Just Say No
Is the word “No” difficult for you? The ability to say “no” is a sign of spiritual and emotional health. If you struggle with saying no you will hinder Jesus from the transformation he desires to see in you. Sometimes saying no means standing up to the world when in conflict with His Word. No I will not watch that movie or TV show. No I will not view pornography. No I cannot date a non-Christian.No I cannot afford that. No I will not spend this money if it means I cannot tithe. No I cannot go on facebook because I have not completed my work. No I cannot be friends with that person because they are dragging me down.
Sometimes we have to say no to the good in order to say yes to the best. No I cannot accept that promotion at work or that ministry at the church because it will take too much time away from my family. No I cannot do that, every need does not have my name on it. No our church cannot do _____________ because it is not in line with our vision.
I have a large capacity for people and complexity in my work but I need time to read, pray and reflect. Every January I pray about how I am spending my time and consider if I need to make adjustments in my life. Most of the time I am required to say no to some things. This usually involves relationships…with the Lord, my family, friends and ministry. Some of the questions I pray over are on my last blog post. It is so freeing as a leader for me to say “I can’t.” In the past 30 days I have said no to three different conference speaking invites, a girl friend trip, and two mentoring requests. The decisions were not easy ones but they were right ones.
What about you? Have you made any difficult decisions lately that required you to say no? Are you struggling with a decison right now? What have you learned about saying no to the demands in your life?