GOD IS LEADING ME TO SEND THIS MESSAGE OUT IMMEDIATELY. ORDINARILY I READ BACK THROUGH WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN AND DO MY BEST TO MAKE ANY CHANGES THE LORD DESIRES. IN THIS CASE, I HAVE A VERY STRONG SENSE SOMEONE NEEDS TO HEAR THIS NOW SO I AM NOT DELAYING! PLEASE OVERLOOK ANYTHING AMISS, AND I PRAY GOD WILL USE THIS MESSAGE TO HELP AND ENCOURAGE SOMEONE IF NOT MANY…!
If saying NO is hard for you, if you don’t like saying NO, if you don’t have the courage to say NO, if you get confused about when to say NO, if you are afraid of hurting people by saying NO, if you are afraid of people’s reactions when you say NO, or if there is any other reason you have a hard time saying NO, or may even be resisting saying NO right now at this point in your life, may you be greatly encouraged reading this message.
The right reason and timing to say NO should NOT be about our thoughts, our feelings, our wishes, ways, and wants, what others think, what they will say, how they will respond, what feels easy versus hard, what is comfortable or not, what others think we should do or not do, what others say we should do, what we read about in a book about setting boundaries, etc.
The right reason to say no above all else should be this. WHEN GOD MAKES CLEAR HE WANTS US TO SAY NO, WE SHOULD OBEY GOD AND SAY NO. Now certainly God may use something or someone to reveal to us His will for us to say NO, and that is well and good if this be the case. But the bottom line should be that we say NO if and when GOD TELLS US TO SAY NO.
How do we know God’s will? PRAY, PRAY, PRAY! READ THE BIBLE DAILY! SPEND TIME IN GOD’S PRESENCE DAILY. LEARN TO DISCERN THE VOICE OF GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKING TO YOUR HEART WHICH HE ONLY AND ALWAYS DOES IN LINE WITH THE BIBLE. SEEK GODLY COUNSEL FROM JESUS FOLLOWERS STRONG IN THE BIBLE AND IN THEIR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. And WAIT ON THE LORD until you are clear He wants you to say NO.
If you have a hard time saying NO, rest assured when it is God’s will for you to say NO, and when you yield yourself to the love and power and strength and wisdom of the Holy Spirit of God who lives in His followers, He will give you the love, courage, and boldness as well as the wisdom and right words to say NO. Right words? Yes, we may need to say more than simply NO. And those words we can pray to God to give us.
Please note it is not just courage and boldness and wisdom and right words we need to say NO. Above all else, we need THE LOVE OF JESUS. Saying NO to someone with meanness, unkindness, hatred, hurt, bitterness, vengeance, anger, cruelty, pride, judgment, condemnation, etc., is NOT the way of Jesus.
When God wants you and I to say NO, and we surrender ourselves to Him and His ways and His will, He will enable us to say NO by giving us all that we need – HIS LOVE included!
“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NKJV
“as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,” 2 Peter 1:3 NKJV
“The mouth of the righteous is a well of life,…” Proverbs 10:11 NKJV
“The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; The heart of the wicked is worth little….” Proverbs 10:20 NKJV
“The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,…” Proverbs 10:31 NKJV
“The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,…” Proverbs 10:32 NKJV