The Grace to say 'No'

Saturday 11 July
READ: Titus 2: 11 -12 NIV
MORE LESSON: Prov. 1:10-15

One important thing a person on route to destiny must learn is how to say 'no' to some things. As a Christian, you should be nice but that doesn't mean you should not be able to take a firm stand and say 'no' to things that you cannot accept. Some believers accept everything from everybody because they do not want to displease anybody: you don't have to try to please everyone and so displease yourself and God. Learn it today that it is not everything that you must do and it is not everything you must accept or agree to. If a precious friend or relative makes a demand on you to do something that doesn't enhance your destiny, say a ‘no’ to it. If you are in a courtship and the partner demands to commit sin with you, say a firm 'no', even if that is what will end that courtship. There is a grace to say 'no' and you should develop that grace. This is explicitly expressed in the Bible; for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "no" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, Titus 2:11-12 NIV.

Apart from ungodliness, there are also other things that are not out rightly sinful that you must also learn to say 'no' to. Sometimes you have to know how to say 'no' when people make requests from you, if you sincerely won't be able to meet the request. I like to just help everybody out of a compassionate heart, but after having several consequences, I have gradually learnt that there are some times and situations when people make requests from me that I just have to look them in the face and say, 'I'm sorry, I can't do that'. Not that I don't want to help the person, just that I can't and so I have to let the person know. I have seen people who don't have the financial capacity to help another person's situation take up a responsibility that crashed them as they become poor in the process of trying to help the poor. That is not correct.

You don't need to become poor trying to help the poor, if you do, you will only succeed in increasing the number of the poor that need help. It is part of Christian maturity to know what you don't yet have the capacity to do even though it's good and say 'no' when demanded upon to do it. This, of course, is not an excuse for those that can help but don't want to. But the point is that there are certain times that it is saying 'no' that keeps you alive. You should learn to say it so that you can live.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God for the wisdom to discern between good and evil at all times.
* Pray for courage to do only the good things.
* Ask God for grace to reject ungodly requests and to live righteously.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I scatter in advance every evil meeting that has been planned against me throughout the nights of July - December 2015, in Jesus’ name.