When God says No

God is almighty and he is the creator of all flesh. He is the beginning and the end of all things. Thus he does not owe any one of us an explanation for the instructions He gives to us. Neither does he need to apologize for anything he does? Though the Lord God will do nothing, without the knowledge of his servants the prophets. (Amos 3.7).

The Lord God is sovereign, who does according to his will and in the Scripture, there has been no one, who is able to resist the will of God (Rom 9:19). Thus every word of the Lord is established and none of the word that goes forth from His mouth; shall return to him void, But it shall accomplish what God pleases, and it shall prosper in the thing for which God sent it (Isaiah 55:11).

God created man as a free moral agent who is entitled to his own free will. Man is also obliged to take the responsibility for his decision. So Sometimes, a man may want to take a step that seems really legitimate but there is a restraint in his heart. This could be caused by various reasons, which sometimes are inexplainable.

Why such restraint? Is God saying something or is it the natural instinct making the salient analysis of the situation. The Bible says as many that are led by the Spirit are called the children of God (Rom8.14). Would the Spirit create such an impression in the mind as a way of God saying No? Though it is possible that such restraint also can be caused by selfish personal reason such as taste, desire, favor, and lacks

Imagine a lady who is hopeful for a life partner. She was approached for a marriage relationship by a very nice brother. This brother has all it takes to be a good husband. The sister however was reluctant to give the brother a positive answer. What would have been her reason for this? Perhaps after praying on it, she had a stronger impression in her heart to say No. Hmmm you may say, does God lead this way? How do I know it is the Holy Spirit communicating with me.

We make decisions every day of our life. Some of the decisions resulted from the critical mindset but some are not. The Scripture says we should not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known to God (Phil. 4.6). So children of God do not exhibit fear over things of this world but put their trust in God who can supply all things.

Praying to God is a prayer to receive abundant blessings from the heavenly treasury. It is a prayer of asking to receive. There are cases of some prayers, which though the prayer was heard but did not receive not because it was denied but because God is more glorified in “not receiving”. Now, this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us (I John 5:14).

Sometimes, you need to take some decision but you are not sure of the aftermath, you want to commit your way to the Lord. However, God gave you a negative answer because the journey is not favorable to you. Don’t wonder why should it be so. After all, God is all-powerful, He can protect you and turn any sorrow into joy. But sometimes it might be God’s way of protecting you from evil coming along the way. Surely there is an evil that must certainly pass that way. So God forewarns you to take heed lest you be partaker of such evil.

This is when God gave you a specific instruction not to make a certain decision that will eventually be a disaster. Abraham was supposed to go to Canaan but because there was a famine in the land, he went to Egypt only for him to lose his wife to the king, but for divine intervention. Paul was on his way to Asia but was hindered by the Holy Ghost. But at another time, Paul could not prevent his journey to Rome, he had to suffer shipwreck with the rest of the prisoner.

Sometimes when God says no, perhaps it is to protect you or prevent you from the evil days ahead. Remember God has a good thought towards you, to give you the expected end. This is the case, if God has a particular calling, plan, and will that must be fulfilled in your life. Such God’s will is personal and distinct for the individual to whom it concerns. Mostly these are without repentance and not transferable. Is this the case in marriage? Was there anything like God’s will in choosing a life partner? If God’s will then it is neither resistible nor changeable for an individual? God is eternal so also His will. Thus His will cannot be missed or resisted by anyone.

So for whatever reason, God is instructing you to do something, is not yours to figure out. Just trust and obey and stay open to him. God can stop you from taking a step that seems really good even after several observations and research. He is our father and He knows what is best for us.

Yea it is possible that after years, God would pull your heart towards the same thing you had been stopped from getting into. Paul was hindered from going to Asia by the Holy Spirit but later was seen preaching in the cities of Asia. Just note that our father knows what’s best for us. We are his masterpiece and it is our duty to stay put as He molds us into what He wants us to be.

Following God is primarily about obeying His instructions which sometimes would require letting go of some legit actions. We don’t live our Christian life by ignoring the leading of the Holy Spirit s because we believe whatever we want to do is not wrong scripturally.

Have you been restrained from taking a job but you still went ahead to take it. Well, is it possible to have initial progress, but it is not the initial progress that matters but the end thereof. A way might seem right to you but take note of its end. Knowing God’s will for your life and existence is the primary thing. In this purpose of God for life should every other decision be made?

So beloved of God dearly move only as God moves. No matter the pressure, rather stay alone than step out of the leading of the Spirit. Do not be moved by the crowd or by people’s opinions. Be quick to recognize when you have stepped out of God’s will and repent quickly to realign immediately.

David’s motive to build a temple for the ark was legitimate. But God disapproves of his doing it because he had a different plan already. But when Herod built the same temple, he was not restricted in fact God was silent. Yeah God had a different agenda in Herod’s time (2 Sam 7: 2-4).

So you see, not every thought that seems legitimate as it may sound is in alignment with God’s will. That thought may make a lot of sense but the question is, is that what God have you done at the time? As the Scripture put it: Do not be master of many things. If an issue breaks out in your local assembly and people are moving away, most times because every other person is moving away to what seems like a great alternative. The question is, what’s God saying? Have you come to the point where you’d rather be alone if that’s what God wants you to do.

Do you just jump into that teen ministry without first taking permission from the Lord? Knowing what God wants you to do at every point in time will not be difficult where communion with the Father is consistent. So then be always obedient to God’s instructions whether or not you understand them. That restraint, that restlessness, that spontaneous outburst that makes you want to jump out without seeking direction should be the instrument to make you stop in your track and cause you to get down on your knees in prayers.

Following God’s leading is not primarily about those activities in your religious duty. What about the words the Lord is speaking to your heart. Do you listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit? He that does the will of the Lord shall abide forever