Just a quiet yes

Zig Zigler said, "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time", and I cannot agree more. The 'aim' we take in life determines the course we will follow. If we aim to please people, we will find ourselves constantly changing what we do, how we do it, when it is done, and so on. If we aim to please ourselves all the time, we will find the more we try to please ourselves, the less likely we are to be pleased - we will always want more. The more we aim at pleasing God, the less we will seek the approval of others and the more we will seek his will to be done in our lives. How is it we 'seek God' above all other ambitions, desires, or impressions this world gives us? I think it begins when we determine we want his will over the will of others, and especially over our own will. Sinful behaviors manifest when we 'dabble' with sin's tug even a little bit. The more we resist the 'tiny tugs' of sin, the more we will resist the bigger ones that come along. It isn't the big ones that usually trip us up anyway - it is the tiniest of tugs that we ignore, give room to within our minds, and eventually act upon within our heart!

So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet. (James 4:10)

We say a quiet 'yes' to Jesus every time we determine to aim toward the instruction he gives us. Will we always hit the mark just because we aim? No, definitely not! I was an expert marksman in the military, but there were a whole lot of 'missed bullseyes' along the way! I had to learn how to 'breathe', steady my gaze, and focus intently on the target. It didn't come easy, but the more I focused on developing the 'skill' of shooting my weapon, the better I became at hitting the target. The more we focus on the things God asks us to do, such as putting away something that is a distraction to us and taking up whatever it is he asks us to focus on at that moment, the more likely we are to be developing the skill of 'aiming' correctly. We won't always hit the mark, but we will grow closer and closer to hitting the target. Then each time we say a quiet 'yes' to his instruction, the closer we move from just 'hitting the target' to actually 'hitting the bullseye'! Just sayin!