How can we "yield yourselves to the LORD" in our daily lives today? Understanding the Call to Yield “Now do not stiffen your necks as your fathers did, but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to His sanctuary… Serve the LORD your God…” 2 Chronicles 30:8 Hezekiah urged Judah to stop resisting God’s authority, to come near, and to serve Him wholeheartedly. Yielding is the opposite of a stiff neck; it is a willing, responsive heart. What Yielding Involves - Surrendering my will to God’s will (Luke 22:42) - Placing every area of life under His authority (Colossians 3:17) - Offering myself as a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1) - Walking in daily obedience rather than occasional compliance (John 14:15) Practical Ways to Yield Daily 1. Submit Your Mind • Begin each morning with Scripture, allowing God’s truth to shape your thoughts (Psalm 119:105). • Reject patterns of thinking that contradict His Word (2 Corinthians 10:5). 2. Surrender Your Plans • Hold schedules loosely, inviting God to redirect (Proverbs 3:5-6). • Ask, “How does this decision advance Your kingdom?” before committing to new endeavors (Matthew 6:33). 3. Consecrate Your Body • Pursue purity in speech, media, and relationships (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). • Treat physical health as stewardship for service, not vanity (1 Timothy 4:8). 4. Guard Your Affections • Cultivate love for what pleases God; starve desires that lead to sin (Galatians 5:24-25). • Replace worry with worship when challenges arise (Philippians 4:6-7). 5. Serve the Body of Christ • Engage in regular, tangible ministry within a local congregation (Hebrews 10:24-25). • Practice hospitality and generosity as extensions of His grace (1 Peter 4:10). 6. Walk in the Spirit • Depend on the Holy Spirit’s power, not mere willpower (Ephesians 5:18). • Respond promptly to conviction and confess sin immediately (1 John 1:9). Motivations for Yielding - Gratitude for redemption through Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19) - Desire for fellowship with God and His people (Psalm 16:11) - Protection from the hardening effects of sin (Hebrews 3:13) - Expectation of eternal reward and present joy (2 Timothy 4:8) Promises Joined to Yielding - Intimate guidance: “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:6 - Overcoming power: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 - Rest for the soul: “Take My yoke upon you… and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 - Lasting fruitfulness: “Whoever abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit.” John 15:5 Yielding is not a single moment but a continual posture—mind, plans, body, affections, service, and daily walk bending toward the Lord’s rule. The more we yield, the more His life shines through ours. |
    |