Spirituality

What The Bible Says About The Power Of Saying “No”

By

Living with self-control begins with a heart that is fully anchored in God’s grace. In the same way, Rebecca Simon’s Finding God Every Day explains how to live with a constant awareness of His nearness. Draw closer to His strength and let this devotion speak to you.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.

Titus 2:11-12

God’s grace is the foundation for both salvation and holy living, a universal offer extended to all people. Grace—undeserved favor or help, a free and unearned gift given to each of us—functions as a teacher that instructs us how to reject ungodliness, sinful behavior, or anything that lacks reverence for God. This teaching has both negative and positive elements—first, saying ‘no’ to whatever opposes faith, devotion, and adherence to divine principles. Second, embracing how to live with godly elements, such as being self-controlled, righteous, and compassionate.

Build habits that reflect your faith. Find hope in this book.

When we look closer, grace creates the perfect balance between freedom and discipline. It empowers us to maintain self-control rather than requiring external control, while also giving us freedom to choose paths that lead to our salvation. Many mistakenly believe that grace means permissiveness or license to sin, but true grace actually teaches us to turn from sin while empowering righteous living.

The question becomes: how can we be upright and godly throughout our lives in this present age? In today’s world, this looks like exercising self-control with our technology and social media, maintaining integrity in our business dealings, showing compassion to the marginalized, and making ethical consumer choices that don’t prioritize comfort over conscience.

For more about growing in discipline through grace, read this book by Rebecca Simon.

We seek, we pray, we confess, we love, we honor. We deepen our faith and compel others to do the same. We prioritize our relationship with God above all else. We strive to embody the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’— those nine specific qualities that reflect God’s character. All of this becomes possible not through our own strength or determination, but through the teaching and empowering presence of grace that appeared in the person of Jesus Christ.

You’ve reached the end of this reflection by Rebecca Simon, author of the daily devotional Finding God Every Day: 111 Devotionals For Women Healing Through Faith and the best-selling Let Go, Trust God. If these words resonated with you, picking up one of her books is the most direct way to support her writing and the work we do here at Thought Catalog.

Build habits that reflect your faith. Find hope in this book.
For more about growing in discipline through grace, read this book by Rebecca Simon.