Is God Looking for You?

Is God Looking For You?

God's Beautiful Creation

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  His earth began as a garden of beauty with purpose of spreading that beauty throughout the whole earth.  God had many plans for His beautiful creation, and He needed someone to govern over His awesome creation.  God then molded a man out of the dust of the earth and breathed His life into him and His creation of a man became a living soul.  His name was Adam.  Then shortly thereafter, God caused a deep sleep to come upon the man and God removed a rib from him, and out of that came a beautiful woman, whom was named Eve.  Together Adam and Eve were to govern God's beautiful creation as they populated the earth.  

God's desire was to make the earth so desireable for man(kind) to live in while communing, loving and serving their God.  Sadly, for all of humanity, Adam and Eve chose to sin against God, believing the lies of Satan in that they could rule the earth without God, but instead, they no longer were able to become the man and woman whom God intented them to be.  Adam and Eve left that beautiful garden in despair and did not fulfilled God plans and purpose for their life and for the earth.  

While Adam and Eve populated the earth, God's beautiful creation became very wicked to where 1656 years later only one man was righteous in the eyes of God.  His name was Noah.  As such, God chose to spare his life, along with his wife and family, but destroyed the earth with a flood and all of the rest of humanity who lived upon the earth. 

God Looks For a Man
Biblical examples

Throughout time and history God has always looked for a man to be in fellowship with - to love and commune with, and for Him to serve God with a plan and purpose to change mankind's heart and the world to be what God intended it to be from the very beginning.  Man, however, needs to choose God for God to do that work in his heart to make those changes in the world.

Abraham:

Abraham was an ordinary man whom God knew would answer the call to serve Him.  God called Abraham out of his country, away from the pagan gods and ungodly influences of family and friends, and took his wife, father, nephew and his wife out of Ur of the Chaldeans.  Abraham was a "work in progress" over many years as God slowly began to use him to eventually change the world through him.

• Was Abraham anyone special?  Not in the eyes of man, but in the eyes of God, God was looking for a man who would say "yes" to his call so that the world could be changed through him.
• Abraham didn't have anything special working for him, except his faith in God.
• You see, God looks at the heart of man, not the outside influences that man always looks for.
• Eventually, the heart for God worked through Abraham to bring on a whole new breed of people who followed after God.

Moses:

Moses was born of humble beginnings to Israelite parents who were enslaved in Egypt.  To spare his life, Moses' mother placed him in a basket and floated him down the river with hopes someone of royal means would discover him and take him in.  The daughter of the Pharaoh found him, and Moses was raised as a prince.  As an adult, Moses killed an Egyptian who was beating up an Israelite kin of his.  Being found out, fearing the Pharaoh, Moses fled across the desert and ended up hiding in the mountains with the Moabite people for the next 40 years.  His life became simple and humble as he was a shepherd who watched over his flock.  Then God called him, and he responded to that call.  Oh yes, he was reluctant, but God chose Moses, because God knew Moses would say "yes" to Him. Moses then returned to Egypt to face Pharaoh as he faced odds that only God could have delivered him and his people out of.

Moses became such a powerful leader for God to where God worked through him to free his people from slavery, God covenanted with Moses to begin a whole new dispensation of people under the Mosaic Law, and then Moses led his people to the edge of their promised land. 

Moses had a deep relationship with the Lord and the Lord used him mightily to bring a nation of Israelites back into relationship with their God.  Because Moses said "yes" to God, God was able to work through him to change a nation of people.

David:

Young David was born into simple means, becoming a shepherd boy over the flocks of his family.  David, however, used to play the harp to God in worship as he sat alone in the mountains watching over his father's sheep.  Because he loved the Lord, and God had the foreknowledge that he would say "yes" to His calling, God anointed young David to be a king over Israel.  Starting out with simply beginnings, David eventually became king over Israel. 

Even after he sinned, David repented before the Lord, and had a loving close relationship with his God.  He had a heart after God, and as such, the forthcoming Messiah came out of his seed.

Mary:

Mary, a young Jewish girl of simple means was engaged to Joseph the carpenter when God, through the Angel Gabriel, came to her with a call from God to be the mother of the Messiah, saying she was highly favored by God.  Her response was "may it be to me as you have said."  In other words, Mary said "yes" to God.  Facing many odds, along with disgrace, Mary yielded herself to God for God to do a work within her.  As such, the Son of God came in the form of a babe, to eventually die for the sins of mankind.  Because Mary yielded to God for God to do a work within her, God used her mightily to bring forth Jesus, the Savior of the world.

Peter:

Peter was born to a simple fisherman in Galilee and if he did not answer the call of God, he would have remained a fisherman all his life.  Jesus, however, called out to him, telling him that he would become a fisher of men.  Because Peter loved God, and was seeking for the "coming Messiah," he yielded to His voice by responding "yes" to Jesus.  He, along with his brother Andrew, immediately left their father and their life as a fisherman to follow after Jesus.

Peter was mightily used by Jesus after His resurrection to start the Church on the Day of Pentecost.  Because of him, thousands upon thousands of Jews and Gentiles came to accept Jesus as their Messiah.  It takes a yielded and willing heart to say "yes" for God to do a work within that person to accomplish God's plan upon the earth through even one man.

Paul:

Saul of Tarsus was a young man born under means who loved God but was reared under strict laws of the Pharisees, who himself also became a Pharisee. He refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah to the world, and was determined to hunt down, imprison, or even kill those who would follow after Him - even after His resurrection from the dead.  Jesus, however, got a hold of him, and he was transformed into a strong believer and follower of Jesus.  That transforming experience brought Saul, renamed Paul, to yield his life over to the Lord in full surrender.

The Apostle Paul changed the Gentile world more than any other person alive, other than Christ.  He witnessed and brought thousands upon thousands of people to the Lord, which then brought generations of people through his writings to the Lord.  He was anointed by the Holy Spirit to write thirteen books of the New Testament, which has become the words of the Lord to believers for the past 2000 years. His life was not an easy life, but a fulfilled one in Christ because he said "yes" to Jesus when God called him to make a difference in this world for Christ.

God Looks For a Man
Historical Figures

Over the past 2000 years, throughout every generation, God continually looks for a man or woman to answer the call of God upon their life.  He looks for a yielded heart to say "yes" to Jesus to make a difference in this world for Christ.  He looks for a heart that is willing to change to become the person God called them to be.  If we look at the past 100 years or so, we can take a bird's eye view of a few that said "yes," and who affected the lives around them for Christ.

William Seymour:

Born the son of slavery, blind in one eye, William Seymour was a black young man who hungered after the things of God.  Refusing even entrance into Bible school because he was black, he had to sit in the window or doorway of the classrooms in order to hear the teachings that only white Bible school students could participate in.  In this Bible school, William Seymour began to speak in other tongues, as the Holy Spirit gave him utterance.  God knew William Seymour's heart, and He put out the call of God on his life, and William answered that call and said "yes" to Jesus.

William Seymour traveled to Los Angeles, but received the left-foot of fellowship from churches, but within a short time, he began a movement in a little run-down shack on Azusa Street that has swept the world for Christ.  Pentecost had returned to the Church, and millions of believers have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues - all because one man said "yes" to Jesus to follow after the call upon his life to make a change in this world for the sake of the Gospel.

Aimee Semple-McPherson:

Aimee Semple-McPherson, a flamboyant and outspoken woman in a man's world, had a heart for God and said "yes" to the call of God upon her life.  She was raised by a mother who was active in the Salvation Army.  She became a wife of a missionary to China where her husband died.  She came back to the United States, married, and was later divorced.  She now had three strikes against her.  Regardless, she just kept following the leading of the Holy Spirit and changed the lives of thousands upon thousands of people for the Gospel of Christ.    She traveled around in her "Gospel Car," standing on the running board to preach a Pentecostal message as a witness for Christ.  People flooded to hear her message.      

In 1918, she built a huge mega-church known as Angeles Temple, and there she preached the Pentecostal message in theatrical style, entertaining people while leading them to the Lord.  In time, Aimee was responsible for starting the Four Square Church - a branch of Pentecostalism/interdenominationalism, in which Jack Hayford is head over today.  Aimee opened up soup kitchens feeding an estimated 1.5 million people during the Depression days.  In addition, she opened up free clinics, and other charitable acivities, and actively worked with the police department. 

 As a woman, Aimee Semple-McPherson did more for the Gospel of Christ than any woman in her lifetime.  God took her from simple beginnings as a missionary's wife to pastor over a mega'church affecting thousands upon thousands of people for Christ all because she said "yes" to Jesus and was willing to be used by God in whatever way He led her. 

Kathryn Kuhlman: 

Kathryn Kuhlman came to Christ at the age of 14, followed by beginning to preach a few years later.  She had said "yes" to Jesus early on in her life.  She married and was soon divorced, but that did not stop her from preaching the Gospel.  She traveled extensively around the United States and abroad holding "healing crusades" between the 1940s and 1970s.  An estimated two million people reported they were healed in her meetings over the years. 

 Kathryn Kuhlman was one of the most well-known healing ministers in the world, often being compared to Aimee Semple McPherson a generation earlier. 

Oral Roberts: 

Oral Roberts began his life in poverty and nearly died of tuberculosis at the age of 17.  God, however, healed him, and he committed his life to the Lord at that time.  He briefly pastored a small church, but God called him in a different direction.  Oral Roberts became a traveling evangelistic preacher  and conducted faith healing services across the United States and around the world.    His yielding to the Lord affected millions of lives for the Lord, including mine.  Through the years, he conducted more than 300 "crusades" on six continents, and personally laid hands in prayer on more than 2 million people.

In 1986, for my 25th wedding anniversary, my husband and I attended a Leadership Conference on the Holy Spirit down in New Orleans at the Superdome.  It was there where Oral Roberts was the guest speaker and he spoke into my life.  

• I had been fighting God for ten years, as He had called me and was asking me to say "yes" to enter into the ministry.  I just didn't think I was worthy, being a housewife and mother, and had a small business in my home.   All I knew was I loved to teach the Word of God to anyone and everyone I would talk to.  Sometimes I would teach up to five Bible studies a week in churches, homes, as well as speak out at various Christian groups.
• As God would gently continue to call me, I kept dismissing it as wishful thinking, but it kept coming back to me over and over throughout the years.
• Finally, in 1986, at the Leadership conference in New Orleans, an altar call was given by Oral Roberts, and without realizing it, I had jumped out of my seat, as I was sitting way up in the balcony of the Superdome, and then ran down all those stairs and joined hundreds of people standing in front of Oral Roberts saying "yes" to Jesus to yield myself to His calling upon my life.
• Two days later I joined a Bible School to begin my educational journey.  For the next sixteen years I devoted myself to receiving the best education I could as God was leading me where to go.
• For the next eight years I went to two Bible schools, receiving diplomas for ministry, followed by four years of college receiving my undergraduate degree in Theology.   During these years I also worked at the Bible school at my church, teaching, and then became the registrar of the school. 
• Then the last four years of my education I worked toward and received my graduate degree in Education/Christian College Administration, as I had during these years developed a small Christian college as part of my job at the church I attended, and upon its conception, became its president and Bible professor.  And there I remained until I retired.

In 1963 Oral Roberts founded Oral Roberts University (ORU) of which I had the privilege of attending for four years where I received my Master's Degree.

Billy Graham:

Billy Graham was born in 1918 in a farmhouse in North Carolina.  Raised in a Christian home, saying "yes" to Jesus early in life, Billy went off to Bible college to receive his formal education for ministry.  God blessed him with the ability to preach to thousands upon thousands of people worldwide.  He conducted hundreds of crusades over the years, leading millions of people to the Lord in a simple message of salvation as the organ played "Just As I am," and people flooded out of their seats to come forward to receive Christ into their heart.

Billy Graham had multiple roles in civil rights activaties, politics, and pastoring presidents of the United States, and even influencing the Queen of England.  He authored many books, and through his writings, also led many people to the Lord.   Because Billy Graham said "yes" to the Lord, God was able to use him mightly for the Kingdom of God.  He led more people to the Lord than anyone else in history since the time of the Apostle Paul.  

God Continuously is Looking for a Man

God is continuously looking for a man or woman to say "yes" to the call of God on their life.  You see, all Christians are called by God, meaning you have been called.  God IS calling you!

What is God calling you to be and to do?  It may or may not be in the ministry, but God is calling you to be the best person He created you to be.  I know from personal experience that by saying "yes," God will take you to heights and places like you have never experienced before in your life.  Those dreams will become a reality as you continuously yield yourself over to God. 

In your heart you already have a dream and it never leaves.  It gently comes back to you at certain promptings.  You may have thought it was wishful thinking, but it probably is God calling you to say "yes" to Him.  All He is looking for is a yielded heart, and God will then lead you each step of the way.

Yielding to God Becomes a Lifestyle

The more you yield to God, the more God can lead you.  The more He leads you, the more you will fulfill God's plans and purposes for your life, and the more you fulfill God's plans and purposes for your life, the more other's lives will be changed as God keeps using you.  Your life will take on meaning, and be filled with one blessing after another.

I have been a Christians for 68 years and have fulfilled my deepest desires and dreams in the Lord.  Even in my retirement, God continues to lead me in ways I never thought possible.  I have learned over a course of my life that God wants His people to live a lifestyle of continuously yielding to Him - to say "yes" to Him in total surrender.  

• A few months ago I had read a book on yielding to the Lord and I found myself realizing that God had more for me, even in my 80 years of life, but having no idea what that could be.  I found myself for the next two months crying out to the Lord for change.  I was also praying on a consistent basis that God would daily put in my path more people to witness to for Christ, and more new believers to disciple.  I found myself even voicing my frustration to others, as my surroundings were all mature believers both in and out of the church.  I needed a platform for young believers to disciple.  Never did I correlate these prayers together.  
• Then...something happened!
• Comfort, even in ministry, is a recipe for change because God does not want us to be comfortable because comfort never changes.
• Without any forewarning, God chose to move me out and point me in a different direction.  God began stripping me of things that were part of my comfort zone, but replacing it with far better blessings.  The very things I was frustrated about was now open to me as I am ministering out to many new believers who hunger after God, but need direction.  I have also had the privilege of praying with more people to come to the Lord than I have in the past several years. 
• God was answering the cry of my heart in a way that I could not have imagined. 

Is God Looking For YOU?

So what about you?  It doesn't matter how old you are.  God still has a plan and purpose for your life.  Until we take our very last breath, God wants to use us for His glory.  All he is asking is that we yield ourselves over to Him by saying "yes"  to whatever He has planned for us. 

God IS calling YOU right now.  Will you say "yes" to His plans for His very best for your life?  If you truly mean it, when you say "yes," God will begin to guide you each step of the way, and start to use you mightily in ways you could not have dreamed possible.  Right now, I challenge you to go to God and yield yourself by saying "yes" to Jesus - for Him to do what He wants to for your life.  

Pray this prayer with me:

God, I yield my life over to you right now, asking you to change me, change my desires to be in line with your desires. 
Take away that which hinders me from fulfilling your plans for me right now. 
I give myself over to you. 
In Jesus' name, Amen

Congratuations!  Continue to pray this prayer and God will bring about those changes and lead you on paths that only He could take you on!