What happens when you say no to God?

Maybe you haven’t explicitly done this.  But if you’re like me I bet there’s been many times in your life that you have neglected to say, “Yes” to God.  And the result of your silence was heard loud & clear by the Creator of the universe as a “No.”

I wonder if there’s anything more dangerous than saying, “No” to God?  Many of us are so comfortable we probably don’t feel any repercussions.  Truth is, we’re doing pretty good under our own power.  Or so we think.  And while we may not voice it this way the reality is that we feel like we can do life without God.  When tragedy strikes, we’re quick to call on His name.  When trouble comes, we ask for his help.  But many times that’s our Hail Mary, our last resort & desperate attempt to get the help we need to fix the crisis at hand that we have no power or control over.

But God isn’t a genie in a bottle.

People have always said, “No” to God.

There were some rather famous individuals who tried to say no to God.  You remember Moses & the burning bush?  Moses tried to explain to God that he wasn’t the right man for the job.  Moses did not win that argument.  As a result of Moses’ leadership the people of God were delivered by the power of God from the hand of Egypt.

Then there was Jonah.  We all know of his demise.  God said go to Ninevah.  Jonah said, “No.”  He ended up in the belly of a fish.  Jonah also lost that argument.  As a result an entire city was saved when they learned of the love of the one true God of which Jonah spoke.

But there’s another story I’ve been reading this week.  Do you know the story of Ananias?  He also argued with God.  (Why does anyone argue with God?  O wait, we do that too!)  Ananias thought he knew better.  Ananias thought he had a better grasp on the situation.  Ananias was under the impression God did not have all the facts.  He thought he could explain to the God of the universe that he knew better.  That his was was better than HIS way.  Thankfully, Ananias also lost this argument.

Saying “Yes” to God, even when the situation seems impossible, leads to unparalleled hope.

In Acts 9, we learn that Ananias isn’t necessarily anyone special.  All Luke (the author of Acts) tells us is that he is a “believer” in Jesus.  God asks this believer to do a hard thing.  He wants Ananias to go to Saul, a known killer & capturer of Christians, and help him.  Ananias pleads his case before God.  There are a lot of great reasons why this is a bad idea! Ananias is in fear for his life.  He’s afraid of what will happen to him if he does this.  Like us, his mind quickly goes to all the worst case scenarios.  Saying, “Yes” to God really isn’t all that easy.  And Ananias was right in the middle of the tension.

You probably know how the story ends.  Ananias goes to Saul.  Three things happen that would forever change history because Ananias said “Yes” to God in this moment.

First, Ananias preformed a miracle.  Pretty cool.  He could have never done that if he didn’t go.  Saul had been blinded by God & then God healed him through Ananias.

Second, Ananias baptized Saul.  Amazing.  This persecutor of Christians now becomes a Christian!  Talk about a radical transformation.  And Ananias has a front row seat to witness this amazing act of the grace of God in Saul’s life.  (BTW, the name Ananias means, “The Lord is full of Grace.”)

Third, Saul, who we now know as Paul, goes on to plant numerous churches, write over half the New Testament in our Bibles & completely changes the course history forever as he shares the message & story of Jesus in a profound way.  One could argue that outside of Jesus, no one has had a greater impact on the world than Paul.  His writings & teachings to this day challenge people & bless churches.  Because Ananias said, “Yes,” the world would learn of the unparalleled hope we have in Jesus.

But NONE of that would have happened if Ananias had said, “No.”

Or maybe it would have.  God might have accomplished His mission in another way.  But Ananias would have completely missed out on being a part of one of the greatest stories ever told.  He would have missed out on seeing God at work in him & through him in powerful ways.  He would have missed it.

Have you ever thought about what happens when you say “No” to God?

1. You miss the incredible blessing of God.
Whatever He’s asking you to do may seem difficult, even impossible.  I’m sure Moses never dreamed he would lead the entire nation of Israel out of Egyptian captivity & into freedom by walking across a river on dry ground.  I seriously doubt Jonah had a vision of an entire city of wicked people believing in the message he preached & coming to faith in the God he served.  And I’m convinced Ananias had no idea that Saul would become the church planter, biblical author, esteemed theologian & constant source of wisdom for the church some 2000 years later.  Whatever God is asking you to do, just know there’s an incredible blessing on the other side of it.  Sometimes it’s small & you may be the only one who knows it.  But other times the future is at stake for someone if you’ll have the courage to take faithful action.

2. You live in passive disobedience to God.
This may sound harsh, but I think it’s true.  When our children ignore what we’ve asked them to do, they’re choosing to disobey.  We make the same choice when our Father asks us to forgive, love, give, share, speak up, serve, or whatever it is He is calling us to do.  There are things we are all called to do.  Then there are things I believe God specifically calls us as individuals to do at certain times in our lives.  And whenever we choose not to do what He has asked us to do… whenever we choose to ignore Him… we’re choosing to live in disobedience.  And that’s no life at all.  It’s miserable.  I want to live out my days in the favor of God.  And here’s the deal, everything He asks us to do is always for our good & for His ultimate glory.

3. You choose a small faith.
I saw an Instagram this week from writer & speaker Bob Goff.  He said, “Every fork in the road we come to in our faith doubles the chances we’ll grow.”  I fear that too often we choose the path of least resistance, especially in matters of faith. It’s easier not to have that difficult conversation.  It’s easier not to confess sin in our lives.  It’s easier not to volunteer to help out.  It’s easier not to give that money to church.  It’s easier not to step out of our comfort zones to help someone in the name of Jesus.  So we perpetually choose the easier way, the path of least resistance.  But that requires so little faith. If you wonder why your faith is weak ask yourself, “When was the last time you took a risk that required God’s help to make it?”  “When was the last time you prayed & depended on God for anything?”  Your faith is a direct result of your prayer & your decisions to do things that depend on God’s help to provide all you need.

So this week take a que from our friends who came before us.  Just ask guys like Moses, Jonah or even Ananias.  There’s a lot at stake.  You could say no to God.  I feel confident He’ll find another way to accomplish His will & His mission.  Or you could say, “YES.”  And you would enter into a story like no other.  A story that can only be explained because God arrived.  God acted.  God moved.  And you got to be a part of that story!

Be brave.  Take courage.  Say, “YES” to God.