Yield your heart, Suzie.
That’s the message I’ve been hearing for several months. The funny thing is that I didn’t know exactly what that looked like at first, not really.
Until I started hanging out with the disciples.
Watching them helped me discover what a yielded heart looked like.
Go . . .
We know God is saying go and we’ve got our foot on the brake. It’s a light touch, but it’s still a long way from the accelerator.
The disciples were often in that place.
You’re name is now Peter, a Rock.
You feed them, Philip.
I give you authority over demons and the ability to cure sickness.
Can you imagine how you or I would feel if we heard those words straight from the mouth of Jesus? Maybe we’d look around to see if there was someone else who could fill those shoes. . . but what if we yielded instead?
Jesus didn’t begin by asking Peter to act like a Rock. He only asked that he see himself the way Jesus did.
Philip wasn’t asked to find enough food for a multitude, but to offer up what he had.
The twelve weren’t responsible for healing the sick, they were only asked to pray as if it were true.
Do our part, trust God to do His
In every one of these yielded places, there were rarely big moves on the disciple’s part. They did what He asked, and let God do the rest.
[ctt template=”4″ link=”49b4E” via=”yes” ]Yielding to God is rarely a big move, but saying yes over and over again. #ComeWithMe #livefree @suzanneeller[/ctt]
We don’t have to pretend like we are all knowing, or all powerful. We just have to do what God asks us to do.
The rest is up to Him.
Keep going
If God is leading in a new direction, surrendering to that direction is our first move.
Then we keep going.
Six years ago Richard and I felt the Holy Spirit leading us to a new state. We prayed. We sought God. We heard a definite yes.
We had NO direction other than that.
We talked about what it would take to move to a new state.
Richard had to move his counseling license from one state to the other. There were about 5 steps in that process. They were lengthy. There was money and tests involved.
Even though it took time, we were merging into God’s plan for us.
The second step was to find a job.
The third to sell our house. That took a long time. We were in the waiting phase for several months on this step.
The fourth to buy a new home.
And so on.
Each of those steps could also be unpacked.
- Call the licensing board. Find out what it takes to transfer a license. Save for the testing fees. Set up the test date.
- Look for a job. Find out about the housing market. Paint the living room where sticky fingerprints decorated the walls. Call a realtor. Pack. Hold a garage sale.
Eventually we arrived in our new state.
The Lord continued to ask us to yield to Him in a hundred different ways, but it was no longer complicated.
He was simply asking us to:
Go. . .
Do our part. . .
Keep going
Yielding isn’t always in the big things. Sometimes our greatest struggling in yielding is in the small things. After the #ComeWithMe study, I knew I needed to take a bit of a break. I resisted — for a moment.
Then I yielded. God knows what He’s doing. Beginning this week I’m going to blog once a week. It feels strange after connecting with you three times each week for such a long time, but I don’t want to miss what He’s trying to show me.
What is God speaking to you?
Have you been paralyzed by the big picture?
Have you been waiting for a big move?
Let’s pray about that together.
Jesus, align our will with yours. We have our foot lightly on the brake. If it’s time to take it off, show us our part. If it’s a waiting time, show us that as well. We don’t have to have it all figured out. All the you ask is that we listen for your voice. Thank you for that.
Suzie
Next Tuesday I’ll join bestselling author, speaker, and counselor, Holley Gerth, and popular blogger and speaker Jennifer Watson, in a Facebook Live broadcast.
This live broadcast is on Tuesday, September 13th, at 2:30 p.m. CT
It’s brief, it’s fun, it’s real . . . because who has time for small talk?
Mark your calendar!
The live broadcast will be on Holley’s FB page. You can also catch the recorded broadcast at a later time on my FB ministry page, where we’ll take the topic deeper!
All you have to do is go to either page and “like” it.
Tuesday’s #wordgirlstribe topic is “The lies we believe and what to do about it.”
See you there!
[inlinkz_linkup id=661608 mode=1]
Suzie,
You always bypass the fluff and go straight to the heart. I too feel a leading from the Lord to yield to him but I think I am wrestling a bit with the fear of letting go. At any rate, I know I’ll get there eventually, either on my own or by default. Thanks for your sincerity and enjoy the break.
Wonderful words today, Suzie!
This phrase sticks with me: merging into God’s plan.
I love that image, and am thankful for your testimony of obedience and faith!
I appreciate that you will be sending these messages once a week. The study is over but I need the ideas reinforced so thanks for doing this. I often feel like my foot is not lightly on the brake. I am stomping on it and there’s that whiplash jerk that accompanies that action. It’s not a pleasant feeling.
I, too, like the phrase “merging into God’s plan”. My human nature resists submitting control but merging or aligning my will with God’s doesn’t seem so threatening. I like the image of a working relationship.
I will stay connected, I promise! I’d love for you to also connect on my FB ministry page: https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneEllerP31
I love the part of this post where you talk about how Jesus asks us to see ourselves the way He sees us. This is something He is constantly working on with me. My default mode used to be seeing myself through my flaws, my illness, my struggles. But more and more Jesus is peeling back every layer for me to see who I truly am in Him. It’s the most freeing thing I think we can experience. <3 Thanks for this post, Suzie!
“Yielding isn’t always in the big things. Sometimes (for me, most times) our greatest struggling in yielding is in the small things.” Whoa! Oh yes! Thank you for this Suzie!
This also struck me as something I.Need.To.Remember!
I’m flying today so I’m sneaking in and reading comments between flights. Love that we can talk together. I hear you, merging seems gentle and doable, and we find ourselves in the flow of His will. Praying for all of us today as we ‘give way’ to Hus leading.
I love that you’re obeying that direction God’s giving to post once a week for a while. May the Lord pour His power over you as you give more time to see what He’s showing you. God’s calling me to be a mom in new ways to a few Turkish young people. Especially one young woman I feel like He’s shown me to “adopt.” It gets me past my comfort zone because I think, “These young people do not want to talk to 52 year old me.” But then I see that they do. They really do. They need someone in their lives who reflects God’s unconditional love. Have fun in Austin, my favorite city. <3
Girrrrrrrrl……. *sigh*
Lord, if my foot is on the brake in any way, show me. Show us. Direct us.
I’m so glad you are hearing God’s prompting in the small things and yielding to His direction, Suzie! Take care of yourself ♥
Much love,
Lori
We need to connect soon. You live too close for this not to have happened yet!
Thank you for the encouragement and reminder to stay focused on Jesus and Scripture. Blessings to you! 🙂
so true! we look for the big things but He often (usually!) moves in the small – thanks, suzie – reminds me of Oswald Chambers: “Trust God and do the next thing.” (even if it’s cleaning out the pantry)
I’m a huge fan of Oswald Chambers and this is a perfect reminder, Sue! ♥️♥️♥️
Suzie,
Tonight you have been an instrument of God. I followed a link in the Compel forums to this page (“Too many ideas, too little certainty”). Both your response to the post and this topic spoke directly to me, as if God is responding to my questions, my prayers. Thank you.
I’m so glad, Nicole. I’m thrilled that you found your way here.
Came over to visit you today via Susan B. Mead’s site Suzanne.. I love reading how you are listening and following God in spite of the obstacles and fear that arise. God never says we will not be fearful but He asks us to trust Him. I am on that pah right now as God has pushed me way outside my comfort zone. In spite of the uneasiness at times, I press forward trusting Him so that he is glorified. Thank you for sharing your story here Suzanne. Such a pleasure to visit your site. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and may God continue to richly bless you and yours in all your endeavors!