S1E20 When we need to say ”no”

Do you struggle to say no? When you do have to say no, do you feel you need to give a bunch of reasons for why you do? What about if you don’t have a “real reason” for saying no, you just know you need the margin in your life, do you feel guilty? If you struggle with any of these things, you won’t want to skip this episode. Miss and Rach talk about the ways saying no is Biblical and why God might even ask us to do so at times. We hope you’ll walk away with some freedom in this area that you didn’t have before.

Show Notes:

1. Jesus Says “No” to the Enemy
   1. Jesus said “No” to turning stones into bread to feed His hunger.
   2. He said “No” to putting God to the test.
   3. He said “No” to gaining the world He so loved the easy way.
2. Jesus said “No” to Man’s Agenda and Timetable
   1. John 6:14-15 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
3. Jesus “No” to Pleasing the Crowd. In Matthew 12:38~39 and 16: 1~4 Jesus said “No” to giving a miraculous sign to the disbelieving leaders.
4. Jesus said “No” to Pleasing His family. Jesus was not willing to stop His mission to please His family. Mark 3:21 indicates His family came to take charge of Him as they thought He was mad. When they arrived He didn’t respond to their plans for Him. He said “Whoever does God’s will is my brother, sister and mother”. It’s hard to say “No” to those who love us and think they know what’s best for us. We have to step out in faith and be obedient to God’s call on our lives.
5. Jesus did not involve himself in all business: 
   1. John 12:13-14 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”
6. Jesus said “no” to his own desires when it came to the cross. He chose us and God’s ultimate plans over his.

Challenge: Examine your schedule, are there things you said “yes” to that you probably shouldn’t have? What kinds of things do you feel are hard to say “no” to? Where does your deep rooted belief about saying “no”  come from?