New Morning Mercies #312

God calls you to deny yourself and then blesses you with the indwelling Holy Spirit so you have the power to say no.

You have called me to say

no.

Not no to you

or no to others,

but no to myself.

I must say no to

selfish desires,

wrong thoughts, and

dangerous emotions.

I must say no to

the world’s values,

sin’s temptations, and

my desire to control

what only God can rule.

But left to myself,

I have

little desire

or power

to say

no.

So you have given me

exactly what I need.

It’s the only thing

that will solve my

problem.

You have given me

your Spirit.

So, when necessary,

I am able

to say

no.

For further study and encouragement: Matthew 16:24–28