The Choices We Make

God is sovereign. There is nothing that catches Him off-guard. There are no surprises that cause Him to wonder what happened. We did not choose Him. He chose us! Before the foundation of the world He foreknew, predestined and chose those who would follow Him.

But the God of the universe that created us gave us a choice. The free will that He gave us “allows” us to choose to receive or reject Him. Our choice determines His blessing or curse.

We are commanded to “submit to the Holy Spirit”, “grieve not the Holy Spirit”, “believe in your heart and confess with your mouth”, “receive the Lord Jesus”, and “yield under the might hand of God.” Obeying the Word of God always brings His blessing. “To obey is better than sacrifice; to hearken than the fat of rams.”

Disobeying His commands will remove His blessing and bring a curse into our lives. It will eventually lead to our destruction and eternal separation. “For what fellowship has light with darkness.”

When we choose to obey, we “allow” the blessing of God to operate in our life. He is “allowed” to flow in our lives according to the plans He already has established for us. We are able to receive the full benefit of His blessing through obedience.

When we choose to disobey, we grieve and hinder the Holy Spirit from operating in our lives because sin separates us from Him. He is holy and cannot abide in the presence of sin. He therefore is not “allowed” to move freely ion our lives because we withdrew from Him.

Before the children of Israel entered their promised land, God told them his commandments and the blessings and curses that would result from either their obedience or disobedience. He even told them in advance that they would turn to other idols and would be led into captivity. But He was sovereign and let them make their choices to worship Him or the idols of Canaan. His words to them are recorded in Deuteronomy 30:19-20

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

In Joshua 24:15, they were given the same option.

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

We must choose Him and according to the scriptures, “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” One day stand before Him and give account for the things we did in our lifetime, whether they were good or bad.

I have chosen in times past to hold on to things He has told me to let go of. In doing so, I hindered Him from moving freely in my life and the blessings that would have been mine were withheld. I pray I have learned from my experiences and that this day forward, I receive all that He has for me by surrendering and coming under His authority, thus “allowing” Him to move in my life and take me to the places He has prepared for me.

The choice is also yours. I encourage you to listen to what God told the children of Israel and “choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”