"no"

Have you ever told someone NO? And then in secret you go and do what you told the other person not to do?

Maybe, someone has told you 'No'. How do you feel when someone tells you NO? How did you handle it? It could be that none of us like to hear the word 'No'. We want all we want. 'Yes' is the word we all want to hear. Hearing that we cannot do something or have something we want goes against the grain.

Do we realize that if man had obeyed God’s NO from the very beginning, there very possibly might be no sin in our world? The first NO from God is found in the book of Genesis 2: 16-17 – “The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

God said NO. Man had everything he would ever need and yet the one thing that God said NO to, that is what man wanted the most. And when we really think about it, we are no different.

The Apostle Paul, as great a witness he was for the gospel had a problem with avoiding what he knew was wrong. In Romans 7: 15 & 19, Paul wrote – “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. . . . . .

19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.”

Even Paul admitted that it was sin living within him that caused him to do that. In Romans 7:17, Paul said, “So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. Then in verse 20 he said, “But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.”

Now, this is not an excuse that we can use in order to sin, and neither was it an excuse for Paul. He was basically admitting that the sinful nature within all of us is what causes us to resist the NO.

No is absolute. It does not mean maybe or even later. It gives no opportunity for what has been refused.

There is an old saying; "What part of no don't you understand?" We need to understand the reason we are told "No'. It’s not so much that it is banned or looked down upon by society. It’s more about God disciplining us to do what is right and to avoid what He says NO to. GOD told us these things over and over. No, do not, never, deny and refuse are all instructional words GOD uses throughout the Bible to guide and teach us.

When GOD tells us "No" it is for our benefit. No is not a suggestion, a maybe or a let's see what happens when we are disobedient. No means no.

I can look back and tell you the times I have ignored GOD'S instruction of a simple "No!" Those are the times of my greatest heartache and disappointment in my life. I am sure if you look back at the times you did as you wanted when GOD told you "No" you can see the heartaches and disappointments in your life as well.

So, the simple truth is that when GOD tells us "No", that is when we should answer "Yes, LORD, I will do as YOU say. GOD tells us "No" by HIS loving grace. Embrace it! You’ll be glad you did in the end. God’s way, is NEVER the wrong way.

? When God tells us "no" to one of our requests, it does not mean He does not care for us, it usually means He has something else for us

? It’s hard to know what God wants. It’s even harder when God says you can’t have what you want.

? When God says “no,” it often means He has a better way. We need to support it. We need to listen. We need to obey.