Words are powerful.  If you dare challenge this statement, try saying, “I hope I can get through security with this BOMB in my bag” as you enter the security checkpoint at an airport.  Even if you are kidding around, the authorities won’t think your joke is funny.

The word NO is short.  Two letters.  One syllable.  It only takes a fraction of a second to say.  And it is negative.  It is, very literally, the most truly negative word in our English language.  But I have learned that every NO I say is a YES to something else, something better .  It is not always bad to say NO.  Sometimes it is very, very good to say NO.

When I say NO to my boys when they ask me if they can have pizza for breakfast, I am actually saying YES to their health, to helping them form good habits that will make them better men, better dads, husbands, and eventually better Christians.

When I say NO to an invitation to go preach at an event that I really want take, but I realize that if I go I will be be neglecting a promise I made to my wife, ignoring my health, or that I will miss an important program at my sons school, that NO to the event (though it killed me to say NO) is actually a YES to my family, to our relationships, and ultimately to my own well being and my soul.

When I say NO to the junk food that beckons me at 3 PM when I usually get sluggish, I can say yes to a banana.  My body will thank me later.  I am saying YES to common sense, good health, and better habits.

And when I say NO to sin by the power of the Holy Spirit, I am saying YES to the  treasure and pleasure of knowing Jesus Christ, the power of His resurrection, and sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings.  That little NO is a gigantic YES that will bring God glory and make me more like Him.

We must learn to say NO to the right things because that will allow us to say YES to God, our family, fellowship with believers, time in His word and prayer, or quiet reflection just being still and knowing that He is God, not us.

Say NO more often so that you can say YES when you need to.