What If It's Your Choice?

 

(photo from streetworkoutstkilda .com)

What if there’s something worse than slavery?

What if physical slavery and torture are merely images of what God is calling us out of?

What if there’s something far worse, from which He’s trying to protect us? And what if that something is there because of our freedom of choice? We have the freedom to choose - every second of everyday.

What if when we choose anything other than God’s perfect will for our lives, it leads us into trouble?

What if in choosing, the bottom line is choosing who our master will be? The human soul wants freedom. But, freedom from what? Or from whom?

What if being a slave to sin is worse than servitude or being owned and/or being abused by another person?

With our physical eyes, we can see the horrors of slavery in history, or around us in the flesh. We may see it in the news, or be subjected to it in some way in our daily lives.

But it will take spiritual eyes to see the spirit realm; to see the unimaginable horrors of the results of slavery to sin.

When we submit ourselves to God and willingly place ourselves under His authority, He opens our spiritual eyes. 

He said to the apostle Paul, “I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’” – Acts 26:17-19 NKJV Also see: Numbers 22:31, 2 Kings 6:16-18)

(picture from yourpointofpride .com)

When Dave is watching a war documentary or movie that shows torture and prison camps, I have to close my eyes or leave the room. I can’t stand the horror of man’s treatment of man. How much worse is the horror of Satan’s treatment of man? Honestly, I don’t want to see it. But, until we see the ugliness and horror of Satan, we don’t really know the meaning of the word enemy. And we won’t realize what we’re actually being rescued from.

By looking back through history and looking around us, we can see horrors no man should know; horror we were not created to endure. By looking at the corruption of the world around us, we can see a glimpse of what sin promises us. Satan has no rewards for anyone in hell, only torment. He hates all of us, even those who boast of serving him. They are submitted to his authority, but there will be no rewards for allegiance to him, only laughter and mocking, unfathomable grief and torture. He hates mankind with a hatred we can’t even comprehend. You’re on the receiving end of that hatred simply because you’re human.

God’s plan is to rescue us from that hatred. But, will you be rescued? He leaves the choice to you. You have the freedom and the responsibility to choose whether or not to be rescued.

(picture from coralspringstalk .com)

The “default choice” is death. We have to want to be rescued. We have to choose to reach out and take hold of the already outstretched hand of our only Savior. Jesus already paid the price to get us out of the punishment for sin, He paid that price while we were/are stuck in sin’s grip. (“But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8 KJV)

The freedom we’re so desperately looking for is found in Jesus Christ. Freedom is not found in the notion that there is no God to be accountable to.

When we belong to and submit ourselves to God and become a part of His family, His kingdom – we have true freedom.

You may ask, “Aren’t we all children of God?” Well, actually, no.

In scripture, Jesus Himself tells certain individuals that their father is the devil. (You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. -John 8:44 NKJV)

Ouch!

We have to CHOOSE to be a part of the family of God; the body of Christ. Not only do we HAVE to choose, we GET to choose! And with that decision, comes the power and authority Jesus gave to each believer. But, power and authority do us no good until we recognize it and take hold of it and own it, and use it!

(photo from hotelspeak .com)

I like this quote, and the emphasis is mine. “Nothing has more impact to shift our minds and lives more than KNOWING who we are and the power and authority we have been given.” – Jennie Allen, Get Out of Your Head

So, what if – the choice is really yours? It’s not a decision to be taken lightly, nor is it a decision to be put off. Ponder it today. Ask questions! Talk to people. Talk to God, Himself. He’s always listening and eager to share with you. Because, it IS your choice. You alone will be responsible for the outcome.

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” – Galatians 4:4-7 NKJV

(picture from clipartkid .com)

What's a Haboob?

I woke up with a story for you.

An offer is made to you that sounds too good to be true. But, through whatever appropriate channels, you check it out and discover it’s a legitimate offer.

The wealthy businessman that’s made the proposal is giving you, yes, for free, what amounts to a small city. You can invite your family and friends to live with you there, if you’d like. We know almost everything about you can now be discovered through the internet, so it’s reasonable to see that he’s designing it to your likings. Everything you’ll ever need or want is within your reach, including a treasure at the center of the city, valued at more than you can fathom. And it’s even located right where you’d have built it yourself if you’d had whereabouts to do so.

The decision to accept it or not has faded from existence. It’s yours!

However there’s a little man (in my mind he looks rather like the man that begs for hamburgers in the old Popeye cartoons, Wimpy) that walks the perimeter of your city pushing a small vending cart. You approach him and ask what he’s doing there. He offers to sell you protection for your city. He tells you a giant haboob (an unreasonably large sandstorm) will come and bury your city, but he’ll protect it for you in exchange for your treasure. You still have everything else the generous businessman is giving you, he simply wants the treasure. The choice in this story isn’t whether you take the city from the businessman; it’s whether you give your treasure to the Wimpy-man. What do you choose?

God is already at work building you a mansion – your city. It’s yours. The treasure at town center is whatever it is you hold dearest. The Wimpy-man is Jesus.

Look Before You Leap

Although it’s an awesome responsibility (and I have no idea what God was thinking when He gave us choice) but our privilege to choose makes it our decision to rejoice, or not to rejoice. To celebrate, or not to celebrate. To pout, to indulge in self-pity, to walk in anger, or to walk in the hurt someone else has caused, to walk in love, or disappointment, or frustration, to walk in resentment, or peace, or to walk with purpose. To respond to God, or not to - these are all our choices to make. We can’t not make a decision. We decide if we get up and do something, or if we rest. We decide if we go to work today or if we play hooky. We decide to take a class, read a book, go for a walk, to eat, to call a friend, play a game, write a letter, sleep, or go exploring. We decide whether or not we want to invite God to share in our day -or our life. But whether we choose to have Him present with us or not - He is there. He gave us a lot of power when He allowed us to choose............