No!

Ever been told NO?
At one time or another, we have all been told NO.
How do we respond?
Do we accept it?
Do we try to find a way around it?
(Like our kids....if mom says NO, go ask dad?)

What if the person we're asking is God?
What if there is something that you really want from God
or something you want to do for God,
and HE says NO?
What do we do with that?
Especially when "we think" it's something good,
something that will minister to people,
lead people to Christ.
But HE still says NO.
How do we respond?

Do we try to make it happen anyway?
Or do we accept the NO and continue to follow HIS leading?

In all of our lives, God opens and closes doors.

In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul wanted to go to Asia to spread the Word.
That sounds like a good plan, right?
People there needed to know about Jesus.

But scripture says that the Holy spirit prevented him from entering Asia,
told him NO, wouldn't let him go in.

Now what I sometimes do with that NO
is I try to find a way to make it work anyway,
or I whine about it, talk about it
(because surely someone will agree with me that my idea is a good one).
Why can't I just accept the NO?

If you keep reading this section in Acts, you will find that God didn't say NO 
to Paul and then sit him on the couch.
NO, HE sent him somewhere else, and Paul went.
God had plans for Paul to go to the people of Macedonia
(HE had plans for Asia as well, it just wasn't Paul).

HE has plans for all of us too!

So maybe our ministry doesn't look like we want it to,

maybe we're not serving where we wanted to serve,

maybe we're not serving who we wanted to serve,
or how we wanted to serve.
(see all of the "we wants"?)

Remember that God knows the whole story.
HE knows what we need and who needs us.

Let's choose to submit and be obedient.

Let's not miss the place and the people that HE has for us,
by focusing on HIS NO, let's follow HIS YES.