You have been put on this earth for a purpose. Not to just exist in life or to barely get by, but to live out an extraordinary life – the life God created you for. He handpicked you to be born at this time in history. He placed you in the country you live in and among the family you were born into. God created you unique, a one-of-a-kind with certain skill sets, talents and a specific personality and temperament. And He’s wired you with various passions and desires.  God said this of the Prophet Jeremiah , “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5 NLT).” What God was saying to Jeremiah was that He had a plan and purpose for him – a calling. And the same is true for you and me. God has a unique plan and purpose for you and he wants you to discover what it is and begin living it out.  The world is waiting for you to say, “Yes” to God, to say, “Yes” to His plan and purpose. Your “YES” actually matters.

What lands are yet to be explored, books written, inventions built, medical advancements discovered, people groups reached for Christ, businesses launched that will change the course of history and bring great good in the earth? What positive changes will our society experience, what lives will be mentored and destinies altered for the better because you said, “YES” to God? Your “YES” matters! Eternity is waiting on it!

King David, the king we all know and love, the man after God’s own heart, spent his early years as a shepherd boy tending his father’s sheep. One day his dad told him to go check up on his brothers at the battle front. His older brothers had been enlisted in the Israelite army because they were at odds with the Philistines. King Saul, the Israelite king, and all the Israelite soldiers were terrified of the giant, Goliath. They were immobilized, too afraid to step forward and fight this legendary warrior. All of a sudden, David appears on the scene and says, “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God? (1 Samuel 17:26 NLT)” We all know the story; he stepped up and faced Goliath with a slingshot, five smooth stones and no armor! Yet God was with him. He said, “YES” to God and because of his obedience and courage, he killed Goliath and became a national hero overnight. He went on to become one of the greatest kings to ever live on the face of the earth, and he was considered by God to be “a man after His own heart”. What an honor! His “yes” mattered. His life still speaks today generations upon generations later.

Almost 4 years ago, I made the decision to start working for Destiny Rescue, an international Christian based nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and restoring children enslaved in the sex trade. My “yes” meant that I would have to move to Chiang Rai, Thailand, to serve as their senior writer for the organization. During my move overseas, I remember spending the night in a hotel in Bangkok before my final flight up to Chiang Rai where I would be living and working. As I sat in my hotel room anticipating the journey that lies ahead, all these negative thoughts began flooding my mind. “Cory, you don’t have what it takes to be a writer for such a large organization.” “No one will like you.” “You will fail.” “You don’t have a writing degree, which means you aren’t qualified.” On and on these negative thoughts bombard my mind and tried keeping me from stepping into my destiny. Yet through all those voices, I heard a still small voice, the voice of God saying, “Cory, be strong and courageous. Step into your destiny and purpose.” In other words God was saying to me, “Your ‘YES’ matters!” Despite the fear I was “feeling”, I chose to step past those negative thoughts and believed what God had placed in my heart, which was to start writing for Destiny Rescue. The rest is history. My time in Thailand was incredible. God used me to build an entire media department that revamped the face of Destiny Rescue. We raised 100,000’s of dollars through stories and marketing campaigns. We increased our social media platforms exponentially, and I was able to lead many, many children to Christ and inspire hundreds and hundreds of children through my own personal testimony. My “YES” mattered! It mattered to precious children who were being rescued out of sexual slavery. It mattered to those that gave their lives to Christ. It mattered to untold numbers of people that are now a voice for children around the world because I introduced them to the issue of human trafficking and inspired them to take action.

In fact, I was recently back in Thailand and one of our key overseas volunteers came up to me and said, “You are the reason I am here!” I asked her to explain further. She went on to say that when she was visiting our organization, she went to church on one of the Sundays she was there. It so happened that I was speaking on that Sunday. The message so moved her that she felt like God was asking her to come on staff with our organization. Over the course of several months, God kept confirming to her the message she heard. A short time later, she moved to Thailand. She is now our International Aftercare Manager overseeing 1000 children in our care throughout 6 different countries. My “YES” really matters. It has a far reaching impact.

Your “YES” matters too! Maybe you are at a pivotal crossroads in your life and you know in your heart that you should step out and take a risk to pursue the dreams God has put in you, but you are scared. Step past fear and into the fullness of your purpose. He will lead you into your God-given destiny!

Or maybe you have been saying “yes” to God for a long time. You’ve done great exploits for Him, but somewhere along your journey you’ve gotten stuck. You’re no longer stepping out in faith pursuing the things God has asked of you. You are on the sidelines of defeat, discouragement and failure.

This happened to Elijah. He was a great man of God that accomplished many incredible victories for the Kingdom of God. His attitude was always a “yes” or “can do” spirit toward God. When God put it in his heart to pray for it not to rain, he did what God asked of him. When God told him to go to the Brook Cherith, he went. When God commanded him to go to Zarephath to take care of a widow, he did it. When God put it in his heart to confront and kill the 450 prophets of Baal, he was obedient.

Yet right after this major victory, the King’s wife, Jezebel, said she was going to kill Elijah by the next day. Fear gripped Elijah. He quickly forgot about all the times that God had showed up on his behalf, including just a few hours before. So instead of facing this woman in God’s divine strength and confidence, he ran for his life into the wilderness and eventually hid in a cave. In this moment of discouragement, God spoke to him in a still small voice, “Elijah, what are you doing here?” “What are you doing in this cave?” Elijah went on to say, “Lord, I’m the only one left that hasn’t bowed down to the false idol, Baal.” The Lord responded by telling him He had reserved 7,000 people that hadn’t bowed down to Baal. Elijah wasn’t seeing clearly. Fear had clouded his judgement. Yet God met him in his weakness…in his discouragement. He didn’t play into Elijah’s hopelessness. Instead, He spoke the truth to him in a love. Then He encouraged him to get back in the game, to go back and finish his purpose!

Just like Elijah, maybe you are not seeing clearly; your vision has been skewed by fear, discouragement or an unexpected negative report. Or maybe past failures have tried to weigh you down, keeping you in a state of condemnation and feeling worthless. Let me ask you a question: where is your focus? Is it on your problems or on the Living God who is ever ready to help you in your moment of trouble? He is attentive to you and is eager to help you step fully into your purpose. I believe God is asking you this question: “What are you doing here? What are you doing in the cave of fear, the cave of discouragement or condemnation?” You have a destiny to fulfill, a purpose to finish. God is not done with you yet. I want to encourage you to get back in the game. Step out of the cave and into your destiny. Your “YES” matters. Who will come to Christ because you stepped out in faith and trusted God? What ministry will be birthed, what victories will be won because you said, “YES” to God? Your “yes” does matter!

I recently heard a minister say, “The wealthiest places on earth are not the oil fields of the Middle East, the diamond mines of South Africa or the stock markets of the United States. No, the richest places on earth are cemeteries filled with people who never fulfilled their God-given dreams and destinies. What wasted talents and abilities.

Let this not be you or me. Let’s have a “YES” spirit toward God. Let’s step past fear and straight into all the great exploits and adventures God has marked out for us. What the devil meant for harm, God will turn it around and use it to your advantage. Get back in the game; generations are depending on YOU. Your “YES” matters!