Learning To Say No
“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” – Romans 6:11-14
When it comes to discussing temptation and sin, there is a big distinction that we need to take note of. Being tempted is not sin. Just because you’ve been tempted doesn’t mean you’ve sinned. Rather sin is what happens when you take that temptation and act on it.
Part of being a human is facing temptation, but it is possible for us to have victory over our temptations with the help of the Holy Spirit. Like we discussed yesterday, being filled with the Spirit is the first step in preparing for temptation that will come our way. With that in mind, we must also realize that a major part of refusing temptation is saying no.
I love how Josh Billings talks about this idea. He says, “Half the trouble of this life can be traced to saying no – or rather, saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.” When Jesus was tempted with offerings of power, influence, and prestige, He refused. We must refuse our own temptations by saying no to the desires of our flesh and living by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
There will be more times than you can count when your flesh will try to convince you to give into a temptation. Your flesh will persuade you to say or do something that contradicts God’s Word. But don’t give in. Sa no to the tempting desires of your flesh and say yes to all that God has for you as you choose you faithfully follow Him.
When it comes to discussing temptation and sin, there is a big distinction that we need to take note of. Being tempted is not sin. Just because you’ve been tempted doesn’t mean you’ve sinned. Rather sin is what happens when you take that temptation and act on it.
Part of being a human is facing temptation, but it is possible for us to have victory over our temptations with the help of the Holy Spirit. Like we discussed yesterday, being filled with the Spirit is the first step in preparing for temptation that will come our way. With that in mind, we must also realize that a major part of refusing temptation is saying no.
I love how Josh Billings talks about this idea. He says, “Half the trouble of this life can be traced to saying no – or rather, saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.” When Jesus was tempted with offerings of power, influence, and prestige, He refused. We must refuse our own temptations by saying no to the desires of our flesh and living by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
There will be more times than you can count when your flesh will try to convince you to give into a temptation. Your flesh will persuade you to say or do something that contradicts God’s Word. But don’t give in. Sa no to the tempting desires of your flesh and say yes to all that God has for you as you choose you faithfully follow Him.
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