Will

How often do you say no to yourself? When you want something that isn’t necessarily good for you or you don’t really need? Maybe it is something that isn’t bad or good? How often do you say no to yourself just to practice enacting your will?

Now, maybe you’re sitting scratching your head wondering what is wrong with Pastor Tim–no one practices enacting their will. We just make decisions; it’s not something we have to practice. That is just a crazy thought.

Is it?

1 Corinthians 9:27 tells us to “discipline our body to bring it under strict control.” Romans 12:2 tells us to “renew our minds.” The process in which these two events, discipline and renewal, take place has to do with us making a conscious decision to allow discipline and renewal to happen. Our natural desires will always lead us away from what is best for us. So I think it would be in our best interest to on occasion say “NO” to ourselves, just to remind ourselves that it is only by an act of our will, us saying yes to the Spirit of God, that we can be renewed and changed into the image of God. Practicing saying “no” when there is no pressure and no immediate internal battle taking place helps give me the courage and strength to say no to things that are bigger and may have a larger effect on my life.

I know it may seem strange but…why not practice saying no to yourself today? It maybe helpful tomorrow!

-Pastor Tim