There was a singer, a guy on a guitar and another guy on a beat box and just 3 of us in the chairs. The same number on the altar as in the congregation! Earlier, we could have decided to cancel the service knowing that few would attend, but we didn't. We decided to be consistent even with small numbers. I am sure glad that we did, because I had a life impacting encounter with God!
Half way into the 3rd worship song, I stopped singing and was instead, speaking phrases of my own to God. I was telling Him several things including "I Yield to You!" Suddenly, the voice of God rang in my ears as if it was audible, though I knew nobody else could hear it. He said, "Don't Yield to Me! I don't want You to Yield to Me. I want you to Fully Surrender to Me!" At that instant, I envisioned a Yield Road Sign being replaced with a Stop Road Sign.
I don't know when it was that the word Yield became part of my prayer jargon. It has been for countless years. I probably heard other Christians say it and I picked up on it and started saying it myself. I have probably said that to God several thousand times and I still do think that in many cases, that would continue be good terminology. But for me, right now, facing the decisions and issues that I'm facing, God has been clear: I am not to view my decision making processes as times to yield. I am to stop fully and fully surrender.
There is a difference, though it on the subtle side and I never thought it very important until now. It’s interesting how God speaks to us using illustrations that are comparable to other things we are experiencing at the time. I have been teaching my wife Amy to drive and I just got word from her that she passed her driving tests and received her first Drivers License just this week! One of the big lessons I have been teaching her is how to Yield, especially in the area where she is practice driving, where she has to enter traffic circles with possible cars coming around and there is only one lane. The point is that when no other cars are coming, you can proceed driving without stopping. The Yield in that case means you don’t have to Stop. You keep going unless there is a reason to Stop. But if another car is coming, they have the right of way and you must Stop and Yield to them.
Additionally in places where there are Stop signs, Amy had to learn that it isn't a stop until the wheels have fully stopped turning. As with most people, this was hard for her to put into practice. She was doing what we call "rolling stops." That is when you sort of almost stop but the car is still rolling slightly and then when no cars are coming, you accelerate. She was actually Yielding, rather than fully Stopping. That is actually an offense that will land you a ticket with the Police in many countries. What she had to do to overcome that compulsion was to fully stop, count 2 seconds and then go. Now, she always fully stops. But she had to initiate a discipline to do it.
One of the hardest things about doing a full stop is that we notice around us that hardly anybody else is doing it. Even the Police cars, at least that I have seen, rarely do a full stop. They are often rolling right through them. It's hard to do something that many others disregard and don’t think is important! But that is just the point! Sometimes God asks us to do something that He doesn't seem to be insisting that other people do! But for us, it is a personal command whether for a life-time or for a season.
Most of the time, Christians yield rather than stop. The main reason is because in many decisions of life, you aren't necessarily going to hear from God directly. As long as we follow His Word, we are free to just keep going and simply be ready to Yield if He shows up to change our course.
The problem is that we get so used to that, that when we come upon a Stop sign decision; one that we really need to fully Stop for and wait on the Lord for, we often roll through them and make terrible choices. Sometimes the root causes can be busyness or laziness.
What is even worse, is that our own ideas and desires can start to enter the mix. We want what we want, when we want it and rather than Stopping which is a full surrender to the perfect will of God, so we just roll on through, telling ourselves that it’s ok and we pursue our own desire while making good spiritual sounding excuses for just Yielding.
So for me in this season, I will not be Yielding to God. I will be making full Stops. Making sure that I fully surrender to His perfect plan. Making sure that I have inquired of Him on every important decision and have received His direction before proceeding. Maybe He is speaking the same thing to you?
Now am I going to be seeking the Lord’s Will at the restaurant as I check the menu regarding what to eat? That’s not what I’m talking about! However, it is true that there are times that I’m about to order something that isn’t healthy for my blood sugar and I do hear the prompting of the Lord telling me not to order the starchy item. My point is, there is a balance in all of this.
This is a time that God moves on many hearts in the Church to go into the New Year with fasting and prayer. I will be asking members of the Church I pastor to join me in fasting at whatever level of fasting they are individually willing to do. This is a good way to make a Full Stop. I would recommend at a minimum, a three day, a one week, a ten day or even a full month. And instead of just fasting food, I recommend fasting from other things as well including things like TV, Movies, Multi-media and more. One lady I know fasted from wearing make-up for 40 days and it changed her life! For some people, giving up Diet Coke for a month would be a great part of their fast!
