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Just Say No! Dr. Earl Allen Everyone has been faced with having to say NO when they really wanted to say yes but realized that saying NO was the right thing to do. When we stop and think about it, we are faced with these types of situations more often than we care to admit. Not saying NO is perhaps one of the major reasons for us having to ask God to forgive us. If we would learn to say NO, we would not need for God to forgive us.
It doesn't seem reasonable to say that such an insignificant two letter word as NO could have such a tremendous impact in our lives. Over and over again, saying NO when we really want to say yes, we are confronted with confusing thoughts. This is one of those situations when your head wants to say yes but your heart wants to say NO. Which shall it be; your head or your heart? Unfortunately, our head often overrules our heart; this is why we "get in trouble” and then want to know what happened. What's the "big deal”? I only said yes when I should have said NO.
Often I am faced with the dilemma in which I find myself saying yes when I know I should be saying NO. For example, my wife is a master baker; she bakes bread which "melts in your mouth.” When I cut a slice, which I do more often than I care to admit, I know I should say NO instead of saying yes. What makes it so humiliating, I have promised God that I would not violate the promise I made to Him. He told me not to eat any of her bread because it has too much sugar in it. Whenever she bakes bread it smells up the whole house. I tell myself that I am going to be strong and not yield to the temptation. Most of the time I am able to say NO, but ever so often I "can't help myself” and before I know it I have cut a slice and once I eat one slice, it's so good, I end up eating a second slice. This is a clear example of following my head when I should be following my heart. I should have said NO, instead I ignored the promise I made to God.
Another example is I have told God and myself that I will get up earlier in the morning to walk. Instead, I find myself, more often than not, sleeping through the time I should be getting up to have enough time to shower and dress to go to work. This doesn't appear to be a big thing, but it is. This is a clear example of following my head instead of my heart. It does not matter what makes you say yes when you ought to say NO, it puts a wedge between you and God. That's just what satan wants to happen. Anytime he can get you to do what you and God have agreed that you would not do, he has accomplished his objective.
It's always time for you to learn to say NO! You cannot hide behind the excuse "you just couldn't help yourself.” If you are not careful, you will find yourself developing the habit of always saying yes when you know that you should be saying NO.
God expects you to not allow satan to control you to the point that you are too weak to avoid yielding to his temptations. God wants you to tell satan NO and not yes. He wants you to be "strong in the Lord and the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10)
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