You Have the Power to Say ‘No’

Current Teaching Series Seeking God for a Breakthrough

You Have the Power to Say 'No' By BY RICK WARREN — May 25, 2018 "So, dear brothers, you have no obligations whatever to your old sinful nature to do what it begs you to do" (Romans 8:12 TLB). I don't know about you, but I admit there were a lot of things I could not say "no" to before the Holy Spirit came into my life. I wanted to say "no," but I didn't. It really doesn't matter what you call them, but we all have compulsions, habits, lusts, drives, desires, or attractions that make us feel like we have no choice but to do them. You just can't help yourself. You just can't say "no." But if you've accepted Jesus Christ into your life, you can say "no." Romans 8:9 says, "You are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all)" (NLT). Yes, you will still have those desires. But the Holy Spirit will give you the power to say "no" to them; you do not have to satisfy those desires. This is the difference the Spirit of God makes in you. This is how God sets you free from your compulsions. The worst kind of slave is being a slave to your own natural desires. Some people say, "Well, if it's natural, why should I limit it?" A lot of things seem natural. It's natural to be self-centered, but acting on that desire might not be good for your kids or your spouse. Natural doesn't mean it's always good. I might have a natural desire to cheat you out of all your money, but that doesn't mean I should do it. When I've accepted Christ into my life, I have the Holy Spirit to help power my decisions and say "no" to the natural and "yes" to the spiritually mature choice. PLAY today's audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk About It What are some "natural" desires in your life that can draw you away from Jesus? What's your typical strategy for handling those desires — and how well is your strategy working? How is the Holy Spirit helping you say "no" to the natural and "yes" to spiritually mature choices?

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Series Summary Session 1: Radical Gratitude Session 2: Radical Faith Session 3: Radical Joy Session 4: Radical Hope Session 5: Radical Generosity Session 6: Radical Freedom Session 7: Radical Love PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at pastorrick.com. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He's the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including The Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life, which has been translated into 137 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered around the world. This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences | Unsubscribe