I don’t know what it is about us human beings. The more we are told we can’t do something, the more we try to do it. One of the best ways to “motivate” someone is to tell him, “You can’t do this!” How many stories have we heard of someone who overcame negativities and achieved something great because he used it as a motivation to prove them wrong!

While this makes for a great humanistic story, it also causes our downfall. When we are told not to do something, we do it. It’s the pride that says, “You can’t tell me what to do. You are not the boss of me. I’m the boss of me!” So, when Israelites are told to keep the law, they proceeded to do exactly the opposite. Although God has overwhelmingly proven to be loving and capable, they have rebelled against Him by doing the exact opposite of what He told them to do and how He told them to live. (They thought they knew better than God, thinking, “Who are you to tell me what to do?” )

This motivation to “rebel” is a double edged sword. It can be used for much good. When the civil rights movement started, it was this “rebellion” against the injustice that motivated it. It’s the sentiment, “You (the majority) are not the boss of me. You can’t treat me differently just because of my skin color! God is the boss of me!” That is good and just. However, when we use the same tactic against God, then it becomes sinful.

When someone tells you you can’t do something, see it in light of the reliance on God. Do not use as motivation to simply prove the other person wrong. That’s the wrong kind of pride. But when you are told you can’t do something, admit your limitations but also recognize the infinite powers of God and our reliance upon Him.

If someone tells me that I can never be a good pastor because I’m an introvert, I would admit that they are right. However, if God has called me to it, He will equip me and He will enable me to do it. That way, when I do what people told me I can’t do, God will get the glory and not me.

PH