The Yes That Freed Me
A Furnace Notes Reflection
Dr. Verlyn Fontaine Waterman
There are moments in our journey with God when the yes we give isn’t just a verbal agreement—it’s a soul-deep surrender. A yes that breaks chains. A yes that burns away fear. A yes that frees.
This was my yes.
For days, I couldn’t figure out what was gnawing at me. I had been up since 3 a.m., tossing thoughts back and forth like waves crashing against the shore of my spirit. By 6 p.m., I finally understood—I wasn’t longing for things or answers.
I was longing for the embrace of God.
Not the embrace of man. Not the applause of others. But the arms of my Father—wrapped around me in reassurance, in protection, in identity. I needed Him to remind me that I am still His. That I am not forgotten. That I am still called.
And in that aching stillness, something broke.
I had been carrying the weight of survival—of desert seasons, silent battles, unanswered questions, and deferred hopes. My spirit had been waiting for release. And as I leaned into the stillness, my “yes” surfaced.
I said yes to God again.
Yes to my calling.
Yes to my divine identity.
Yes to my assignment—no matter the cost.
Yes to the people attached to my obedience.
Yes to walking out of the fire and into the fulfillment of what I was born to carry.
This wasn’t a new yes.
This was the yes that freed me.
🔥 The Furnace and the Freedom
I’ve spent years on the backside of the desert, crying out for deliverance, for purpose, for peace. I’ve walked through flames that scorched everything I once held dear. But it was there—in the heat of the furnace—that I was refined. My voice, my purpose, and my power were forged through affliction.
Sometimes we wait for God to deliver us from the fire, but what if He is delivering us through it?
When the refining fire has done its work, freedom doesn’t come from escape—it comes from surrender. I had to stop resisting the process and yield to the One who was shaping me in it. The fire didn’t consume me. It released me.
The Power of Your Yes
Your “yes” will cost you. But it will also free you.
It will free you from needing validation.
It will free you from fear and guilt.
It will free you from the illusion of control.
It will free you from cycles of delay and disobedience.
Saying yes to God is saying no to everything that tried to bind you to lesser things.
And once that yes leaves your lips and enters your spirit—heaven moves.
What I Know Now
I am not the same. I am lighter. Stronger. Clearer. My yes carried me through.
And this is only the beginning.
Too many are waiting on your “yes.” Your family. Your bloodline. Your future generations. The nations. The people connected to your assignment. You cannot afford to delay. You cannot afford to back down.
Say it again: Yes, Lord.
Keep saying it until you rise.
Keep saying it until you walk in your full mantle.
Keep saying it until you become the very promise that God whispered over your life before time began.
This is the yes that freed me.
Now, what will yours release?
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