Secret #96 The First Spiritual Flaw

You may have heard of the first spiritual law: God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

I would like to introduce you to the first spiritual FLAW: God loves you… and PEOPLE have a wonderful plan for your life!

If you are going to intentionally and proactively take charge of your life and time, not only must you learn to say no to obvious time stealers in your life, but you must also learn to say no to people who will try to get you involved in many different GOOD activities. To develop the inner fortitude to say no to people, you must:

1. Clearly identify what God’s priorities are for your time at this season of your life.

2. Figure out the difference between a good opportunity and a God opportunity.

3. Say no to doing mere good things.

4. Say yes to doing God things.

Why do you have to learn to say no to good things? Good is the worst enemy of God’s best! If you refuse to learn to say no to good activities, you will never be able to strategically invest your life in what God’s best is for you. It is possible to be so involved in good activities—even church activities—and miss God’s best for your life!

If you need permission from someone to say no—listen up: I HEREBY GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SAY NO! Dr. Richard Swenson says, “Saying no is not just a good idea—it is an absolute necessity. If there are one hundred good things to do and you can only do ten of them, you will have to say no ninety times.”

Make no mistake about it: We must get used to saying no if we are going to take control of our time—and use it to honor God.

* In what ways are YOU suffering from the disease to please?
* With whom?
* What do you think God wants you to do about it?




Note: This blog entry was taken from the workbook and audio CD, Time Management for Painfully Pooped-Out People: Ten Biblical Principles for Taking Control of Your Life and Time