youth pastor when they are older<>your friend shares the gospel with a teen who planned to commit suicide later that day<> that teen grows up and has a ministry that helps young teens with insecurity<> a girl involved in the ministry is inspired by the ministry to write books about one's value in Christ<>a man finds the book and gives the book to his non-Christian wife who struggles with self-worth<>this man's wife, reads the book and is touched and starts to understand God's love for her<> the couple have a baby boy<> the little boy grows up to be a Christian and ends up being a nurse<> he shares the gospel with a dying man in the hospital he works at<>the man's grandchildren hear the story of how their grandpa gave his life to Jesus right before he went to heaven<>the grandchildren all start visiting hospitals around their state and they visit with sick people, sharing their grandpa's story<>one patient is inspired to take the gospel to sick people around the world<> and many keep getting inspired and keep giving their lives to God all because you said, "yes, I'll ask if they'll come to church with me." God knows what He's doing!
There are hundreds of ripple effects around the whole world but often, we fail to see the bigger picture. When we are obedient to God, He works abundantly and He is faithful. Every ripple effect is different and it is all God's hand working. You said yes and that set off hundreds, no thousands of opportunities for others to know God! Isn't that beautiful? There is power in saying yes and running towards God instead of away from Him. And everyone has a part. God wants to use you but He also wants to use everyone else around you to accomplish His great task. We can ignore God and we can keep shoving off the feeling of His gentle touch tugging on our hearts as long as we want. But what are we risking when we say no?
He wants you. He called you because He believed you were the one for the job. You are the one He wants to use in this ripple effect. And the best part is, it's not our frail human strength accomplishing great things. It's His power and presence that is working in you. Don't say no just because you are scared, for He is with you. I am learning to acknowledge everyday that God is with me. He is sitting right here with me on my bed, Bible and notebook on my side and my dog at my feet, He is guiding me through writing this blog. This post isn't perfect because I am not perfect, but God is working through it to encourage and challenge people. I am learning that I don't have to look up to heaven when I mess up and feel like God is a million miles away. I can look to the side of me and talk to Him because He is right there.
So as 2018 kicks off and as I make more resolutions, failing some and succeeding at others, I hope to remember that God is always with me. And that is the very reason I can have full confidence and full trust. Saying yes to God can be scary. I am afraid and still am not obedient at times. I find myself daily pushing God aside so that I can do what I want. But I keep learning. I am learning that God knows what He's doing. So as He calls, may I listen and may I run towards His call. May I run towards the battle as David did, having full and confident trust in my God. If I accomplish only one thing in this life, I desperately hope it is that I always said yes to God and that I never held back because I was scared. And each day He will make me brave. He will equip me, He will equip you, as we continue to say yes. And as we step out onto the water, grabbing Jesus' hand, the ripple effect starts to form. And as we keep trusting, we keep walking on the water with Jesus. During that time spent hand in hand with our Lord, we will realize little by little and day by day that "everything is worthless when compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ our Lord."
He is worth it all.
~Ash
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