A few months ago, while my family was travelling in the United States, I told God that I would be His “yes girl” – that no matter what He told me to do, I would say “yes.”  This was a hard thing for me to say, because I don’t always want to do what God tells me to do.  Obedience is not the natural inclination of our flesh.  But it is the natural desire of our spirit.  The closer a relationship we build with the King of kings, the more we begin to want what He wants; as we delight ourselves in Him, the desires of His heart become the desires of our heart.  Honestly though, I was feeling a little leery of what I had promised God.  Now that I told Him I’d say “yes,” I was committed.  And now that I had committed, what was He going to ask of me? (gulp.)  Being as God-crazy as I am, I already scare enough people.  Was I destined to scare more?  Was I really ready for this?

At church, the Sunday after I made this life-changing commitment, God gave one of the ladies a word for me.  He had heard my “yes,” He knew what it was costing me to say it, and He was going to do beautiful things because of it.  And then I knew for certain, way deep down in my spirit: yes, this was what I wanted.  I had no idea what God had in store for me, but I wanted to be a part of it.

On my road to total surrender, I have learned some things.  I could site numerous Biblical examples of men and women who lived their lives saying “yes” to God, and I could tell you how, since I have begun my journey, I am able to see those examples so much more clearly.  But that would take me away from my real purpose: sharing what I myself have learned in saying “yes” to my God.

Being God’s “yes girl” means trusting God enough to believe that His way is the best, the most glorious to Him, and the most perfectly beautiful way there is.  It also means trusting that He has our good, our best interests in mind.  Because He honestly does.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”  (Jeremiah 29:11)

Mere trust, however, is not all that is required to be God’s “yes girl.”  Being God’s “yes girl” means having a bold faith.  This faith steps up when all others shrink back.  This faith says, “Here am I.  Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).  This faith is built on a foundation of trust.  As we learn how to trust our Lord whole-heartedly in every aspect of our lives and come to know our heavenly Father more, our faith continues to expand.  Thus, this kind of faith doesn’t just come out of nowhere.  It is built on the most solid, most eternal thing possible: Jesus Christ, our sure Hope.

And there is still more.  Whenever I say “yes” to God and His plans, I am automatically saying “no” to everything else, to every other choice.  I am not worried what those other things might have been because I already trust that His way is the best for me and those around me.

These are just a few of the things I have learned in my pursuit of obedience; I hope that I shall continue to learn and grow more as I continue my journey.  I want to be the girl God can go to when He needs something done, a woman after His own heart.  I want to sing, “Yes, Lord; yes, Lord; yes, yes, Lord; amen!” with conviction.  When He says “Speak,” I’ll say “Yes.”  When He says “Go,” I’ll say “Yes.”  When He says “Do,” I’ll say “Yes.”  And with His help, I’ll live out a life of pure, unadulterated obedience to Him.  Join me on this journey – this journey of saying “yes” to the One.

‘“….[The Lord] testified concerning [David]: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.”’ (Acts 13:22)

(If God is telling you it is time to say “yes,” check out the book Stark Raving Obedience, written by a good friend of my family.  It is a hard read – by content, not length – but it will stir up in you a hunger to pursue all that God wants to do in you and through you. http://www.amazon.com/Stark-Raving-Obedience-Listening-ebook/dp/B00BLSSDY0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370280524&sr=8-1&keywords=Stark+Raving+Obedience+books)