7 blessings when we never say no for someone else
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”—Luke 11:9-10
In our household, we have a Britton Principle that we all live by: Never say no for someone else. When my kids were young, they wouldn’t do something because they answered for someone else. It ranged from “Dad, they would never let me have that!” to “Why would they let me go with them?” They said no for friends, family and even strangers — all the time, everywhere, for every situation.
I would ask them how they knew someone’s answer without even asking. They would always reply, “They’re just going to say no, so it’s not worth asking.” Without hesitation, I would remind them of our Britton Principle and encourage them to let people answer for themselves. More often than not, they came back beaming: “I can’t believe it, they said YES!”
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As they grew older, they began to live out this principle and saw firsthand the power of this simple concept. Eventually, I didn’t need to remind them as they become bolder to ask and let others decide for themselves. When we say no for others, we become negative, limit our options and isolate ourselves.
There is an incredible blessing when we simply ask, because we believe the best is yet to come on a daily basis. We become bolder, and we are willing to take risks. We see doors open and possibilities become reality.
7 Blessings When We Never Say No for Someone Else:
- We believe the best in others.
- We increase opportunities.
- We empower others.
- We become bolder.
- We grow from the no.
- We celebrate the yes.
- We increase our faith.
This principle is not only applicable when dealing with people, but also when dealing with God. How many times do we say no for God? We never pray for God to say no, but we think it: “The Lord would never allow that to happen. God wouldn’t do that for me.”
We answer for God without ever asking Him; however, God is longing for us to simply utter the request. He is waiting for us to just ask Him. If we answer for Him, then we play God. I’m not sure if God gets frustrated with us like I did with my kids when they said no for others, but I do know that He rejoices when we simply ask. God can do mighty things when we ask – even if it’s a weak, feeble ask.
In Luke 11:9-10, we are reminded three times to “keep.” Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. When we stop asking, seeking and knocking, then we won’t get an answer. We will never know what could have been. When we keep asking the Lord, our heart needs to be pure and right with the right motive.
Over this past year, I have spent time with hundreds of Fellowship of Christian Athletes leaders who have the right motives and aren’t afraid to ask. They inspire me with their boldness, faithfulness and resolve. Over and over again, I hear stories of their willingness to never say no for someone else and never say no for God. They have the courage to ask, and they have the faith to expect a yes. They believe the best is yet to come, so they are willing to take huge steps of faith.
As a result of them living this principle all the time, we are now serving 92 countries outside the U.S. with a team of 298 leaders. One of the greatest areas of growth has been our camp ministry because they kept asking God for new opportunities. In 2007, we were working in five countries with five Camps and 760 campers. Today, God has grown our Camp ministry to 304 Camps reaching 27,219 people.
Our faith-filled leaders never put limits on God and never said no for Him!
Thank you to those who have been faith-filled warriors. Your prayers are the seeds that have produced a God-sized harvest. And those prayers have been watered with tears of sacrifice and surrender. You have no regrets, because you asked over and over again.
We never have to wonder “what if” when we ask, because we get an answer. The “no” increases our faithfulness, and the “yes” increases our thankfulness. It’s a win either way, because we are becoming more like Jesus every day!
Never say no for someone else, and never say no for God. Keep asking. Keep believing. Keep trusting. The best is yet to come!
Dan Britton is the Chief Field Officer for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has served FCA since 1990, and since 2013, has led FCA’s international efforts, traveling extensively around the world, as FCA works in 92 countries, training thousands of sports leaders, coaches and athletes.
