If amen had an opposite, it would be no. As I begin to fall apart and find I am losing heart, I can always track the start of the downward spiral to a “no.” (No, that’s not fair. No, I can do it myself. No, I won’t admit that. No, no, no, no.) In a mindset of “no,” I am suddenly defensive or overwhelmed. I am anxious or offended. I cut off the flow of the Holy Spirit within me and insert my rights above all else.

Turning any ugly moment around begins softly with an agreement: So be it. It’s the subtle but powerful yes to lay down your life, to trust that God’s life being glorified is better than mine. Yes, you have another way, Lord. Yes, I’ll know it because it looks free and light.

But will I truly pray amen? The answer depends on which of the two forces battling for my life I give authority. One is the gospel, full of words like redemption and reconciliation. But the Enemy who opposes us has schemes of his own. Instead of redemption, his plot is condemnation. He wants us to be lost. Instead of reconciliation, he wants our relationships broken and wants destruction to rule.

When I knowingly or unknowingly align with the Enemy’s strategy instead of the gospel, I lose hope and I inevitably advance the agenda of the one who wants to destroy me.

But there is another way: I can say yes. Yes, I trust you. Yes, I will offer that. Yes, I was wrong. Yes. Yes.

Beth Guckenberger is the author of Start with Amen: How I Learned to Surrender by Keeping the End in Mind. She and her husband Todd serve as co-executive directors of Back2Back Ministries. Adapted from Start With Amen: How I Learned to Surrender by Keeping the End in Mind© Beth Guckenberger (W Publishing Group), used by permission.

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