Faith That Follows: Saying Yes to God Before You Know the Outcome
What would change in your life if your first response to God was always “yes”?
I sat at my desk, Bible open, a pile of notebooks beside me, and fingers poised over the laptop keyboard eager to hear what God wanted me to write. It had been hours of waiting. Long hours of silence. Until I felt God nudging me toward something deeper—the silence was not from a lack of His presence, but a lack of my surrender. Deep in my heart, I felt the questions rise. Was I truly willing to write what God asked me to write? Or was I hoping His will would simply align with my preferences? I knew the truth: trust isn’t proven when God confirms my plans, but when He challenges them. When He asks me to examine if my heart aligns with His heart. If I’m ready and willing to say “yes” regardless of what He’s calling me to say or do? Or if my fear of what that “yes” will cost me is greater than my trust in Him?
Many times, when God gave words to individuals, there was a cost. The words He put in the mouths of His prophets often called people to reevaluate their relationship with the world and realign their hearts with His. But people weren’t always receptive to those hard truths. When God called people like Abraham, Moses, Esther, Daniel, and even the disciples to follow Him, there was a cost to their “yes.”
Abraham left everything familiar behind to go to a land he didn’t know (Genesis 12:1–5).
Moses returned to the very place he wanted to avoid and spoke words he was terrified to say (Exodus 3:1–22, 4:1–20).
Esther was called to risk her life by going before the king to intercede on behalf of her people (Esther 4).
Daniel refused to bow to anyone but God, even when it could have, and nearly cost him his life (Daniel 6:1–13).
Jesus called the disciples to drop their nets, leave their families, and follow Him wherever He led (Matthew 4:18–22, Luke 9:23, John 10:27).
Likewise, if we want to follow Jesus, we must count the cost. Take up our cross and follow Him.
“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me’” (Luke 9:23 ESV).
Following God means surrendering what we want and saying yes to what He’s called us to, no matter how difficult, uncomfortable, or costly it may be.
Yet, but what’s the benefit to us?
We have the great privilege of partnering with God to bring about His miraculous plan.
When Abraham said, “yes,” God birthed a nation through him (Hebrews 11:8–12).
Moses witnessed a nation delivered from slavery (Hebrews 11:24–29).
Esther’s “yes” stopped a genocide, and the lives of her people were saved (Esther 8&9).
God shut the mouths of lions for Daniel, and a king declared, “Daniel’s God is the Living God” (Daniel 6:25–28).
When the disciples obeyed and shared the gospel of Jesus Christ through the power of Holy Spirit, the early church was born (Acts 2).
If we genuinely want to follow God, we must count the cost of obedience so that when He calls us to go into all the world, however He may call us to do that, our ‘yes’ will be solid and unwavering.
Friend, we don’t have to be fearless to be faithful, but having the courage to take that first step is essential. Yet, Jesus promises He’ll never leave us alone (Matthew 28:20). We can be assured that His Spirit goes with us and provides all we need for our journey, even if we don’t know where we’re going. Saying “yes” isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about trusting the One who does. What feels unknown to us is fully known to God.
Will God ask you to leave everything you know and set out for a new city or country? I don’t know. God doesn’t ask everyone to leave their homeland like Abraham, or risk their lives like Esther, or traverse the world preaching like the apostles. Yet, one thing He asks of each of us is to say “no” to the world and “yes” to Him (1 John 2:15–17). Saying “yes” to Jesus is the small, faithful step we can take every day. To daily take up our cross and follow Him. Each faithful step may set us on a path to an amazing adventure, one we never could’ve imagined. Most importantly, those faith-filled steps will lead us into deeper intimacy with Jesus.
Still, what does a small faithful step look like?
It looks like practicing patience when you’d rather hurry. Talking to the woman at the checkout because you know God wants you to. Being kind to the neighbor kid, whom everyone thinks is bad news. Stopping to chat with the elderly person while you wait to cross the street. Or, it could look like traveling halfway around the world, writing a book, staying home with your children, starting a new career, sharing your testimony, speaking at an event outside your comfort zone, adopting or fostering a child, helping a co-worker, and the list goes on.
If you’re not sure what assignment God has for you, be patient, read His word, sit still and listen, chat with a Christ-following mentor. And above all, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37–39). After all, the best “yes” ever uttered was when our Lord Jesus said “yes” to the cross. He is the perfect example of how to live out a faith that follows the Father’s heart.
Journal Prompts
Read Hebrews 11, Proverbs 3:5-6, John 14
1. What fears or desires might keep me from fully surrendering to God?
Invite the Holy Spirit to gently reveal areas of your heart you’ve been keeping from Him. If He reveals something, spend some time releasing it to Him.
If He reveals an area of sin and you’re ready to let it go, pray this simple prayer.
God, forgive me for ___. I choose to turn away from ___ and wholeheartedly follow you. Thank you for nailing sin to the cross and for forgiving it through Jesus Christ’s shed blood.
(Colossians 2:14, Ephesians 2:4-5)
2. When has obedience in my past led to unexpected fruit or growth? (John 15:5, Galatians 5:22-25).
Reflect on how God worked through your faithfulness in the past, even when the road was hard.
3. What is one faithful step of obedience God is asking of me right now?
Write a prayer of commitment, entrusting Him with the outcome.
“The will of God is not something you add to your life. It’s a course you choose. You either line yourself up with the Son of God… or you capitulate to the principle which governs the rest of the world.”
– Elisabeth Elliot
“To follow Christ is to obey Christ. If we believe, we must act.“
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Memory Verse
Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23 NLT)
