#WednesdayWisdom: The Y.E.S. Exchange (Part 5)

Hey everyone, hope you're having a blessed week and making it over the hump. Today's nugget of #WednesdayWisdom is another YES, one that I think is a summation of all the others. So far, we've covered a lot of what happens when we give our yes to God. When we yield to Him, He causes us to triumph. He equips us to be strong, and He allows us to see beyond our "right now" as He shows us who we are in Him. Before He does all that, though, we have to commit to one very important thing: we have to relinquish control. It's so easy to think we're in control of our own lives because God gives us free will, but the thing is, that free will is the choice to submit to Him. This is the final installment of the Y.E.S. Exchange:

(Y)ielding
(E)liminates
(S)elf-control

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

I referenced this scripture in my very first "official" post on this blog, but I felt led to revisit it. As I mentioned at the beginning of the Y.E.S. series, you've got to learn to trust God even when things don't make sense--even when you don't have your own understanding to lean on. And if you feel like you do understand exactly where your life is headed because you planned it out already, don't be surprised when God wrecks your plans and says, "You gone learn today!" He can do that. He's God. You do have the free will to choose a path for your life, but seek God and make sure you're making the right choice. That's where the YES comes in, because even the right path will have some unexpected turns and tunnels. The good news is, those turns and tunnels are only unexpected to us. God knew they were coming when He created you, and He has already planned accordingly. So, choose the path, asking for guidance in your choosing, and then trust God to lead you. Your YES will always lead straight to His promises. #WednesdayWisdom

#WednesdayWisdom: The Y.E.S. Exchange (Part 4)

Hey everyone, hope you're having a blessed week and making it over the hump. This week's nugget of #WednesdayWisdom is yet another Y.E.S. acronym, a word on self-love. The Y.E.S. Exchange continues.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. - 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

(Y)ielding
(E)nhances
(S)elf-perception

Last week, we discussed how submitting to God's will means seeing your circumstances through a faith-filtered lens. When you view your situation through God's eyes, the mountain has to move. The same applies to the way you see yourself. We've all had moments where we've felt imperfect, inadequate, less than, because we live in a society where the standard of beauty has been reduced to artificial body parts. People are obsessed with having the perfect physique, measuring their worth according to number of social media likes. The good news is, we don't have to worry about reaching unrealistic standards. God has already set us apart.

(Y)ielding
(E)nhances
(S)elf-perception

In case nobody's told you lately, you are royalty. You're worth so much more than all the likes and comments on all your social media sites combined...and then some. When you're a child of God and you're walking in His will, you can walk confidently knowing that you have a purpose, regardless of what the world says. You are enough for what and who God has called you to. You are incredible, because you were handcrafted by a magnificent God who loves you beyond comprehension. His love for you can never be measured. He can use you whether your selfie got 3 likes or 3,000. You are wonderful because you were made in His image, and regardless of how you feel, smile every time you look in the mirror, because His light in you cannot be hidden. If you're struggling with self-love, thank God for loving you and ask Him to change the way you look at yourself. Make a conscious effort to see yourself through His eyes. When you let His love for you teach you how to love yourself, your whole life will change. #WednesdayWisdom

#WednesdayWisdom: The Y.E.S. Exchange (Part 3)

Hey everyone, hope you're having a blessed week and making it over the hump. Today's nugget of #WednesdayWisdom is putting the music back into Music, Message, Messiah, drawing inspiration from scripture and song. This is the third installment of the Y.E.S Exchange.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. - Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

My favorite song from Travis Greene's latest album, Crossover: Live From Music City, is a track entitled "See The Light." I've had it on repeat since the album released in August, hooked on the out-of the-box mix of Travis' eclectic sound coupled with elements of his churchy South Carolina roots. The song's feel-good vibe, enhanced by Isaiah Templeton's soaring high notes and Geoffrey Golden's distinctive power, makes even the most rhythmless dancer want to move (I'm speaking from experience 😂). Lately, though, I've been paying less attention to the beat and more attention to the lyrics.

Travis Greene - Crossover: Live From Music City (2017) / Amazon

"Darkness seems to be all around me / Searching for what my eyes cannot see..." These are just the first two lines of the song, but they led me to another Y.E.S. acronym, this time, with two S's:

(Y)ielding
(E)ngages
(S)piritual
(S)ight

Travis proclaims in the chorus, "I can see the light coming!" but here's the thing: It's so dark around him, he can't actually see the light yet. He's "Searching for what my eyes cannot see" because his faith knows it's there. This is the revelation. Yielding to God's will means trusting what we can't see with the naked eye. (Y)ielding (E)ngages (S)piritual (S)ight. In this context, the word engage means to employ or activate. The natural eye sees what's microscopic; its view is limited to the small things in front of us that only look large because we have magnified them. The spiritual eyes are telescopic. The same way we use telescopes to see planets and stars in the night sky, we can use our spiritual eyes to see BEYOND seasons of "night" and darkness that we face. Giving God your YES means seeing your obstacles through His eyes. Remember, He never said the weapons wouldn't form, He just promised they'd never prosper. Sometimes God allows darkness in your life because it causes His light to be ILLUMINATED. So, next time you're faced with a mountain, tell it, "You've already been moved!" Activate your spiritual vision! #WednesdayWisdom

#WednesdayWisdom: The Y.E.S. Exchange (Part 2)

Hey everyone, hope you're having a blessed week and making it over the hump. Today's nugget of #WednesdayWisdom is a continuation of the Y.E.S. Exchange.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. - Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

In last week's post, I introduced the Y.E.S. Exchange acronym, (Y)ielding (E)nsures (S)uccess. This acronym explains how the path to success begins with a choice to yield, or submit, to God's will for your life. When you yield, He'll yield (provide) to you the necessary tools to reach your destiny. This week, I've discovered a new YES formula (thanks, in part, to Travis Greene's sermon this past Sunday at Forward City Church):

(Y)ielding
(E)ntails
(S)trength

Pastor Travis covered a lot of ground in that message, but one thing in particular really stuck with me, and I took it and ran with it. He said, "The devil always sends resistance to anything that's progressing and moving forward." Remember how I said there's no fine print when we say yes to God? That's true, because the end result will be victory--that's the kind of God we serve--but we have to work to get to that end. (Y)ielding (E)nsures (eventual) (S)uccess, but (Y)ielding (E)ntails (S)trength because your YES doesn't guarantee that the road to success will be easy.

On the path to success, we have to be able to discern and differentiate between what (and who) was sent by Satan versus what (and who) was sent by God. Testing will come from both, because Satan wants you to break before you reach the promise, and God wants to see if you're strong enough for where He's about to take you. Either way, you'll need strength because the distance between your initial yes to God and your promise land is a training ground, a process, however short or long, that will prepare you for elevation. It's important that you don't quit, no matter how long you've been in this stage! God knows where He's taking you, and guess what...so does the enemy. Keep in mind that just as God knows in advance how important your Kingdom assignment is, Satan knows a threat when he sees one. So when you give God your yes, expect to be attacked on every side. That yes activates resistance, but it comes with the territory that God is in the process of enlarging. While you're going through (and you WILL get through this!) take comfort in knowing that while God didn't say the weapons wouldn't form, He DID promise they'd never prosper. 💪🏾 #WednesdayWisdom

***One more thing: How fitting that this week's post is inspired by Travis Greene, just like my very first (official) post was one year ago. Music, Message, Messiah turned one year old November 4th! When God literally woke me up out of my sleep last year and told me to reopen this site and start writing, I had no idea what He was up to. I'd left it dormant for two years, but somehow I knew this was "not your average blog," and ironically, I chose that name "randomly" back in 2013. One year of consistent posts (and a name change) later, I'm so grateful for what He has allowed me to share on this platform. I pray that my content has blessed those who read it as much as it has blessed me to write it. May the messages always be simplified, the music be diversified, and most importantly, Christ be glorified. Here's to many more blog birthdays!

#WednesdayWisdom: The Y.E.S. Exchange

Hey everyone, hope you're having a blessed week and making it over the hump. Today's nugget of #WednesdayWisdom explains how God will give you His "yes" when you give Him yours.

"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground." - Psalms 143:10 (NIV)

This is the Y.E.S. exchange:

(Y)ielding
(E)nsures
(S)uccess

God gave me that acronym back in 2014, but I've been led back to it several times in the past three years. Looking back, I realize that God typically brings me back to it whenever I'm in a season of transition, so maybe this post is just for me. Anyway, most recently, it's been echoing in my spirit for the past two weeks, so I thought I'd share it here. I pray that it reaches whoever else needs to hear it. Yielding ensures success. It's proven every time.

The word yield has two definitions: 1) to surrender, submit, or give in, and 2) to produce or provide. By the first definition, when we do what we're told to do, what we're called to do, it always pays off. It might not pay off exactly when you think it should, but that's part of the surrender. You're not the one controlling it. God is. When He tells you to do something, to go somewhere, to follow what looks like an unmarked trail, you do it. You go, no questions asked, even when you don't know where or how or why, even when nobody else is going there or doing that, even when they say it doesn't make sense...it makes sense to God. Go.

That's what I got out of the acronym the first time it came to me, but it's even more profound now that I've realized it's double-sided. (Y)ielding (E)nsures (S)uccess because God answers your YES with His. Yielding also means providing, so when you yield to His will, when you submit to His vision for your life, He will give you His YES in exchange for yours, and yield provisions for your journey. Look at it this way: In life, we sign contracts for a lot of things--cars, houses, etc. When we sign, we have to remember to read the fine print to make sure we know what we're getting ourselves into. The good news is, there's no fine print with God. We don't have to know what we're getting ourselves into because He ALWAYS causes us to triumph! He'll never call us to something He won't bring us through, so we can move when He says move without worry of where the resources are coming from or where the road leads. Our paths have already been set. God's promises are yes and amen. That means, YES, He has it covered, and AMEN, it's already done! Give Him your yes and He'll do the rest. Trust Him.

When Your Spirit speaks to me,
With my whole heart I'll agree,
And my answer will be yes, Lord, yes!
#WednesdayWisdom

#WednesdayWisdom: Heart Strings - All-access Pass?

Hey everyone, hope you're having a blessed week and making it over the hump. Today's nugget of #WednesdayWisdom is a word on the body's most important muscle: the heart. Who, if anyone, gets an all-access pass to yours?

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. - Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

Given the way the world works these days, it would be so easy to use the above Bible verse to close yourself off from relationships, both platonic and romantic. So much of culture and society glorifies being a one-man-show, the idea that we don't need anybody else and we can do everything by ourselves. The way the world works can cause us to think that we are the only ones who have our own best interests at heart, and teaches us not to set ourselves up to be "played": taken advantage of, used, hurt, etc. Of course no one wants to be played, but if we're honest with ourselves, we don't want to be alone either. Yes, it is true that at some point in life, you will be faced with the reality that everybody doesn't have the same heart as you. You can't expect everyone to treat you as nicely as you treat them. Here's the kicker, though: Even after you come to terms with the fact that you will never be treated EXACTLY the way you want to be treated, you still can't close your heart off to people in fear of being hurt, because as Christians, we are called to love everyone as Christ does. It's a tough but necessary pill to swallow. Yes, absolutely, guard your heart. Making yourself accessible to everyone can be detrimental to your emotional and spiritual health; however, make sure you know the difference between a guard and a wall. Guards can be let down, but walls, made of brick and mortar, are sturdy and designed to keep everything out. Don't protect yourself from being hurt so much that you end up hurting yourself. Sometimes, your "protection" can keep you from something great. God knows what and who you need in your life. Stop being afraid and ask Him to help you put yourself out there. Ask for discernment and trust Him enough to open your heart and let the good stuff in. #WednesdayWisdom

#WednesdayWisdom: Stay In Your Lane

Hey everyone, hope you're having a blessed week and making it over the hump. Today's nugget of #WednesdayWisdom is a word on comparison: Stay in your lane!

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

- Psalms 139:13-16 (NIV)

We've all had a moment (or several) in our lives where we're doing something we love, something we do well, and as we're enjoying it, someone else comes along who does it "better" according to society's standards. Newsflash: In everything you do, there's going to be someone "better" than you, and someone else who wishes they were as good as you. Don't worry about them. Just be YOU. Stop looking for people to validate you and tell you how great you are. Walk in your greatness & believe in yourself. Someone else's success is not a threat to your own. Another person's gifts and talents don't diminish yours. You're still enough even when they're great. You're still enough when you think they're getting the level of acknowledgement that you deserve. There's enough room for both of your gifts to be necessary. Don't get intimidated in your lane when you see a newer, more expensive car riding beside you. If that car is merging into your lane, so what? You're both going in the same direction. Even if the other car gets there before you, when you reach YOUR sweet spot, nobody will be able to do YOUR thing exactly the way YOU do it. Keep your eyes on the road, and don't get distracted! The only person you're competing with in this race is the version of yourself you see in the rear view mirror. God has tailor made your gifts to fit your purpose, so doubting your gifts means doubting Him. He hasn't forgotten about you. He knows exactly where you're going, and exactly when you'll get there. Your "arrival" time is not an estimate; your location is permanently programmed in His (G)odly (P)ositioning (S)ystem. Stay in YOUR lane, in YOUR position, and watch God work when it's your turn. In the meantime, turn on some worship music in your car and give Him a destination praise in advance. Claim the promise ahead of time! #WednesdayWisdom