JUST SAY NO
Remember, in 1984, when Nancy Reagan had that funky national project for people to stop using drugs?
Her campaign was named: ‘JUST SAY NO‘.
Two guys, Robert Cox and David Cantor, of the advertising firm Harper & Steers/USA came up with that slogan.
Did it work?
Of course not.
As a matter of fact, it got worse.
It was exactly during that same specific time that crack cocaine became a huge epidemic.
Why didn’t it work?
Because the people who manufactured it didn’t mean it.
They were just trying to make money from a problem they didn’t have.
It was something created to fan the smoke…not put out the fire.
‘Just Saying No’ addresses the result – not the cause.
And not just for drugs, but for every harmful behavior like;
– Alcoholism
– Anger
– Food Addiction
– Gambling
– Video Games
– Sexual Addiction
– Pornography
– Bitterness
– Unforgiveness
All those sinful actions are a result of a cause, and the cause is a creation of the enemy…SIN.
But brothers and sisters, if we say we love the Lord, and STILL practice those sins, The WORD has something to say about that.
☆ Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
• 1 John 3:8
Because ‘Just Say No’ was constructed from thin air.
It was a completely empty statement.
Just saying no to anything, without any authority, means absolutely nothing.
If that ‘NO’ that you say is not built upon a firm foundation that is strong enough to achieve it, it is a waste.
It will be depressing when that ‘no’ is not fulfilled, and hopelessness always follows depression.
Think about it:
How many times have you promised yourself you would never do something, ANYTHING, again, just to find yourself breaking that promise and doing it, yet again?
It could be anything. You wanted to ‘just say no’ to:
• Sugar or Fatty Foods
• Alcohol or Drugs
• Anger or Bitterness
• Pornography or Lust
• Cigarettes or Vaping
• TV or Video Games
• Gambling or Over Spending
Because the only way we can ‘just say no’ to the enemy, with success, is with the power of The Lord.
☆ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world
• 1 Peter 5:9
We CAN ‘Just Say No’ and really mean it, and really have the desired results, when we are basing that no upon the rock of power.
Without it, the enemy will just mock us or worse.
Like the 7 Sons of Sceva who proved that…remember them?
They were trying to exorcise a demon out of a person.
The demon told them that it knew who Christ was and it knew who The Apostle Paul was.
Bit it did NOT know who the Sceva boys were.
Because of their lack of authority the Bible says, the demon beat the clothes right off of all 7 of them!
They asked without authority. They couldn’t stop any sin by their empty words.
Neither can we.
We have to remember, all these addictions, sinful behaviors, and actions are a by product of the sin of the world, and quite often a direct attack of Satan, a tactic he uses to redirect us away from God.
Our power will never save us from that.
But we know that the God power can!
☆ Because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
• 1 John 4:4
So,
Let us die to self,
Let us live for and in HIM.
Let us seek to know HIM.
Let us surrender to HIM.
Let us do all things through HIS power in us.
Because then, when we make a decision, it will be a Godly decision.
Our yes will mean yes, and our no will mean no.
– All our actions can be founded on faith.
– All our power can come from an unlimited source.
– All our authority will come from an Almighty God.
So when we ‘Just Say No’…it will mean a final, firm and frightening NO!
And the enemy can not battle that.
☆ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
• James 4:7
Doesn’t that sound wonderful?
To just have the ability, because of the relationship we have with our Father,
To just look at the enemy, say no, and watch him flee away?
Resisting anything that is wrong for us can be that easy.
Do not let it control you…
JUST SAY NO!
And be free!
I love you guys!
