An Affirmitive Negative
As I was walking away from a sales representative who coerced me into filling out an application for a credit card, I began to feel a dissatisfaction within my spirit. Every time I told her a reason that I didn’t want the card, the sales rep came back with a counter response. After telling her no 3 to 5 times, I found myself saying yes and filling out the application. I didn’t want the card, I didn’t need the card, I had no intentions on getting the card, yet I still said yes.
In itself the incident was harmless. I can simply call the credit card company and cancel the card when it arrives in the mail. The dissatisfaction that I felt, however, was the sudden awareness that this type of activity is what leads people into failure, heartache and sin. When we allow our defenses to be broken down and don’t stand firm in the faith of Jesus Christ, we will ultimately find ourselves saying yes to something that is far from God’s best.
Luckily for me, I had a chance for vindication! As I continued down the airport terminal, I came across yet another sales rep from the same company. Like the other one, she caught my attention by saying, “Sir, are you flying with US Airways today?” I responded, “Yes I am, and thanks but no thanks”. She started to tell me that she only wanted a few seconds of my time. I firmly interrupted her and responded again, this time with a deeper tone, “I said thanks BUT NO THANKS”, and continued on my way.
As I walked away from her and continued towards my gate, I could hear a still small voice say to me, “This is how you are to respond to every person and circumstance that tries to pull you away from me.” I then thought about the times of failures and pains that I have experienced in my life. The moments that brought me the greatest pain and tragedy were the moments that I knew better. If only I had responded with an affirmative negative, and continued on my way, I would be in a much better place today.
13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. –Philippians 3:13-14
May 2010 be the year that you stop allowing people to tear down the boundaries that Christ has placed in your life. There is nothing you can do about your past, but there is something you can do about your future. Stand strong, stay committed, and move forward! Amen
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Thank you for being real and how the Word applies..I can relate..I do think of my walk with the Lord as a race..to stay focused..He is my drink of water.. He will carry me when I`m tired..He will heal my body..he will ward off the enemy..I want that crown to lay at his feet..
[...] down I noticed the website for born again again.org. I clicked on it, and the first posting was “Affirmative Negative”. To my amazement, this was my story. This was the very thing that I was going through. I cried [...]
Do you know the same thing can happen when you are fasting? It was day four I was filled with the Holy Spirit and every time I would feel hungry I would read the word and pray and the hunger would go away. Well at life group there was food, a lady brought her child with her so I held the baby while she ate and thought God is so awesome, my attention was on entertaining the baby. People kept on asking me to eat and my reply was no I am not hungry, which I truly wasn’t I felt full even though I hadn’t eaten anything for four days. Then two of the same people that had already asked asked again and then thought something was wrong with me. I don’t believe in telling people when I fast, because what is done in secret will be rewarded openly, well I caved in due to their pressure. The funny thing is the life group leader said the week before that you don’t have to tell people your fasting just say your not hungry.
(“This is how you are to respond to every person and circumstance that tries to pull you away from me.” I then thought about the times of failures and pains that I have experienced in my life. The moments that brought me the greatest pain and tragedy were the moments that I knew better.) I felt this same way pulled away from God by the peer pressure of believers and the thing is I new better, but what got me is they thought something was wrong then I felt guilty.
In this situation you can’t just walk away, but how can you say “NO I AM NOT HUNGRY” in a gentle way so your not asked a 100 times? Oh in the leader had also stated the week before that just because your fasting doesn’t mean you stay away from people who aren’t, just say that your not hungry, and do you know this person is one of the ones that asked me 2 or 3 times. I think people just don’t understand what the word NO means, sort of like my kids when they keep begging for something, these people beg for us to do something and the thing is it doesn’t benefit them at all and it definitely doesn’t benefit us.