Should you say “NO” to God?

We all know this story told to us, a story that happened at the very beginning of time, when a being said “no” to God. This attitude has its origins in the creation of Adam, the first man, the father of mankind. Thus, at the time when all the angels are ordered to bow down to Adam, only one being refuses: Satan (or Iblis).

Deeply believing and filled with the fear of God, he still had the audacity to say “no.” Iblis, created of fire, “proudly refused” to put his forehead on the ground before Adam, created of clay. A faith and a life of devotion to God swept away by a fleeting feeling but so devastating and fraught with consequences. And Iblis persists, he justifies his refusal: “You created him from earth and I, you created me from fire.” The “me” was too much. The “me” had no place. The “me” has fallen Iblis from the divine court.

So, for you who are believers, you who have chosen to say “yes” to God, this story must resonate like a teaching. A believer can turn around if his heart wins in what is worst, if he drowns in his ego, and if the waves of life throw his soul into the depths of the most dangerous abyss. To say no to God is to refuse everything that He gives you of love, peace, meaning and consistency. Saying no to God means finding yourself alone in front of yourself, without a net, without limits...

Every day you see men and women around you whom you would like to convince, to whom you would like to explain that God exists, you would have loved to let them know that they are wrong and that you are right. You would even like to convert them. That would be a wasted effort. It is not so simple. It would be too easy. The keys to the heart do not belong to anyone. Only God has the secret. You have talked to people before and you have the impression that there is a veil between their heart and the truth. They don't understand, they don't hear. What you say to them cannot enter their heart or their head. What is yours is to speak. Convincing is not your business. Don't try to force yourself into people's hearts. The path to God is too mysterious for human beings to understand its meaning.

Do not look too far because you only need to read the Holly Book to understand. Noah had a son who refused God; lot's wife has turned away; Abraham's first enemy was his father; Jacob's sons wanted to kill their brother Joseph and Muhammad could never get his beloved uncle Abu Talib to accept God. Even the prophets had no power over their loved ones. Everything belongs to God. Despairing for others will do you no good. Take care of your heart first so that it is light and it will surely radiate around you without you wanting it. “Talk about God without talking about it.” God is your consistency, it is the truth when you speak, it is refusing to give in to temptations, impulses, it is your heart that absorbs good and turns its back on evil.

It is necessary to overcome the fatigue of your body to speak to God. When your forehead and heart are on the ground, remember what lost Iblis and recite with all your being this prayer which will bring you, if God wish, on the most beautiful of paths: “Lord! Do not divert our hearts, after having put us in the right way!”

Anything is possible for the heart of the believer: to go forward or to go back. God gave you the freedom to do with your heart what you want...