Yes or No…No In Between

Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, you shall not swear falsely, but you shall perform your oaths to the Lord [as a religious duty]. But I tell you, do not bind yourselves by an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is the throne of God; or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you are not able to make a single hair white or black.  Let your Yes be simply Yes, and your No be simply No; anything more than that comes from the evil one.   Matthew 5:33-37 Amplified 

Yes is Yes and No is No. Well…maybe. No. that is not what Jesus is teaching. Yes or No.

If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.  Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.  For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord….James 1:5-7.

No wishy washy answers. Yes or No. Think. Follow Jesus’ teachings. Ask for what you need. Live for today and make the most of it…no giving in to the evil one’s influence. Is what you are struggling with answered by Jesus’ teachings?  Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Think about it. Usually it boils down to those two things…God and neighbors. And who is your neighbor? Anyone and everyone. Some people have a hard time saying “No” to others. They just want to please others, or not to offend them, but they get walked over and used. If that is you…practice saying that important word…NO. Say it again, out loud…NO. One more time “NO.” Now it is in your vocabulary. Practice saying it as needed. You can still be loving and say, “NO.” 

RSVP: Jesus is challenging us to make our Yes be Yes and our No be No. How will you respond to Him today? 

Prayer ~ Heavenly Father,, lead me today to follow Your will and Your way that I would be able to make my “Yes” be “Yes” and my “No” be “No” in a way that is pleasing and obedient to You.

 © 2014 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.