No is not a Failure...

By Pastor Kris Freeman
Revolution Church

My pastor, Tim Williams, preached the message clear. Abraham sent a servant to find a wife for Isaac. If he didn't find the right one, the servant asked if he should return and take Isaac to another place to find the wife himself. Read the passage here, as the father of nations spoke directly with the word.

Genesis 24:1 (NLT) Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh. 3 Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. 4 Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”

5 The servant asked, “But what if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to travel so far from home? Should I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives in the land you came from?”

6 “No!” Abraham responded. “Be careful never to take my son there. 7 For the Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my descendants.[a] He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my son. 8 If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath of mine. But under no circumstances are you to take my son there.”

Abraham said no. Isaac had a place and a plan, and it was Abraham's purpose to ensure it.

We live in a culture where no has become the buzzword for failure. Donald Trump shouts "you're fired." American Idol refuses a golden ticket to Hollywood. Bosses reject resumes and applications. Schools turn down academic prowess and bypass acceptance. And we turn away from these presumed failures with a broken spirit.

Yet, no is not always the wrong answer. Perhaps, Abraham knew that for the will of God to be accomplished, a no meant the foundation was laid for a better yes. And therefore, he was firm that no was a good decision.

In life, sometimes Abraham says no. Your dreams get a no. Your finances get a no. Your sports team gets a no. Your kids hear no. Your spouse says no. Your goals say no. Your weight loss scale says no. And you have the ability as these moments to quit.

It's in the no, God delivers a yes. Adversity MAKES you better than success will ever BREAK you.

If you are searching for your dreams, let me speak some words of "YES" into your life so that when the "no" moment comes, you do not quit. You instead, learn to look with spiritual eyes and have a better vision for what is in store.

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." - Peter Drucker

There keys to Dreaming Past Your "No"...

1. The best way to dream is "try" harder than you think. You must put action to your dreams.
2. No is never a failure. It is an opportunity. The person who is afraid of a no, will never fully appreciate the yes.
3. Believe in yourself. The most genuine quality on earth is confidence wrapped in integrity and humility.

Make it happen.

1. Market your dream. Get your story in front of the right people and maintain the proper sense of humility when God allows you to share it. Remember, you are a city set upon a hill, but the glory from the light belongs to God.
2. Be thankful. Never miss an opportunity because you are focused on yourself. Take a full inventory of the people you meet and realize every person could be a critical step in your journey.
3. Invest in others. While searching for your dreams, don't forget the people who are inspired by them. Let your adversities drive you to success and teach others to be better than you could have ever imagined.

“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”  - Martin Luther King Jr.

Don't let no stop you. Let it define you. Then, the right yes is the perfect fit.

Because you dreamed big, the no prepared you for the day you finally found the right thing.

---

I love you all, and these are my thoughts.

Pastor K