No one likes to be told NO!

Not the screaming kid in the store, not the teenager wanting to hang out with friends, not the young adult wanting more than a casual relationship, and definitely not anyone over 25. No has the power to cut like a knife.

No is disappointing. No is heart wrenching. No is better than any yes you can ever receive. Let me explain.

A dear friend called to wish me Happy Thanksgiving. She shared with me that her most recent prayer request had been denied. She went on to tell me how disappointed she was and how she had believed the outcome would be different.  That is when I reminded her “no” is an anointed word. After our discussion, it was discovered that if she had received a “yes” she would have to relinquish one of her passions, her time would be monopolized and she would be completely consumed by this request.

No, kept her from a mess.

This morning another dear friend texted me requesting prayer for a failed relationship. I reminded her the same. No is an anointed word!

We seldom consider that no is God’s protective word. It keeps us from unnecessary harm. It shows us that we can’t see tomorrow and tomorrow with a yes won’t be pretty. No is a loving word. It corrects, it restores, it teaches. No covers, no keeps, no guides us into the right directions.

Consider the NO’s in your life. The times when yes seemed perfect. The times when you knew more than everyone else that this is the RIGHT thing. The times when you had it all figured out and expected God to give it to you simply because you wanted it.

The word tells us God will withhold no GOOD thing from us. So if he said, “No” it wasn’t as good as we thought it to be.

I thank God he loves us enough to say, “No!” even when our hearts say “yes”