“And without faith it is impossible to please him” Hebrews 11:6
“Anyone who does not love does not know God” 1 John 4:8
God is All-Powerful, He holds all creation in His hands, knows the number of stars and knows each star by name (Psalms 147:4) and counts every hair on your head (Matthew 10:30). But, there is one ‘power’ we hold over God, one word that He is ‘helpless’ to overcome. No.
In a sense, our ‘no’ has the power to bind God’s power. Our ‘no’ breaks God’s heart. He gave us free will. The incredible power to choose Him or not.
So many in today’s world are choosing to say no in the face of God – see Matthew 12:31. A constant no to God’s grace and presence leads a soul to hardness. Hardness of heart leads to despair. The one who despairs “ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God” (CCC 2091). Despair is directly contrary to the theological virtue of hope, which is, in part, a reliance on the grace of the Holy Spirit.
The devil’s greatest desire is to get the soul to say no to God. Not just a denial of God, but to harden the heart so much that it never thinks nor desires to look toward God. And, God in His extreme love of us, will allow us to make this choice.
Do you believe that God was surprised by Adam when He walked through the garden? Do you think He had no clue what Israel was doing while He spoke to Moses on Sinai? God knows everything. While He won’t force us to follow Him, in His knowledge, He will always works to get us to change our hearts.
Our ‘no’ does not prevent God from loving us or acting to save us, it binds our hearts from accepting His love. Each ‘no’ puts blinders upon our eyes and slowly tightens the blindfold until no light can come through.
But, while our ‘no’ holds the power of a great curse, our yes is the ultimate blessing.
A billion no’s in our lives, and a lifetime of sin is overcome and destroyed by one simple three letter word – “yes.”
Yes is repentance. Yes breaks shackles and removes blinders. With each ‘No’ we curse ourselves. But, just a single ‘yes’ can set us free.
“Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The flames of mercy are burning Me – clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon these souls.” Divine Mercy in my soul # 50
God is always working in His great love for our salvation. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. Our yes gives God permission to work in our lives. Our yes is a great blessing upon God’s heart.
Decades of me saying ‘no’ to God built a fortress of stone and scars around my heart. These no’s never stopped God from loving and protecting me. None of them ever forced God to remove His hand from me nor made Him give up hope of my conversion. I can never count the number of sins I committed against God in those years. Probably the greatest of which was the denial of His Son and “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.” That is, the denial of His Power in my life. Jesus told us this was the one ‘unforgivable sin.’ A constant, hardened “no” to God’s mercy.
This shows the immense power of a single yes. The night I gave my yes to Jesus and asked Him to be my Savior, to show mercy and to help me follow Him, I wiped away even the ‘unforgivable.’ Because, the Lord does not desire “anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
Even if you carry the weight of a billion NO’s or have even denied Christ, it takes but one YES to change everything. It take on one whispered yes to open the floodgates of Heaven. So, if you are timid or even afraid that God may scorn you and call your sins unforgivable, read Jesus’ own words to you:
“My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness? For you I descended from heaven to earth; for you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross; for you I let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come, then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy. Do not argue with Me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace.” Divine Mercy in my soul # 1485
His Mercy is greater than the sins of the whole world and all sins ever committed, combined. Say yes today!