When God Has Your Yes: Experiencing His Favor

Christmas is coming, and with it an invitation to give God our yes. Mary, likely a teenager with her whole life in front of her, said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be to me according to your word.” That yes cost her reputation, comfort, and plans, yet it placed her inside the purposes of God where real favor flows. Joseph’s quiet obedience mattered too. God didn’t only have Mary’s yes; He had Joseph’s, and the destiny of Jesus’ earthly life moved forward on the power of two united yeses. Obedience rarely starts with all the details; it starts with trust.

God isn’t searching for perfect resumes. He’s looking for hearts set apart and surrendered. Scripture is full of imperfect people who said yes—Noah, Jacob, Moses, David, Peter, Paul—and God’s power moved through their availability. That’s the invitation: not to perform, but to align. I described the favor of God as the joy and fulfillment of walking in step with the Holy Spirit, seeing His purposes advance and lives changed by His supernatural work through us. When He has our yes, we begin to notice His hand clearing paths, opening doors, and multiplying impact.

But there’s a cost. A.W. Tozer wrote that if God sets out to make you unusually useful, He may use the hammer and chisel, not the manicure set. Surrender will be tested. Sarah and I lived that in a deeply personal way when the Lord asked us to say yes to another child—through fear, miscarriages, and a difficult pregnancy. Yet we watched God weave something beautiful on the other side of obedience.

There’s power in one yes, but there’s exponential power in two. Unity multiplies; disunity divides. The enemy knows this, which is why he tempts us to clutch our lives and say, “Mine, mine, mine.” Instead, we choose humility, agreement in prayer, and a posture of submission to God and one another. That’s why we commissioned deacons today—servants who help the church walk in order, unity, and mission. When a people live surrendered together, God adds His favor, and the world sees Jesus.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Say yes when it costs. Obedience often begins before clarity. Mary surrendered her reputation, her comfort, and her plans, trusting that God’s word would be enough. True gain in the kingdom often hides on the far side of real risk, where God becomes our security. [44:01]
• 2. God uses imperfect, willing hearts. The Spirit partners with availability, not polish. Scripture’s heroes were deeply flawed, yet profoundly surrendered, and God’s power flowed through their yes. Holiness is a direction of the heart—set apart, undivided—and God delights to work through such a posture. [47:12]
• 3. Favor flows from aligned obedience. Favor isn’t luck; it’s the deep joy and fulfillment of walking in step with the Spirit as His purposes advance. You begin to see God arrange circumstances, open doors, and change lives through you. The common thread is surrender—He can channel power through a yielded life. [55:54]
• 4. Raise your faith risk meter. Comfort calcifies courage, especially as we age and have more to lose. But love calls us to act—sometimes quietly, sometimes boldly—beyond self-protection. Ask the Spirit to stretch you: small obediences build trust for larger ones, and risk becomes worship. [52:43]
• 5. Two united yeses multiply impact. Joseph’s obedience joined Mary’s, and their unity became a conduit for the purposes of God. Unity in marriages, teams, and churches creates spiritual synergy that outpaces what any one person can do. Guard agreement with humility; it’s where God promises to meet us. [74:13]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [37:31] - Year-end giving and building update
• [40:42] - Mary’s encounter with Gabriel
• [44:01] - The cost of Mary’s yes
• [47:12] - Imperfect people, willing hearts
• [50:36] - Mary vs. Zechariah’s response
• [52:43] - Raising your risk meter
• [55:54] - Defining the favor of God
• [62:02] - Tozer and the sculpting of suffering
• [67:52] - Sarah’s costly yes
• [74:13] - Two united yeses multiply impact
• [77:34] - Guarding unity from “mine, mine, mine”
• [85:41] - Why deacons? Biblical foundations
• [88:09] - Installing deacons: towels and anointing
• [93:42] - Benediction and next steps

1. In Luke 1:26-38, what title does Gabriel give Mary, and what exact words does Mary use to surrender to God?
2. In Matthew 1:18-25, what was Joseph planning to do at first, and what specifically changed his course of action?
3. According to Matthew 18:19-20, what is the promise tied to agreement in prayer?
4. What concrete costs were highlighted that Mary likely faced for her yes—socially, relationally, and practically? [44:01]

1. What does Mary’s “Let it be to me according to your word” teach about trusting God before knowing all the details? How might that reshape someone’s approach to obedience? [40:42]
2. What is the difference between Mary’s honest question and Zechariah’s unbelief, and what does that reveal about the posture of the heart God honors? [50:36]
3. How should “favor” be understood—as ease, or as alignment with the Spirit that leads to joy, fruit, and open doors? Why does that distinction matter? [55:54]
4. Why does unity multiply kingdom impact? How does agreement in prayer invite Jesus’ presence, and what might that mean for marriages, teams, and churches? (Matthew 18:19-20) [01:14:13]

1. Say yes when it costs: Where might saying yes to God cost you reputation, comfort, or plans right now? What is one concrete step of obedience you can take this week? [44:01]
2. Raise your faith risk meter: Where has comfort made you cautious? Name one small, specific risk of obedience you will take in the next seven days. [52:43]
3. Availability over polish: What weakness or imperfection makes you feel disqualified? What does availability look like for you this month—in serving, speaking, praying, or giving? [47:12]
4. Favor and alignment: Do you sense you’re trudging through “wet sand” or seeing doors open? What is one area to freshly surrender so you can walk in step with the Spirit? [59:08]
5. Two united yeses: In your marriage, family, team, or small group, where do you need agreement in prayer? What will you ask God for together this week, and when will you pray in agreement? [01:14:13]
6. From “mine, mine, mine” to “yes, Lord”: What is one specific area you’re clinging to—time, money, control, a relationship, a gift you’re hesitant to use? What would releasing it to God look like this week? [01:10:55]
7. Sculpted for usefulness: If you are in a “chisel” season, how will you respond—complain, quit, or lean in with trust? What practice (fasting, journaling, confession, asking for prayer) will help you lean in this week? [01:02:02]