Ever accepted something offered to you? Maybe it was an offer on the car you wanted to sell; or maybe it was your house. I’m sure you have a number of things running through your memory about the gifts offered to you. However, this lesson is about things we “should not” accept. There are things that come our way that we should be prepared to “refuse”. I’m sure you can think of a few yourself. This teaching is about the offers that we should refuse that the devil sends our way, even those in the form of subtle hints. We need to remember that the offers the devil presents to us only have the purpose to “steal, kill, and destroy”. (John 10:10)

Here are a few offers the devil has brought my way recently that I have refused:

I REFUSE TO WORRY. The only think that worry accomplishes is to keep our eyes on the problem(s) instead of the answer(s). Worry always looks at a situation as being impossible to fix. When we change our focus; when we change our words, we change the outcome from despair and downcast to hope and gratefulness. God is always ready to bring us out of the pit of worry when we turn to Him. Matthew 6:25 tells us that we are not to worry about our life, what we will eat or drink, or even wear. Worry will take us down the road leading to depression or as the Bible calls it heaviness. Isaiah 61:3 instructs us to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. The antidote to the poison of worry is prayer, praise, and thanksgiving to God. (Philippians 4:6)

I REFUSE TO GET OFFENDED. Offense is rapid in our society today. Everyone is offended about something. The basis of being offended is a perceived insult to or disregard for oneself or one’s standards or principles. When we feel insulted it’s because we feel the other person is treating us with disrespect. Jesus tells us in Luke 17:1 that “there will always be temptations to sin.” Ephesians 4:32 reminds us to be kind to each other, tenderhearted, and forgiving, just as God through Christ has forgiven us. When we keep in mind the forgiveness we have from God, it’s easier to forgive others of their wrongs too. The antidote to being offended is to walk in love and forgiveness toward others.

I REFUSE TO BE REGRETFUL. Being regretful over an incident in our lives, usually over something we done or said, carries with it two options for us to walk in. One usually results in a disappointment in ourselves, a sadness, a sense of failure, and then condemnation, which the devil wants to use to pull us away from the presence of God. There other option open to us is the opportunity to repent of a wrong and believe God for forgiveness and then go on with our lives. “Go and sin no more” is what Jesus told the woman caught in adultery in John 8:4-11. Paul gives us a hint of how he stayed out of regret in Philippians 3:13, “but I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” We learn from both of these that the decision lies within us to whether we live in regrets of our lives or go on with God to fulfill His purpose and plan for our lives. We cannot change the past, but we can change our future with our faith in God. The antidote to regret is to change our way of thinking to line up with what God says instead of how we feel.

I REFUSE TO BE IN FEAR. Fear is another problem we face today with so much violence around us. It can come from the threat of adverse weather or even from a person or persons out of control. It can disguise itself as a sense of immense worry over your business or job security; or even from the potential break down of a relationship. Fear is present in our lives because we live in this earthly world. There is NO fear in heaven. First John 4:18 tells us that: “there is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear; because fear has torment.” The Bible goes on to tell us that fear does NOT come from God. Second Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Just learning this scripture alone helped to set me free from the fear of people and whether they would reject or accept me. If fear is not from God, then it has it source elsewhere which is the devil. My victory over fear comes from knowing and believing in God’s power, God’s love, and God’s way of thinking. The antidote of fear is faith in God.

My purpose in writing about these “refusals” is to help you walk in the freedom and victory that is available in faith in Jesus Christ.  When the devil brings situations to you that offer you the option to worry, be regretful, get offended, or be in fear, tell him “no thank you” and then purpose to walk in the truth of God’s victorious Word.