from JO’s sermon tonight:
sometimes, we’ve gone through so many noes that we get discouraged, and give up on our dreams. God is saying, this is going to be a year of YES; what hasn’t worked out in the past is suddenly going to fall into place, doors that you thought were closed are suddenly going to open. dreams and promises that you’d given up on, God is about to make a way. in this year of yes, God is about to reverse the noes; the times you’ve been denied, turned it down, told no thanks, that’s not the end, it just wasn’t the right time. yes is coming.
people may tell you no; their no does not cancel out God’s yes. don’t let them talk you out of your dreams; God has the final say, and He’s saying, “get ready for yes.” God is going to put you at the right place at the right time, send divine connections, people who will go out of their way to be good to you. you couldn’t make it happen; it was the favor of God bringing you into your yes. you may not think you have the right connections; don’t worry, you have friends in high places. God is not only guiding and directing your steps, He’s lining up the people you need, arranging things in your favor.
Paul said:
2 Corinthians 1:20 (MSG)
20 Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus
that means that the dreams and promises that He has spoken over you are already stamped with yes. God has already set the date to bring it to pass
2 Corinthians 1:21 (MSG)
21 God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ
God is saying yes, but He needs your yes to make it happen; God works where there is faith. when it comes to God, be a yes man/woman.
Psalm 65:11 (NLT)
11 You crown the year with a bountiful harvest
you can go around not expecting good breaks, to not get ahead, or you can be a yes man/woman: “yes, God, I agree; thank You that it’s going to be a blessed, prosperous, abundant, bountiful year.” that’s not just being positive, it’s putting your yes with God’s yes. God said that what was meant for your harm, He’s going to turn and use to your advantage. you can dwell on all your hurts, what didn’t work out, the people that did you wrong, or you can be a yes man/woman. is God waiting for your yes? are you letting the noes, disappointments, delays, convince you that it’s not going to happen? you may not have seen it yet, but this is a new day; you’re coming into a year of yes. put your yes with God’s yes, and watch what happens.
there was a woman in the scripture named Hannah; she was married, but:
1 Samuel 1:6 (NIV)
6 … the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb
to make matters worse:
1 Samuel 1:2-7 (NIV)
2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none… her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.
but then:
1 Samuel 1:9-18 (NIV)
9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house…17 Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” 18 … she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
on the outside, nothing had changed, there was no sign of a baby, but on the inside, she put her yes with God’s yes.
1 Samuel 1:20 (NIV)
20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel
she came into her yes. like Hannah, you may have had a lot of noes, people have tried to discourage you, make you think it’s never going to happen; you need to get ready, your yes is coming. the same God that shut Hannah’s womb opened Hannah’s womb; God may have said no in the past, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be no in the future. just as God turned Hannah’s no into a yes, God is going to turn some noes around for you. will you do like Hannah, and start acting like what God told you is going to happen? all Hannah had was a word from the prophet that she was going to have a baby; you have something much more powerful, a promise from the God who spoke worlds into existence. He’s saying, “if you’ll put your yes with My yes, I’ll turn the noes around.”
those situations that seem permanent: the addiction that you’ve dealt with for years, the health issue that won’t go away, a struggle in your finances. it seems like you’re stuck, thoughts tell you, “just accept the noes”; don’t believe those lies, God is about to open up your womb. what you’ve been dreaming about, you need to get ready, your time is coming; your yes is headed your way. are you thanking God even though you don’t see anything happening? will you be bold enough to believe that you’re still going to give birth, even though it feels like your womb has been shut? if you keep adding your no to God’s yes, you can cancel out what God has in store. other people’s no cannot stop you, what they say, what they do; they don’t control your destiny. the enemy’s no cannot stop you; what you believe is what matters.
God needs your yes. He has amazing things in your future, more influence, favor than you’ve ever imagined; keep adding your yes. thoughts may tell you no, circumstances may tell you that it’s never going to happen, but your yes and God’s yes makes it a sure thing, because God controls the universe; one touch of His favor can turn a no into a yes. you need to get ready; your yes is on the way.
in 2 Kings:
2 Kings 20:1 (NIV)
1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
what do you do when God says no?
2 Kings 20:2-3 (NIV)
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.”
his attitude was, “if I’m going to die, I’m going to die asking for the yes.”
2 Kings 20:4-6 (NIV)
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you… I will add fifteen years to your life.
even when you feel like God has said no, if you’ll dare do like Hezekiah, and ask God for the yes, your faith can cause God to change His mind. in this year of yes, God is going to reverse some noes; God is going to correct your mistakes, bring back opportunities that you’ve missed, and give you another chance. the things that have been a struggle, constant pressure, are going to suddenly turn around.
Hezekiah and Hannah both faced situations where God said no. they both asked for yes in the face of no; “God, You control the universe; we’re asking You in Your great mercy to change Your mind.”
are you bold enough to ask for a yes even though all you keep getting are noes? Jesus told a parable:
Luke 18:2-5 (CEV)
2 In a town there was once a judge who didn’t fear God or care about people. 3 In that same town there was a widow who kept going to the judge and saying, “Make sure that I get fair treatment in court.”
4 For a while the judge refused to do anything. Finally, he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 I will help this widow because she keeps on bothering me. If I don’t help her, she will wear me out.”
she kept asking for yes in the face of no. if you’re going to see your yes, you have to be determined; if you accept the first to no, you weren’t serious about it. the noes are a test; God wants to see how bad you want it. if you get discouraged, give up, you didn’t want it badly enough; you have to do like this woman and keep asking, praying, believing, dreaming, hoping. if one door closes, try another door; you have to come to your closed doors before you can come to your open doors. don’t get discouraged by the noes, they are part of your destiny, leading you to the yes. you may have had a lot of noes in the past, things haven’t worked out; you need to get ready, your yes is coming. God is going to open doors that you could not open, cause people to change their minds, and go out of their way to be good to you. it’s going to be unprecedented favor; you will know that it’s the hand of God.
Nazareth was a poor, run-down city in Biblical days:
John 1:46 (CEV)
46 “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
yet, Jesus came from the city of Nazareth. can any good thing come out of your neighborhood? yes, you can; you are the exception, the history-maker, you have seeds of greatness. there are yeses in your future that are going to thrust you to the next level. God is going to bring divine connections that will use their influence to push you into your purpose. you may have had a lot of noes in the past, but you need to get ready; you are coming into your year of yes. yes to the scholarship, right person, healing, breakthrough. your yes is on the way.
Bizarrely Blessed 