Learning to Say No

I shared in the sermon yesterday that two things usually lead us into temptation: (1) Not being “prayed up,” and (2) being physically and mentally tired. It makes sense that if we’re not in conversation with God we lose our center and our resolve. But if we’re physically and/or mentally tired, our guard drops. We have lapses in judgment. We become susceptible to suggestion. Pride can be mistaken for faithfulness.

Sabbath time is important; it allows us to renew and refresh. It is a time to listen to God and listen to ourselves, and then to adjust accordingly.

As a society, we probably don’t say no enough. Between the demands of society, demands of work, the demands of raising children and the activities they’re involved in, and the demands of the household, we often let something go – the demands of discipleship. In the list of priorities, discipleship should come first, not get leftovers.

Let us look at our schedules, our calendars, our PDA’s, and ask ourselves this question: are all the things that we do really that important? Have we left time for God, our families, and ourselves? Learning to say no is good practice for learning to say no to temptation, and may be a way of saying yes to God, yes to Sabbath, and yes to faithfulness.

Pax,
Sky+