Saying No When It Should Be Yes

 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. - Proverbs 3:27-28

Then the righteous will answer him [Jesus], saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. - Matthew 25:37-40

Have you ever thought that you should do something - help someone - say something - and then you decided that you wouldn't - that it could wait - or maybe it was being impulsive and would have been irresponsible.  I would like to say that has never happened to me - but sadly, it has. And I missed an opportunity for God to be glorified and someone who was in need to be helped.

Do not quench the Spirit. - 1 Thessalonians 5:19

When we are prompted by the Spirit to act, we can choose to ignore the prompting in favor of the prompting of our flesh. It is likened to Gollum in the Lord of the Rings where possession of the ring was all that was important to him. It consumed him. And so, helping someone is within our power and God's provision but we decide to withhold it. Our motivation for doing so seems reasonable to us and perhaps to others who have not been prompted by the Spirit - perhaps because of hard hearts.

Like the man in Luke chapter 12 who, after being blessed by God decided that he would keep the harvest for himself when, in fact, he had been blessed to be a blessing. You see, he was not trusting in God to be his provider, but planned to take care of himself. Recall that God called him a fool because the man would not see the next sunrise.

Or maybe like Ananias and Saphira in Acts chapter 5 who lied about their intentions to give money to the church to help others and then withheld what they had committed to God before men. They didn't see the next sunrise either.

I am not suggesting that if you don't help someone when the Spirit prompts you to that you will not see the next sunrise. But I am saying what James wrote in chapter 4 - "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." - To have sin in your heart is to quench the Spirit and hamper your fellowship with the Father. 

While in Haiti, there was a Haitian woman beggar who was always near a store where Martie and I would buy food.  Whenever I would drive up to the store she would hurry to the driver's window and say "Grangou" (meaning I am hungry) while rubbing her stomach. Some days I would give her some money and other days, I would not. Martie asked me why I didn't give her money all of the time. I told her that I responded to the Spirit and not the woman. The Spirit did not always prompt me to help her. I don't know why, but I did know whether I was being prompted or not. Recall that Jesus didn't try to heal everyone with a physical malady. Have you ever thought about why not?

My point - we must be in tune with the Spirit to hear the Spirit. And when we hear the Spirit our response must always be "yes" and "Amen". Amen does not merely mean "done" or "finished" at the and of a prayer. It is an expression solemn ratification or agreement. It is as if to say - “certainly,” “it is so,” or “so it be.”

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. - Galatians 5:16-17

To "walk by the Spirit" means to live each day empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit. This involves: Being influenced by the Spirit: Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead your actions and decisions. Living under His guidance: Engaging in a continual practice of following the Spirit's direction in your life. Putting off the flesh: Rejecting sinful behaviors and embracing a new, Spirit-filled way of life. Yielding to His control: Following the Spirit's lead and allowing Him to exert influence over your life.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone