Yes means no. Just as sunlight means a shadow. The contrast of colors and polarized magnets mean the same thing: everything has an opposite. Love has fear, fear has love. Yes to Jesus means no to all others. Yes to the king means no to self slavery and satanic revelry; yes to the King means no to his enemies.
I said yes a few weeks ago. Maybe you did to. Or maybe this isn’t new and you’ve know it to be true but still you haven’t seen the fruit. Maybe you thought yes to the King and yes to the you meant the same thing, that the winning team never had an enemy or the omnipotent Creator never planted a tree. Maybe, just maybe, you didn’t realize the gift of freewill l–yes the door way to love– means no as much as yes. For when I say I do to my bride in front of the altar I say I don’t to every other! And when I say yes to my King with my whole being, I must say no to any thing, thought or temptation that does not proceed from his mouth.
I say no to the past experiences, the highlight reels of my greatest mistakes. The memories of words that wounded and comments that concreted lies into my self-conscious eyes. I say no to the fear of repeats, left feet and short leaps. I say no to those insignificant moments that no one should remember, much less consider. The embarrassing zippers that always let me down and the laughs of those who were supposed to bring me up. I say no to the habit of analyzing conversations that occurred years ago that still tells me to keep my mouth shut. I say no! The past will never limit my future or torture my present.
I say no to the status quo. What everyone says is okay is too low for me to hold. The expectations to get on with my life and settled down won’t satisfy. I say no to the back up plans, fail safes, dream destroyers and passion killers. No! I will not listen to voice of reason when it contradicts the voice of its Maker. Peer pressure and “for good measure”, plastic treasure and “at least it’s better than” can influence my decisions no more. The standards of society constantly change and I can depend on them less than my pocket change. Thank God, I’m not chasing that change because already I see it’s an endless rabbit chase. I say no to status quo, the average joe, the limbo bars and the limo cars. I say no to the drug-like comfort of middle class couch cushions if it dares to keep me from my yes.
And I say no to pride. No to the quest for fame or the mention of my name. No to feel-good “I saved you” lies, “thank you ma’am I had to try”, “it’s the least I could do, I’m so glad I blessed you”, no! to being recognized and self scrutinized and criticized and prophesied over. If takes me from my yes to Jesus’ Name, let my mouth never open again. I say no! No to finding my value in how many likes this post will find, or how many backslaps and head lines my mind imagines at night. No to the self life; no to my pride. For even when I serve the whispers try to steal the innocence of my sweat and when I wipe the feet of those I meet the whispers hope someone sees. No! I say no to finding life in some else’s eyes. My Father’s smile is worth more than a Nobel Prize. Yes, for a glimpse of his sky-wide delight, I say no to all others.
I say no to wasting my time trying to convince the other side. No to the endless debates and comparison of colors. I know what I believe and it gets simpler every day. I don’t have time to fight my brother over how to pray when one I love lays on a bed of pain. No. No to flipping and flopping, wish washy, maybe so, I just know that you’re wrong. No more! And no more distractions with various calculations of next step actions to somehow fill the time that will never return. No to dreaming if it means I’m sleeping, no to expressing what I am not living, no to blaming those I could be building, no to complaining about the seasoning on the stake, no no no.
No to anything other than my King! No to anyone who discredits his present and active voice! No to myself when I get in the way, no to my own words when they don’t say his, no to my thoughts when they don’t value what he’s bought, no to the enemy of my soul, no to voices I don’t know, no! I draw the line right now. My yes to Jesus might mean no to more than I know. But I’ve found enough in his love to satisfy me for eternity. This divine security will never leave me when others do. If you’re ready to make this declaration with me, you will never live an ordinary life. You will never be alone and you will never have a throne. Think carefully and then decide. Your decision isn’t mine. I might trip and slip in this journey and you might too. That’s ok. When we walk in this direction we cannot look back.
To all who are stirred, I’m thankful for this word. You are my brother, my sister, and I’m standing with you. If this rings true, go out and do! Will you say yes to the King? Will you say no to complacency? Will you? When?
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