The No Inside Every Yes
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”Galatians 5:22–23 (KJV)
Every yes has a no hidden inside it. Yes to one more episode is no to sleep. Yes to the easy answer is no to an honest one. Yes to staying comfortable is often no to obeying God.
That is why self-control isn’t mainly about saying no. It is about noticing what you are really saying yes to. The habits that drain us usually aren’t big decisions. They are small yeses we never stop to look at.
Paul lists self-control, which the King James calls temperance, as fruit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” It grows out of a life connected to the Spirit. It isn’t a muscle we build alone.
Today, pay attention to your yeses. Ask what each one is quietly saying no to. Then ask the Spirit for the fruit to choose differently.
Read it yourself
Read Galatians 5:16–25. What does Paul set against the fruit of the Spirit?
What is one yes you say every day that is quietly saying no to something better?
Holy Spirit, grow your fruit in me. Help me see what I’m really choosing, and give me the self-control to choose well. Amen.