It All Starts with a Yes!

I will never forget the day that God called me to be his messenger. 

I knew the Lord.  My faith was strong.  My character was becoming strong.

I was ending out by senior year in high school, really walking well with the Lord and starting to establish sometimes in the word and prayer, becoming a leader within our youth group, praying around the flag pole, attending Christian meetings, and the like.

I went to church as usual and the Lord spoke to me in probably one of the most Audible ways.

They were praying out and I just heard “Give me your Life.”

And so, I talk back to God and say, God I have.  I’m yours.

And He said I want it all. And I started weeping.  Just crying.

And I said Yes.  I mean really what do you say to God. 

Yes. (This was not salvation, this was yes to being His messenger.

I didn’t know what that meant so I got back in my car, a 85 Plymouth Baby Blue Sundance and I told my mom and my sister, my brother was too young to care.  And we just all sort of say ok.  They ask me what that meant, and I said I had absolutely no idea, but I had said yes.

Interesting enough my youth pastor from a previous church that we had left had preached at another church the same time that I was receiving that call and he was telling the Church there that he saw Jesus coming back to get his bride and we should be ready and he goes down to pray at the altar and he dies.

And we get back home from Church and there is a message on out telephone of his passing.

And my life has been altered.  A man who was a huge part of my discipleship had passed away.

He believed in this little nerd kid, who couldn’t speak, was so insecure, had nothing attractive about me.

And he died. 

So, we went to his funeral and there is this super long line of people that he had affected waiting to get in, and he was young, and his kids were young, and it was sad.

And I stood over his coffin and said a greater Yes.  I had no idea it wouldn’t be the last coffin.

I asked the Lord to have more impact in my life then he had. 

And so, I leave to be a missionary to Mexico for a summer just a yes, in college they ask me to speak for a summer event because all the boys had left town, I said yes, and yes to goingto El Salvador, and yes to starting Hope Extreme, and yes God we will start Hope Community Church and move to the east side of Houma, adopting four kids it’s a YESS…

And so does other prophets.

Daniel was just a series of yes’s. Just like all the people in the bible.  An opportunity open. YES!

Isiah’s Call?  Who will Go?  Yes, Send ME! (Then the book of Isiah.)

Moses with the Burning Bush! Yes, to I Am though he gets a little help. (Then the 5 books of OT)

John the Baptist. Yes.  Honey and Locust are no problem. (Then Baptizing Jesus)

Saul who became Paul. It took a great light, but he said YES. (Then torture, persecution, jail)

Want to find out God’s will for your life, just say YES when he asks.

And he will ask.  Say yes.  It’s not big, it’s just yes.

So many of us want to get to the top right now, but it’s the Yes journey that gets us there.

And so does Daniel.

Daniel 6:10 Daniel and the Lions' Den

1. Yes to Being His Messenger

6 It pleased Darius (now at this point Daniel was older, this was the third king)to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; ² and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. ³ Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. ⁴ Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.⁵ Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

⁶ Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement^[a]to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! ⁷ All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. ⁸ Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” ⁹ Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.

¹⁰ When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

2. Yes to Godly Disciplines

It’s only a series of yes’s. 

This was who Daniel was. He was not affected by the decrees because he had established Godly Disciplines in his life.  In Chapter 1 we see him fasting.  In chapter 9 we see him reading the word and journaling.  He is faithful.  We see him praying.  We see him breaking apart scripture. 

The disciplines of our faith lead to another Yes and to God’s best!!

You can’t say another yes to God, without being faithful and holy in the previous yes.

Daniel was just a series of yes’s. Just like all the people in the bible. An opportunity open. YES!

So many of us want to get to the top right now, but it’s the Yes journey that gets us there.

Yes, talk to your neighbor about Jesus.  (example with a ladder getting to where God wants you)

Yes, picking up church, serving in nursery, to leading a bible study, praying at flag pole. 

Yes at 18, sure I will be a leader, sure I will lead that devotion, mission trip I’m in.

Knowing that with every YES God will guide your steps.

Daniel just does what he has already done. YES TO PRAYER.  YES TO HIM

Open the windows and continues to pray.

It’s just YES’s and Godly Disciplines in your life. 

(ex.  With ladder, while most of would think of a ladder of success, it’s a ladder of closeness of God, yes and Godly discipline.)

And when you do…Lion’s Den Miracles!! 

The Lion’s Den would not have happened…

Without a YES!!

¹⁹ Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions.²⁰ As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever!²² My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”²³ Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.²⁴ And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

Lion’s Den Miracles don’t just happen…

it started with a Yes and Godly discipline in Your Life.

This is good, but it gets better