When thinking whether you should say something or do something, there is one simple question to ask yourself. What does your character dictate?

Is the action or reaction good or bad? Is it right or wrong? Is it appropriate or inappropriate? Is it Christlike or not? Does it please God and bring Him glory or not? Will it help or hurt? Is it in your best interests? Are there benefits or consequences? Is it “in-character or out-of-character?”

‘Yes’ means, go for it, act on it; say it, do it. ‘No’ means, don’t say it, don’t do it; dismiss the thought.

Thoughts are the causes of all effects— your behavior.

Remember, there are only two things you can do with a thought: You can act on it (say ‘yes’) or dismiss it (say ‘no’).

Say ‘yes’ to the things you should say or do and ‘no’ to the things you should not say or do— based on your character. ‘Yes’ to should and ‘no’ to should not. Do this every single time.

Ingrained habits and attitudes are a little more difficult to handle. They each both work on auto-pilot and happen mostly without a conscious thought. Here you’ll have to ‘stop’ the behavior in its tracks and ‘reset to default.’

You’ll know the difference because it’s been planted in your heart and conscience by God.

It relieves the peer pressure we are all faced with every day, no matter what age we are. Good and bad. There is no unsavory influence or peer pressure by others to ‘not do‘ what you should not do, to do what you do not want to do or need to do. The unsavory influences say ‘yes’ to the unsavory behavior and try, really hard, to get you to do the same. So— is it ‘yes’ or is it ‘no’?

It’s simple— ‘yes‘ to what you need to say or do and ‘no‘ to what need not say or do. Okay, you get the idea. Let that sink in and see how much sense it makes.

Do not say stupid things. Do not do stupid stuff. Don’t fall for the unrelenting peer pressure. Some of those ‘yes-es‘ have unwanted consequences. Always do the right thing and always do the right things the right way and your consequences will be few and far between.

The all-powerful brain ‘muscle‘ does exactly what it’s told to do. Okay, the brain is not really a muscle. But that 6 inches of real estate between your ears does not have a mind of its own. It cannot think for you or tell you what to do and neither should anyone else. You are the only one who can and should be making a decision that involves you. Read that last sentence again. You either act on the thought with a silent ‘yes’ or dismiss it with a silent ‘no’— next thought. Better thought.

Many struggles happen when you say ‘yes‘ to the things you should say ‘no‘ to and ‘no‘ to the things you should say ‘yes‘ to. It’s easy to change a ‘no‘ to a ‘yes,‘ but much more difficult to change a ‘yes‘ to a ‘no.‘

Choices. Decisions. Nobody should be able to make you do what you don’t choose to do and nobody should be able to stop you from doing what you do choose to do. Is it “Christlike? Does it please God and bring Him glory?” Those are the only choices really needed. If the answer is ‘no’ and you say it or do it anyway, then you must understand God’s wrath.

If you want to control this powerful operating system you’ve been given, you better learn how to use it. You are responsible for programming the computer, for inputting the right data and for pushing the right buttons. The instruction manual is written in your character.

Make good choices and wise decisions and back them up with the right actions and reactions.

It’s a simple fix, a difference maker and a life changer.

Notable Thoughts About ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ –

“The simplest kind of decision is binary, that is, the question can be answered, in principle at least, by either yes or no.” – E.J.W Barber

“The oldest, shortest words – ‘yes’ or ‘no’ – are those which require the most thought.” – Pythagoras

Rule #__ – The Power of ‘Yes’ and ‘No’

When deciding whether you should say something or do something, there is one simple question to ask:

What does your character dictate?

Is the action or reaction:

Good or bad?
Right or wrong?
Appropriate or inappropriate?
Christlike or not?
Pleasing to God and bringing Him glory—or not?
Helpful or hurtful?
In your best interest—or not?
Beneficial—or carrying consequences?
In-character or out-of-character?

The Two Choices

There are only two possible responses to any thought:

‘Yes’ — Act on it. Say it. Do it.
‘No’ — Dismiss it. Don’t say it. Don’t do it.

Thoughts are the causes of all effects — your behavior.

Every thought demands a decision. You either:

Act on it (say yes), or
Dismiss it (say no).

There is no neutral ground.

Character Is the Filter

Say ‘yes’ to the things you should say or do, and ‘no’ to the things you should not say or do — based on your character.

Yes to should.
No to should not.
Every time.

Your conscience — planted in your heart by God — will always tell you the difference.

Breaking Autopilot Habits

Ingrained habits and attitudes are harder to manage because they operate on autopilot, often without conscious thought.

Here, you must:

Stop the behavior, and
Reset to default.

That default setting is your character.

Resisting Peer Pressure

This principle relieves the relentless peer pressure we all face — at every age.

Negative influences say ‘yes’ to unsavory behavior and work hard to get you to do the same.

So ask yourself:

Is it ‘yes’ or is it ‘no’?

Simple:

Yes to what you need to say or do.
No to what you need not say or do.

Let that sink in.

Consequences Matter

Do not say stupid things.
Do not do stupid stuff.
Do not fall for unrelenting peer pressure.

Some ‘yeses’ carry heavy consequences.

Always:

Do the right thing,
and do the right things the right way.

When you do, your consequences will be few and far between.

How the Mind Works

That powerful six inches of real estate between your ears does exactly what it is told to do.

Your brain does not think for you.
It does not make decisions for you.
And no one else should either.

You alone are responsible for your choices.

Every thought is answered by:

A silent ‘yes’, or
A silent ‘no.’

Then comes the next thought.
A better thought.

Where Most Struggles Come From

Many struggles happen because we:

Say ‘yes’ to things we should say ‘no’ to, and
Say ‘no’ to things we should say ‘yes’ to.

It is easy to change a ‘no’ to a ‘yes,’
but far harder to change a ‘yes’ to a ‘no.’

Choose wisely.

The Ultimate Decision Filter

Ask only this:

Is it Christlike?
Does it please God and bring Him glory?

If the answer is no, and you do it anyway, then you must also accept the consequences — spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and sometimes physically.

Programming Your Operating System

If you want to control the powerful operating system you’ve been given, you must learn how to use it.

You are responsible for:

Programming the system
Inputting the right data
Pushing the right buttons

The instruction manual is written in your character.

The Bottom Line

Make good choices.
Make wise decisions.
Back them up with right actions and right reactions.

It’s a simple fix.
It’s a difference-maker.
It’s a life-changer.

Notable Thoughts About ‘Yes’ and ‘No’

“The simplest kind of decision is binary, that is, the question can be answered, in principle at least, by either yes or no.”
— E. J. W. Barber

“The oldest, shortest words — ‘yes’ or ‘no’ — are those which require the most thought.”
— Pythagoras

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