“Can you say NO to yourself?”
Have you ever told yourself NO? It’s not always easy, but sometimes it is necessary to tell yourself NO! NO, you are not going there, and NO, you are not going to do that. Oftentimes this flesh wants what it wants when it wants it. However, this week I want to discuss the need to tell yourself NO. Let’s talk about it!
WHEN SHOULD YOU SAY NO TO YOURSELF?
I am so glad that you asked the question. Whenever self wants something that is contrary to the will of God, you’ve got to tell yourself NO! For example; if you are married and you want to do something that violates your marriage vows, or something that would hurt your spouse, you must tell yourself NO. If you are single and you want to do something that violates your relationship with God or just isn’t God’s best for you, you must tell yourself NO!
We must also learn to say NO when self wants things that are not good for us. It may be drugs, alcohol, addictions, and even certain foods that we need to leave alone. If it causes harm, pain or discomfort those are usually signs that we need to say no. Our bodies will crave things that we should not have and it is up to us to tell ourselves NO. We will even deceive ourselves by calling wrong right and talking ourselves into doing something that we know we should not do. However, we must say NO! We should also tell ourselves NO when we want things before the proper time. This is the time of the year where many will go and spend money that they do not have instead of saying NO.
There are goals that you may want to accomplish however, in order for you to accomplish them, you will have to say NO to yourself. No, you are not going to procrastinate any further and no, you are not going to make excuses. Saying NO at the proper time is operating in the fruit of the Spirit. In Galatians 5:22-23, we are told that one of the fruits of God’s Spirit is self-control, and we must walk in the Spirit.
NO, NO, and NO!
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I have to tell myself no more than once. When my flesh really wants something that I should not I have, I have to say no, no, and then no again. Self-talk is powerful! As I am telling myself no, I then have to pray and ask God for His help, His power, and His strength to resist whatever it is and to say NO. Saying no when your flesh wants to say yes is difficult however, James 4:7 tells us to resist the devil and he will flee.
If saying NO to yourself allows you to please God, do the right/righteous thing, then say NO. We have to learn to say NO to ourselves and walk in the fruit of the Spirit with self-control. May the Lord bless you and reveal to you every area where you need to say NO!
Until next time . . .
Carolyn
Marriage from A to Z 