one word ... "no"

As a parent, there is nothing more frustrating than when your child tells you "no." Now, my older kids know this is not acceptable, but there are times that their own desires supersede my request and they choose to tell me "no" at which time they chose punishment or saying, "yes."

Today as I was reading my devotions (Experiencing God and Rev. 2 and Jer. 43), God drilled it into my head the importance of this in my relationship with Him.

In Experiencing God, something struck me that I've never thought of before. It said, "If we say, 'No, Lord,' He is not our Lord." OUCH! That hit me right between the eyes. Would I dare speak the words that God is not my Lord, but I have ... each time I've told Him, "no." Reading these chapters from the Bible, reiterated what God does to those who chose to say, "NO." I don't want that to happen. I want to obey, regardless of how hard it may be. So, give me strength, God, to obey in those situations where self wants to say "no."