Can't say "No" to that...

With what was a strong desire to please people, feelings of loneliness lurking beneath my smile and a longing to be desired...I was approached with a situation that would put me in a place to satisfy all three of those storms brewing within me. I had already allowed him into my life, my personal head space and used his sweet words to leverage the emotions I was feeling. Now it was time to put my actions where my words had been. He'd suggested that I come over and the strong temptation was to say yes, but I knew I should say no.
I could deceive my true intentions with illusions of grandeur (we will just watch a movie, I'll only allow it to go so far, etc) but I knew (or had been told) that saying "No" might save me more heartache in the long run. What word would I choose?

This is just one scenario that has played out in my life, in the past...but happened over and over again. There are plenty others that still occur on a daily basis. The temptation to lie to a friend, to hate and treat someone with that hatred because of something I believe they've done to wrong me, to hurl an insult in the form of a curse word at someone to prove to them 'I'm not to be played with'...and much more. The real test is whether I will say (or act in a way that says) yes...or no.

There's a huge gap in the understanding of "salvation" with many people who have actually trusted Christ as their Savior at one point or another. Some heard a message in church and was compelled by fear to pray a prayer they knew nothing about. Others may have been at an event where there was a mountain top experience and were moved by emotion give 'give their lives to Christ'. Some, maybe you, heard a person talking about their testimony and connected to the experience shared and wanted to change so after asking various questions, you too 'got saved'.

What I've experienced, however, is many lack the knowledge that cements the Christian faith. Yes, part of the joy of becoming a Christian, Believer, follower of Jesus Christ, 'getting saved'...is the anticipated hope of going to Heaven to be with God. I mean who really doesn't care where they spend their life after death? Or better yet, who doesn't want to be in Heaven some day? Only those who fail to believe Heaven or Hell even exists, quite honestly. But this isn't merely what Salvation is about.

Salvation is more than a 'some day' hope. It's a right-now experience! It's a provision for the days we have left on earth! The forgiveness of sins is huge and vitally important to the trust and faith piece of the process. But the benefit far outweighs just seeing God one day (although that is more than enough). The benefit begins immediately because we have access to a word, we never really considered before.

When a child utters his/her first words, it's typically what word (besides mommy or daddy)?

It's NO! Without any formal training, this word happens to be the first words out of a child's mouth, usually after a parent tells a child what to do (or not do). Yet ironically, it's this same word that we tend to lose the ability to say or do, when it comes to our behaviors that displease God. Actions that we daily engage in (known as sin) that prove to be either immediately dangerous or silently terminal are ones that God says "no" to and yet it seems like all we can do is fall prey to them over and over again. Like a drug habit, when presented with chances to please ourselves or engage in satisfaction that violates the principles of God, we easily and without thought, say "YES!" We cannot help it. Before trusting Christ as Savior...there's no option to say no to your sin nature. You might happen to entertain 'no' to some things, some of the time because of some level of rationale, but there are certainly things that you cannot help but do even when your conscience haunts you about it, in the times when you're alone with your thoughts. No New Year's resolution or commitment to self can stop you from running back to whatever that "thing" is. No, just doesn't seem to be an option for a person who has not trusted Christ as Savior.

Selah. 
What is that 'thing' for you? 
Does lying come fluently for you? Is sleeping around an addiction or something you find yourself doing casually? Is it the ease with which you rattle off insults and swearing-type words at people when angry? Is it the hatred that swells up almost immediately in your heart that you cling to without remorse when someone does you wrong? 
Selah.

The benefit to the Christian life (only accessible to the person who has trusted Christ as Savior) is that God grants us the ability to say "no" to things we once could never say "no" to. Whatever your thing is, when we trust Christ as our Savior, long before experiencing Heaven (life after death), God gives us freedom to say "NO" while we are still yet breathing. "No" enters not only our vocabulary but is an empowered action that is feasible with the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit that God gifts us with at the time we say "yes" to Him.

Rick Warren puts it this way, "But if you’ve accepted Jesus Christ into your life, you can say ‘no’. Romans 8:9 says, “You are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are now controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ living in them does not belong to Christ” (NLT)." 

Your desires might not go away, but your ability to say NO to them, is very present so you can experience life here on earth!

Practical Application:
1. Reflect on the times and circumstances which you daily or consistently say "yes" to.

2. Confess those things!
ie: "God, I say yes to [lying] just about every time it presents itself. I'm sorry for thinking white lies are no big deal. Forgive me for lying and help me to say "no" to lying when given the chance.

3. Read scriptures about [whatever that thing is] and more so, about the power you have to say yes to God and no to everything else. *Romans 8
Even choose a few of those to memorize.

4. Each time you say yes (and you will)...confess it quickly/immediately if at all possible! Ask, again for God to help you say "No" the next time. Repeat this over and over again.

5. Keep a mental record of the last time you said "yes" and watch the time between 'failures' dwindle. Thank God for His power in you  and ask Him to make you more aware of your new ability to say "NO" when the time presents itself!