This blog may be the hardest one to write in this blog series. This is where I talk about how saying “yes” to God has cost us close relationships with people, some of whom are family members.

If you stop and think about it for a moment, if a person is saying yes to God, then in order for that person to be faithful to God, that person will then have to tell at least some people “no”. Quite simply because what are the odds that every person you know is hearing from God for your life and that all are hearing the exact same thing? It has been my life experience that most people – no matter how much they may love you or have the best intentions for you – most people are not praying that God’s will be done in your life. Is this not how the Lord Jesus told us to pray? In the book of Matthew in the Bible, at chapter 6, starting at verse 9, Jesus says, “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (NASB Italics are mine for emphasis.) Notice that Jesus didn’t pray to the Father, “May Peter’s will be done, or wait, better yet, may John’s will be done”. No! He may love them, he may cherish them and is willing to die for them, but Jesus Christ wants the will of the Father to be done, not man’s will.

After the Last Supper, Jesus – knowing what He was about to go through – went to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39b NASB Italics are mine for emphasis. Also found at Luke 22:42) If Jesus Christ being perfect, being the Son of God was asking for God’s will not his own personal will to be done, then why aren’t we?

Eric and I have discovered over the past 14 years that the more we have done the will of the Father, the more we seemed to upset people, or ruffle feathers. It was not our plan to have people upset with us and we certainly were not trying to ruffle anyone’s feathers; we just wanted to follow the example of Jesus Christ. We, as imperfect humans, can have an expectation that we put upon other people, and I do not think we realize how conditional our professed love for others is when those we say we love step outside of what we think they should do in their own life.

When I sign copies of Love Waits, I sign my name and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Why? It is called “the love chapter”, but this is love according to the word of God. “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (NASB)

In this passage it does not say that love is doing what I say to do. Nor is it saying that love means you should be living as I think you should, nor does it say that love means you should be making the choices that I deem are righteous. No, it does not say that at all. Too often though, we put our will, way, or thoughts on someone else, instead of simply praying for the Father’s will in their life.

Here is an example from our lives. In 2012, we attended a church that we were quite active in. This is after we said yes to God (blogs Our Cost of Saying “Yes” to God Part 1 and 2) and we were preparing for the move to Michigan. We stopped at the church one afternoon while running errands. While we were at the church, a friend of ours was there. We were chatting for a moment when she, in a matter-of-fact manner, mentioned that there were a group of people in church praying against us moving to Michigan because they didn’t want us to leave. I just stood there, shocked. Eric and I had been through a roller coaster ride of getting ready for the property to sell, so we could move as God was directing us. I could not believe what she had just admitted to us. Did she and the others not realize that they were praying against God’s will in our lives? Did they not realize that what we bind on earth is then bound in heaven? (Matt. 16:19, Matt. 18:18)

Eric and I said our goodbyes to her and went on with our next errand. I remember this quite clearly because I think this was my first bold prayer to God. It was early November of 2012, on a Friday afternoon, in the parking lot of Albertson’s in Williston, ND, I prayed aloud with Eric like I never prayed before. I truly believe it was Holy Spirit taking over. I did not condemn nor curse anyone for praying against God’s will, but I did repent of this sin, I did apologize for it, and I prayed for the will of the Father to override man’s will in our lives. The next morning (Saturday), we got a phone call; by noon, our property was sold with all the paperwork getting done on Monday. By Thursday, we were heading out with the kids and a cargo trailer of our belongings to Michigan.

When any of us puts our wants, desires, or even our will on other people’s lives, if we are professing to be a child of God’s, then we are in disobedience to the Father.

Here are some poignant passages in Scripture to read what God’s word says about this:

Matthew 12:46-50, “While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, ‘Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.’ But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, ‘Who is My mother and who are My brothers?’ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, ‘Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother,’” (NASB Italics are mine for emphasis. Also found at Luke 8:19-21)

Matt. 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” (NASB Italics are mine for emphasis)

Matt. 10:34-37 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” (NASB Also found at Luke 12:51-53)

Saying yes to God does have a cost and even if you say yes, I expect that many times over the years to come you will be prompted by God to answer if you still say yes or not. I know that we have had to answer that; but, for us, there is no other choice. God is the most important One to us, there is no plan B.

Love and prayers, Sharon