Why Say No?

The word no is one of the largest, smallest words ever, next to the infinite word, if. Yes, it is grammatically an oxymoron, but true. So many people are afraid of the tiny little word. It has crushed the largest person's ability to stand tall; it has bankrupted fortune five hundred companies, broken marriages, and the hearts of many children.

The word no can be used in a negative sense as above, or it can be used in a positive sense. The rod of correction, most times began with the word, no. It is part of the rod of discipline. Few people welcome discipline, right? In order, to grow it is a tool of discerning wisdom which we must understand and respectfully acknowledge. Note I said, “Discerning.” We have to be able to discern where the word no is coming from. Is it in a negative sense to tear you down, stop you from moving forward, meaning never, or the positive no, the no of protection, or the no that really means, not yet, but maybe later, depending on you.

The word no, that I want to focus on today is directed towards self-preservation. “No,” is not an easy word to say, especially when coming from yes people; people who always say yes, even when it is not in their best interest. Sometimes when “no" is said, the person who it is directed, may appear in disbelief, asking you to repeat it, “Excuse me could you repeat that again,” or, “did you say no?” It is really a struggle for the “yes” person to repeat or answer.

   

The sooner we learn we can’t be everything to everyone and still be all that God wants us to be, the faster and better we will grow. Putting God first and doing his will means saying no quite often, in a negative environment. No, you can’t have time for all the things that the world will attempt to entice you with and God. God do not want our left over offerings as we learn from Cain and Able. (Gen. 4:3-7)

As we put God first it will become easier and easier to say no to things that don’t matter. People who don’t understand will go away and that’s okay. People who respect you and do understand will take their place. Why? Because when we put God first, seeking his kingdom, all other thing will be added unto us. Matt. 6:33. Paul says, “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

Nobody asked me, but I say, in order to preserve ourselves we must follow the formula of putting God first, husband/ children second, then work, etc., is defiantly a formula for success and peace that surpasses all understanding! 

The word no, preserves your life and your soul! Try it today.

High Noon

Twenty-five, what an awesome age. However at twenty-five, the first quarter of your life has already surpassed. It was a time when what others thoughts of you mattered, a time when you may have even been a people-pleaser. They were the years where mistakes, if time permits, can be repaired and recovered.
Twenty six through forty, still an awesome time of youth and discovery. It is still the age where mistakes can be recovered or boredom can be revived with reinvention or new creations. This is the second quarter. The second quarter extends to age fifty, if life allows you to live to the ripe age of one hundred. However, based on the actuarial tables found on the Social Security Administration website, if you are a man (living in the US), your probability is .48% of making it to 100.  If you are a woman, 1.66%. Then there's the third quarter, fifty-one to seventy-five. The third quarter is a time to really focus! If God's grace allows you to play in the third quarter, all childish things and decisions should truly be left behind. It is a time to continue to seriously teach others and to have a character in place that when someone mentions your name it is good. It is a time of high noon, a time to clean the idled cobwebs of our minds.  We should no longer be people-pleasers. Everything forward should be in an attempt to please God. This could statistically be the last quarter. It is not suggested that we wait till the third quarter to attempt to win the game. At whatever point in life you learn the reason for your existence (Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind, NIV Ecclesiastes 12:13)  and arbitrate it, that is half the battle towards a successful ending. Use the play book (The Bible) and learn the commandments, for the New Testament Christians. This is to say, if you've been blessed to play at high noon, do note that the sun will soon be setting. The things that deemed so important may need to be refocused. It is a time when you need to be awake and be energized so you can decide how your story ends here on earth, with the choices that has been set before you. Will you still focus on accumulating more stuff here, or store towards eternity? Always remember God is ultimately in control and if He has allowed you to play in the third quarter, don't waste time! Win the eternal crown! Learn and use the strategies. Recognizes your adversaries in all it's different forms, for they come in many. 

Lost and Found!

Have you ever wondered why people act and think the way that they do? Most people walk around, and live each day with no direction, no purpose, and no plans,waiting in the wing of the lost and found. Ready to be picked up by anyone or anything that may claim them.
They awake in the morning without intention, and play a game of "let the cards fall were they may,"
A large percentage of people live and then die, not ever knowing or understanding why they were here. The headstone of one may read, Maethea Steadfast, 1967-2015. What did Maethea Steadfast accomplish from 1967, her birth until 2015, her death, That is what that dash should represents. Is it just a dash or does it represent substance?
Most don't know the reason for our existence, which is to fear God and keep his commandment! That is the total duty of man!
So though nobody asked me, l suggest we read and hear what our God has inspired to be written.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14King James Version (KJV) says,

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.