Technically, a yellow light means stop. The practicality of obeying that law hinges on how fast we're traveling. Don't wanna stop in the middle of an intersection so, you gun the engine to make it through. Just make sure there are no traffic cameras to snap a picture of you as you run the red light. I've done this. I think most people have. Thankfully, there were no cameras at that intersection--might have gotten a ticket. And it wasn't just that particular intersection... I did get pulled over once for going (what I thought was) all the way through the intersection at a yellow light. The officer saw (and said) otherwise. All that aside, what do we do--what should we do--when God tells us to slow down?
It's only for our benefit, you know. When God says "I know the plans I have for you..." (Jeremiah 29:11) and that His "thoughts are higher" than ours (Isaiah 55:9), we'd do well to believe that He knows better for us when we feel His Spirit begin to lead us in a way we may not have thought about before.
"I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies." (Psalm 119:59)
Now you're driving along, having barely escaped the flash of the camera at the intersection and you see a sign on the right shoulder that says, in big black letters: YIELD. What does this mean? Hopefully by now you've slowed down to the speed limit, by the way. It means that there's the possibility of someone coming alongside and merging into your lane or it means that you must stop and let the other traffic go thru. There's a strange intersection thing locally, where the exact scenario happens, or is supposed to. But does infrequently. People on the main road rarely slow down to stop at the white line to let the cars on the feeder road enter the traffic flow. This is frustrating as it shows that they have no respect for the other driver (!). Granted, you want to believe the best of them and suppress any road rage, but sometimes it's hard not to take it personally. Forgive, don't cuss at them. Slow down. Applying this scenario to our Christian walk, even if you've lost sight of who it is that has the right-of-way. Be willing to slow down--and stop even--if you're not sure about the rights of the people involved. When you're driving, obey the traffic laws, obviously. But in life, be the one who is vulnerable. Be the one who is willing to take the blow for Jesus. Not like a spiritual masochist, mind you. (All these qualifiers!) But one who is willing to suffer for Him.
"Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." (1 Peter 4:16) It applies to women, too.
Be willing to yield to others. "Let each esteem other better than themselves." (Philippians 2:3)
All this aside, don't forget to yield to God however He chooses to merge into your life. It may come at a time or in a way that you'd least expect. But if God was not able to surprise you, then He wouldn't be God. Does this make sense?
There's another way to look at this: 'Refusing to yield' applies to crops and harvests, too.
Jesus asks: "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" He continues: "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." (Matthew 7:16-17) Turning back to the Psalmist's declaration in 119, he says that he "thought on his ways and turned [his] feet to [God's] testimonies." He showed that He was willing to change direction. This is us, too. And if we're not producing fruit, or producing fruit that's not helping God's cause, He'll help us to change.
"Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day." (Psalm 25:5)
"And they shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth their fruit in their season; their leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever they do shall prosper." (Psalm 1:3)
If we'll yield, we'll yield. Simple as that!