The Word “NO” is enough to resist any challenge and have victory. But not every “NO” is the same.
What rises up in your heart, and even more importantly comes out of your mouth, when you are challenged?
There is a kind of “No” that, when spoken, is backed by a settled conviction in the heart. It is a line drawn in the sand. The thoughts behind it say, “No more. No further.” This kind of no carries the confidence that the matter is already settled. It acts as though the situation is finished and taken care of. Because of that, it leaves no room for further analysis, testing, or negotiation, even if the circumstances do not change immediately.
Another kind of “No”, though spoken and often backed by strong emotion, is not definitive. The thoughts behind it are really saying, “Please stop. No more. You have to go.” Rather than standing in authority, drawing a line in the sand, it is struggling for relief, making an emotional effort to persuade the challenge to leave.
The difference is not merely in the word itself. The difference is in the conviction behind it. Though they may sound similar, they come from very different places in the heart. One “No” declares a verdict, assured of the outcome. The other “No” is pleading for a different outcome hoping.
There is one more “No” that I think is important to mention. This is the no that carries conviction in the heart but lacks the boldness to be spoken. Assurance may begin to rise within the heart, but by the time it reaches the mouth, it has lost its strength. The thoughts of the heart begin to shift, becoming more like the previous kind of no: hopeful, but not fully settled. And “no” isn’t spoken out loud.
If faith isn’t spoken, the conviction we hold in our heart, isn’t perfected faith. It will not accomplish what we believe. Faith is of the heart, and with our mouth we confess. It is like that in receiving salvation, and all the benefits of it, including healing. If you can’t speak it boldly, from the conviction of your heart, it isn’t yet faith.
The question is not whether we can say the word “No.”
The question is: What kind of “No” are we speaking?
Is it the “No” of settled faith? Is it the “No” of emotional resistance?
Or is it the “No” that never quite escapes the heart with enough conviction to even speak?
The most powerful “No” is the one that is first settled in the heart and then boldly spoken from the mouth. It does not argue. It does not beg. It does not negotiate. It simply stands. And once it stands, it refuses to move. “No more. No further.” That is the kind of “No” that resists the challenge and holds its ground until victory is seen.
I’m sharing this with you because I’ve been there. I know that God has given us authority to speak over situations, yet I spent a lot of time speaking lifeless, faithless “NOs,” trying to make the mountains move. I’ve shouted “NO” in my heart against sickness and pain without ever speaking it out loud. And I know what was in my heart during those moments. And I’ve spoken “NO” over situations, drawing a line in the sand and never experienced those problems again.
I want to encourage you today: God has given you His power to resist anything that stands against His perfect will for your life. You already have His authority to speak against those situations and trust that the power within you will do its work. Your faith is in God’s faithfulness, not in your ability to say “NO.” You do not say “NO” to create God’s will; you say “NO” to enforce it. The authority is already yours, and the power is already at work within you.
Meditate on these scriptures until you believe them more than your circumstances.
"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."
1 John 4:4
"Behold, I give you authority... over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
Luke 10:19