The secret to “success”?

Preachers, motivational speakers, life coaches, and a varied assortment of gurus will tell you, “If you want to be successful, you have to learn to say no!“

The great weakness of this advice is that it focuses on telling others no, rather than ourselves. Yet, if we want to really have a “successful” life — the life Jesus Christ calls us to — it is imperative we learn to tell ourselves no.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me,'” Matthew 16:24.

To deny ourselves (“… turn from your selfish ways …”) is to say “no” to what we want in preference to God’s will.

Jesus Christ will never become the Lord of our lives until we learn how to say a heartfelt “No!” to self and “Yes!” to Him.

Have you learned to say no?

Scotty