HOW TO KNOW WHEN TO SAY "NO" TO SEEMINGLY GOOD THINGS

How to Know When to Say No to Seemingly Good Things

by Ron Edmonson

Age and maturity has helped me improve at discerning what I can do and should do based on my strengths, weaknesses, passions and dreams. It’s freeing when we become more certain in who God has wired us to be and who He has not.

Still, I’ve learned (through many different seasons) that there are often more opportunities than time in life…even God-honoring, seemingly good opportunities. Recently, I have had to say no to some great opportunities. These were things that I would have clearly thought had to be “God appointed”, but as much as they line with my strengths, passions, and dreams I have for my life, I said “no” to them.

How do you know when to say no to what looks like a good thing…perhaps initially even like a “God thing”?

Here are four things I look for in examining my heart before responding. I say no when:

The decision conflicts with the personal vision God has placed on my heart during this season of my life. I do not believe I’m called to a place as much as I’m called to a Person…through my relationship with Jesus Christ. There are seasons of life, however, where I know He has positioned me in a place “for such a time as this”. I’m in that place now.

My heart doesn’t line up with this decision…I can get no “peace” about saying “yes”. This requires consistent prayer and wrestling with the decision, but the more I practice this discipline the more confident I become in sensing God’s specific will for my life.

When the calling of God on my life says no. This is the overall call on my life rather than a situational decision. For example, I recently had an opportunity presented which would have taken me completely away from church planting, but I know that God has a call on my life to be involved in planting churches at some level.

When my personal strengths and interests don’t match the opportunity and I don’t sense an urgency from God. I have learned that situational or physical limitations aren’t a factor if God is in the mix. He can part waters if they are in the way, so I can do things outside of my strengths, but in my life God does seem to usually work within the experiences and gifting He has granted me. Why would He waste the investments He has made in me? Therefore, apart from a sense that God is challenging me in a direction outside my gifting, I can rest within the place where He has been preparing me.

IS THIS THING I'M HOLDING ONTO A LIE?

From Rich Thornton's blog MORE THAN TODAY

Is this thing, this idol that I'm holding in my hand, a lie?

Once there was a wood-carver who measured a block of wood and drew a pattern on it. He worked with chisel and plane and carved it into a human figure. He gave it human beauty and put it in a little shrine.

He cut down cedars; he selected the cypress and the oak; he planted the pine in the forest to be nourished by the rain. Then he used part of the wood to make a fire to warm himself and bake his bread.

Then -- yes, it's true -- he took the rest of it and made himself a god to worship! He made an idol and bowed down in front of it!

He burned part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm. He said, "Ah, that fire feels good."

Then he took what was left and made his god: a carved idol! He fell down in front of it, worshiped and prayed to it. "Rescue me!" he said. "You are my god!"

Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.

The person who made the idol never stopped to reflect, "Why, it's just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?"

The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that can't help him at all.

Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, "Is this thing, this idol that I'm holding in my hand, a lie?" (Isaiah 44:13-20)

What thing, what idol, am I holding in my hand that is a lie? What is it that we treat as more important than God? What is really first to us? What is on our minds, in our activities, in our desires more than anything else? What would we give up everything else for? Would we do anything to have more money? Is a satisfying relationship with a human being more important to us than a satisfying relationship with God? Is recognition, power, fame, or even just a little more respect what drives us everyday? Money, sex, relationships, family, power, respect--are these the idols that we hold in our hand?

If I want to hold hands with God then I must put down my idol. If I want to use my hands to serve God by serving people I must put down my idol. I must realize that my needs, my desires, will frustrate me all of my life if I don't put them into God's hands. Only God can lead me where I need to go. The thing, the idol, that I hold in my hand is indeed a lie. To find truth I must set aside this lie, this idol, and lift my empty hands to God and let Him pick me up and love me and lead me as only He can.

STOP IT!

Perry Noble shares these great words today on his blog.LEADERSHIP

STOP IT!!! February 24, 2011

When God speaks clearly to you then you have a choice…

You can make plans…OR make excuses!

People who make excuses DO NOT change or impact the world around then.

They get STUCK because they keep obsessing over what God may want next for their lives when they refuse to deal with what He is speaking to RIGHT NOW! (Please see Ezekiel 14:1-6…when God deals with an issue He will CONTINUALLY deal with THAT issue for as long as it takes to be confessed and repented of. AND…God is relentless!!!)

So…are you going to make plans OR excuses?

What is your answer TO THIS QUESTION? (It changed my life!)

What is “that thing” that you can’t get past…maybe it…

* Finally deal with/confess sin and ask for help! (James 5:16)
* Have that hard conversation that deals with confrontation/forgiveness! (See Matthew 6:14-15)
* Begin to put God first in your finances! (See Proverbs 3:9-10)
* Ask for help in your marriage! (It’s way better to seek help when there is a problem than trying to find a divorce lawyer to help figure out who gets what!)
* End an ungodly dating relationship. (And ungodly dating relationship is one that God keeps saying “NO” to you about!!!)
* Join a church!!!! (You are way too valuable to sit on the sidelines.)

I could go on and on…but you get the point!

What IS IT? STOP making excuses and STEP into WHO HE IS and WHAT HE wants you to do!

Go for it!

TIME FOR A LITTLE FUN - BABY GOT BOOK

Time for a little fun so you're discipleship doesn't get wound too tightly.  And yes, there is a point.

GIVING UP YOUR PERSONAL RIGHTS FOR THE GOSPEL

What is more important to you: your personal, spiritual, and ministry rights, or the integrity and advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Don’t be too quick to say it’s the gospel.

Over several decades in ministry, I’ve discovered there are not as many Christians and church leaders as you might think who walk the walk when it comes to laying aside their legitimate human and spiritual rights for the sake of the gospel. Yes, many pastors preach it on Sundays, but how they live is often quite different. It’s the fruit of the “professionalism” of Christian leadership.

A question dating back to Paul

This was the primary question facing Paul—would he fight for his personal and spiritual rights, or would he choose to lay them down for the integrity and advancement of the gospel? Paul’s answer, found in 1 Corinthians 9, is “yes,” and he lived it out in his ministry.
The primary issue facing Paul in 1 Corinthians 9 was that certain church leaders in the city of Corinth were questioning, accusing, and opposing Paul (1 Corinthians 9:3). How could these latecomers to church leadership question Paul? They apparently wanted to build themselves up in Corinth by undercutting Paul.

“ Paul said he would rather die than get robbed of his ability and grounds to boast in Christ.
”

Paul spends a good part of this chapter emphasizing that he’s free in Christ (9:1), that the risen Christ had commissioned him as an apostle on the Damascus road (9:1), he was the founding apostle of the Corinthian church (9:2), and he also provides a rather long list of personal and spiritual leadership rights that were his. In other words, he had authoritative rights! Paul had the “right” to confront, attack, and start a huge fight with these would-be leaders, and he would have likely won with no problems. How dare anyone question Paul’s apostolic calling and credentials! After all, he has rights! He could have decided to take a strong stubborn stand in defense of his personal rights, blow up the church in Corinth, and leave it in ashes. But this is not how Paul responded.

Paul's primary concern

His primary concern was not his personal reputation or rights, but the reputation, integrity, and advancement of the gospel of Christ.  Reposted from The Resurgence read more

CHOOSE SABBATH

FROM soul city BLOG

Your challenge today is to choose to Sabbath.
Choose to Rest instead of Work.
Choose to Trust instead of Hustle.
Choose to Sip coffee instead of Pound it.
Choose to Talk instead of Tweet.
Choose to Refill instead of Pour out.
Choose to stay in Jammies for as long as possible instead of getting Dressed.
Choose to Sabbath instead of just taking a Day Off.

HOLY CRAP! I'M ON HOLY GROUND

Holy Crap I’m on Holy Ground!

One of my favorite guys in the bible is Moses.  I love his humanity contained in a larger than life story.  Portrayed on the big screen we see a guy who had it all, lost it all and in doing so found his purpose in life.  Moses is revered in the bible like literally no other person and his story drips with real life tension.  But what stands out to me about Moses is his humanity.
Moses is a guy who had the same idea as God… “Let’s get these people free from oppression.”  His tactic was to kill a soldier and burry him in the sand and in the midst of this strategic brilliance he became a hunted man fleeing for his life.  His flight landed him in the desert where for 40 years he shepherded sheep and endeavored to put his past behind him.

Then one day Moses sees a strange sight and curiosity gets him.  “The bush is on fire but not consumed he thought.”  As he stepped closer he heard his name spoken and the next sentence describes something so powerful that human history was altered in that moment.

“Moses, take off your shoes, you are on holy ground.”  That’s it?  Yup, that’s it.  You see, something happens on Holy Ground that does not happen anywhere else.  Holy Ground is the place where God speaks his intentions, heart and purpose to someone he calls by name.  It is the place where a dream in our heart gets affirmed by God because the dream was put there by God in the first place.  Holy Ground is the place where God says “Hey you!  I have not forgotten and am about to act so get ready.”  Holy Ground is the place where God calls us by name.

“Moses” How strange it must have been that surrounded by things that could not talk, bearing a name from his past that represented all he lost, God speaks from a bush and speaks personally to Moses.  No “Hey Pal” or “whatcha doin buddy”.  No “what’s up dude” or “come here dummy”.  “Moses” Called by name as if God was saying I have been watching you and know you.  “Moses” Called by name as if God was saying I know your whole story and am about to show you that I waste nothing.  “Moses” as if God were saying your entire story thus far was nothing more than preparation for what is next.  “Moses”

So here is a thought… What if God had a holy ground moment for you?  What if God was getting ready to speak your name and announce that you were entering Holy Ground?  Holy Ground, the place where God announces his presence and his plan to those he knows by name.  I am hearing that these days, I hope you are as well.  Off… we go now.

From Leonard Lee's blog OFF WE GO NOW

WHY YOU SHOULDN'T GIVE UP

Perry Noble writes a great blog that many of us read regularly. This is his post from a couple of days ago that I felt would be of benefit to many of us.  Check out his site at PERRY NOBLE.

Often times I meet people in life and ministry that want to give up!  They hate their job.  Their marriage is in trouble.  The church they are serving isn’t moving as fast as they thought it would…and so…the easiest thing to do is give up, walk away and simply start all over.

If that’s you…let me share several reasons why I believe you should not give up!

#1 – God’s not through with you!  If He were done with you then He would take you off of this planet…but the very fact that you have air in your lungs means that He still has a purpose for your life.

#2 – Because of the promise in Galatians 6:7-9!!!  Especially focus on verse 9!!!

#3 – Because we are followers of Jesus…and though He faced a much tougher assignment that us He never gave up!

#4 – Because of the reality we see in II Corinthians 4:16-18…trust me, we have GOT to get this!

#5 – Because of the challenge the Lord gives us in James 1:2-4 and James 1:12!  (I know…these are verses that we LOVE to quote to others but never try to apply to our own personal situations…however, they are true for ALL of us!)

#6 – Because no one ever achieved anything great for the Lord that didn’t first have to overcome unbelievable opposition; in fact, great opposition usually means great opportunity!  (See I Corinthians 16:9)

#7 – Because of the reality that God is FAITHFUL…and if He leads you TO IT then He WILL lead you THROUGH IT!  (See Philippians 1:6)

#8 – Because God has promised to always be with us, to never leave us and never forsake us…that makes us unstoppable IN HIM!

#9 – Because IF you are working in a church…what you do MATTERS!!!  The story that God has you involved in is so much larger than what you can currently see!  We are involved in something that is literally worldwide and has had an impact on history and will continually have an impact on the next generation.

PEOPLE AREN'T AFRAID OF CHANGE

“People aren’t afraid of change.  They’re afraid of the transition.  People aren’t afraid of having a hold on one trapeze handle or another.  It’s the open air between.”

–Dan Reiland

This came from John Morlan's REAL LIFE WITH GOD

CROCK POT FAITH

By Josh Schlotterbeck

Reposted from FUEL

The Blog of AMP (Antioch Multiplication Project)

Spiritual growth happens in the slow cooker of faith; not in the microwave of the moment.

So many people live for the moment. They live from rush to rush. Sound familiar? Sunday to Sunday? I have been letting one experience months ago try and sustain my faith; and it doesn’t work. Paul says in Philippians 2:12

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

Growth takes more than one moment in time or a flashy event. It’s takes a commitment to God’s word through faith. It takes applying it again and again to everyday life. As Americans we have the audacity to assume that we should have the best and have it now. That’s why we invented the microwave, quick and easy solutions to consumption that replaced the crock pot.

We use the crock pot (Slow Cooker) a lot at our house. The reason is that all of the ingredients are natural and not processed. The cooking process preserves flavor and saturates your meat to the core. Sure it takes like 8 hours to cook, but in the end, It is fresh, it is considerably more healthy, and there is always leftovers; much like the results of steady spiritual growth.





Josh Schlotterbeck

THE GOOD-O-METER