What If I Said Yes?

I love to ride roller coasters. I love the speed, the anticipation of the drops, twist and flips that come from riding them. Some of my favorite memories in theme parks are the moments of standing in line waiting to get on the rides.  When waiting in long lines the conversations usually at some point go to the ever dreaded, “what if this roller coaster crashes” convo and for a moment or two it takes the thrill away but then you go right back to excitement.  Even if I have been on the same coaster more than once I still get the same amount of butterflies.  As we continue our “What if” series I thought abut few areas that women tend to struggle in.

What if I trusted God.

What if I let go of all control.

What if I took that step of faith.

What if I could just lose this weight.

What if I ______(you fill in the blank)_____________________

I could go on and on with what if statements because if we are all honest, we have all  been in the “what if” lane. We tend to place our desires, our dreams, our weaknesses and even our friendships, relationships and marriages in the what if lane at some point.

As I look to God’s word and at the life of Jonah immediately asked myself what if he would have just said yes.  This goes for us too, friend what if you just said yes to whatever it is God is asking you to do even if you can’t see the end result or just like the roller coaster the dips, turns and flips.

Jonah 1: 1-3

This verse has always made me so frustrated at Jonah, until I went through a season where I know God was calling me to do something and almost 7 months or so later I was still holding on to it.  A lot of people focus on the first part of that verse and it is important because it literally said Jonah ran in the opposite direction from where God was sending him but I want to look at the last part of verse 3 just for a few moments.

Jonah 1:3

*HE PAID TO DISOBEY

I can’t tell you how many times I have known God was calling me to go talk to someone at a store and I would check out without even getting what I even came into the store for just so that I could escape a conversation and avoid the very person God asked me to talk to.  That seems small, but its not in the eyes of God.  We have all been disobedient at some point and maybe you are in that season right now of knowing you are being called, nudged or stirred in a new direction or out of something and you may not be PAYING to do the opposite however paying implies intentionality. When we intentionally say my way is better God so I am going to say NO to whatever it is you are calling me too its as if we are dropping the big bucks at a Las Vegas casino with the mindset that we will win.  I am convinced that so many of us play this betting game more than we like to admit.  We hold on to our gifts, our ways until we see what God does and after He moves, speaks or calls us to something we then respond from comfort, fear or we respond from a place of surrender.  Friend what if you said yes to whatever it is that is stirring in you.

*HE WENT ABOARD

I have only been on one cruise but I know that before any good boat pulls out of the dock they have to check on the boat to make sure its safe to set sail.  Not only did Jonah pay to get on that ship but he went on and he waited.  Could you imagine the thoughts that ran through his mind like  “what if I go and hose terrible people of Ninevah kill me”.   I wonder if he ever asked himself the question what if I would have just said yes. Jonah was gripped with fear and I believe that just like him we allow our fear to remove us from a place of exercising our faith.  Faith is part of our growth as a believer and if you aren’t stretching the faith muscle I bet its currently weak.  Ask yourself this question…  In what area of my life am I having to depend on God to restore, fix, provide, show clarity too etc and then look to see where you can see your heart positioned, hands up in the air and on your knees moments of surrender.  Friend what if you said yes to finally letting Go and by choosing to say yes to surrender.

*HE SAILED INTHE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FROM THE LORD.

I believe Jonah was afraid, yes, a coward, yes, but honestly Ninevah was a really bad place. In his mind if he went to that terrible place,  then surely the presence of God wouldn’t be there.  Think about it, if God told you today to pack your bags and go to the hardest part of your city where violence, gangs, and the hardest of hardest lived would you? I have a friend whose name is Colleen who did just that.  She lives in a neighborhood filled with violence where someone is shot sometimes 3 and 4 times a week and yet she stays. Is it hard? YES. We have had a lot of conversations surrounding WHAT IF. What if she left but came back to do ministry.  This woman is strong, single and knows God has drawn a circle of protection around her in the midst of darkness around her. He home stands as a light within that community and she is being used by God every single day. Whether its a simple hello, to opening her home up for others to come in and eat, to taking kids in she is living and exercising her faith muscle every day even when its hard. You see Jonah chose to run in the opposite direction of the Lord but friend we have Jesus and wherever we go the presence of the Lord goes to. We have to stop running from the Creator because this world is in need of YOU.  What if you just said yes to staying right where you are no matter what “here” looks like.

Jonah has always been pegged as the one who ran from God and he did for sure but ladies as we look deeper into seasons of of our lives or the current conditions of our own hearts I bet we could trace a lot of What if’s. Today I want to challenge you to say YES. Say yes no to God not to the scary thing he is asking, pruning or calling out of you to or calling you to do.  I believe when you just say yes to God you exercise that faith muscle and disarm the enemy from allowing the what if’s to paralyze you in fear.  You have been chosen by God with a purpose to serve Him, worship and obey Him and love His people by showing them who Jesus is.

Its time you move from that place of fear and start stepping to the rhythm of HERE I AM LORD SEND ME.