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)

Can You Choose?

(photo courtesy of freegoldwatch.com)

God wants you to choose. 

I want you to choose.

However, you need to know what you’re choosing between. You not only need to know you have options, but you need to be informed about what those options are.  When one side or opinion seeks to quench the voice of opposing views and opinions and beliefs, an unsafe, unfair situation arises where not only our voice, but out choice disappears.

We read in Joshua 24:14-15 (KJV), “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.

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.”

Joshua made the choice clear before all the people. He didn’t ignore the fact that the people had served other gods. Though he gave them a choice that would give them abundant life, he didn’t insist that his God was their only option.

We put ourselves in the role of God when we determine that which the choices of others will consist. Ironic, when the people who insist on determining our choices often deny there is a God.

God Himself encourages us to choose life – but allows us to choose death. “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:” - Deuteronomy 30:19 (KJV)

When Creationism isn’t allowed to be taught in school, but Darwinism is forced down children’s throats as absolute reality, when in fact, it’s a theory that’s never been proven – choice is destroyed. The only ‘reality’ being taught, is one that’s taught forcefully.

When abstinence isn’t allowed to be taught in school, but deviant sexual acts and extreme forms of birth control are blatantly plastered before the face of every student attending said school, again, choice is destroyed.

You cannot choose between options when options are denied.

Informed choice ensures freedom, the very foundation of our nation.

There are many other choices and freedoms being taken from us or threatened here in America and across the globe.

Logically speaking, we won’t all make the same choices.

Find your voice – and let it be heard.

Don’t deny other’s their voice.

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............

Ezer Rejoicing Still

In the busyness of life we sometimes lose the sense of awe and wonder that constantly surround us. Here in the wonderful land of the Rockies – it’s actually possible to drive around and miss out on seeing the beauty of the mountains, simply because I’m focused on something internal.

If I can drive down the streets of Colorado Springs and not see the mountains – what am I missing in my own home?

Is it possible I focus on self and on the things in my own little world so much or so intently that I close my eyes to the grandeur of the love of God lighting my way through the people God’s placed in my life?

The love for me in my husband’s eyes is incredibly profound. So how is it I don’t see it in moments when I’m angry with him over something petty. I must be so focused on myself that I’m momentarily blinded to the love around me.

I rejoice in choice. I don’t always understand why I choose what I do – but I take great joy in choosing, because God trusts me enough to allow me to choose.

Today and everyday forward, I choose to find love in everyone – from the precious gift of my husband, to the lady standing on the corner by Wal-Mart clenching a sign that begs for money; from the treasure of my children and grandchildren, to the man that cuts me off in traffic only to slow down in front of me.

Today and everyday forward, I choose to rejoice in the love that God surrounds me with through the people He’s placed in my life – the good and the not-so-good, and the beauty He’s filled my world with – the mountains and the ant hills, the sunshine and the cloudy skies, wild flowers and weeds, gentle breezes and wind that blows me off my feet, waterfalls and mud puddles…..it’s all in perspective.

I choose to look for God’s perspective.

Ezer Part 10

Since God trusts us with the privilege of choice, I don’t believe we can rightly force others to believe the way we do – but believing as I do, I want desperately for others to live in freedom and look forward to the promise of heaven. I passionately want those I love to be spared eternity in the torments of hell. I can argue with God all I want that the people around me lack the capacity to make the wise choice. He doesn’t believe me at all. [smile]

While recently at the hospitals for tests, when Dave’s father argued to leave before the doctor cleared him to leave, some of us wanted to override his choice. He’d have been left with a very expensive bill that Medicare would not have paid and the tests they were running on him would have been rendered incomplete and therefore worthless. Fortunately, he wound up staying until the doctors had a diagnosis and were willing to send him home with antibiotics and oxygen for an infection and pneumonia. But he fussed and complained the whole time that he wanted the contraptions he was hooked up to unhooked and to put his clothes back on so he could go home. That would have been very unwise, but it was his choice to make. I presume he stayed because we argued back with him and gave him reason after reason to stay. But if they’d have wanted to admit him overnight we’d have either had to honor his choice or override his right to choose. Knowing we wouldn’t want anyone to override our right to choose, we’re glad it didn’t come to that.

Choose wisely.

Come back in a few days for more!

Ezer Part 9

Here on planet Earth, we are confined to timelines. We cannot normally see what will happen beyond the moment we’re living in. If we see an acorn falling from a tree branch, we can safely predict it will hit the ground in less time than it takes to think it through. If it’s raining today, we can guess that it might be muddy out tomorrow. If we can’t sleep tonight, we’ll probably be dragging tomorrow. But God can cause events to work together in ways our finite brains can’t imagine, causing the impossible to become possible. We can’t live day to day assuming that we’ll know the outcome of everything. In the Bible God tells us that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours.

(For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9 KJV)

The bottom line for any belief we hold, is that we choose to believe it. We choose to believe scientific facts, generally, based on what we’ve been taught – we don’t know any different, and when we don’t know a differing point of view, we tend to believe what we’ve been taught until it’s contested. I tend to believe that a sturdy looking chair will hold my weight, unless I see it buckle under someone else or feel it caving beneath me. If I chose to be suspect of everything around me, I would be labeled paranoid. For choosing to believe the Bible, many around the world are persecuted, even to the point of death. Why? If what we believe is a lie and of no threat to anyone, why persecute those of us that choose to believe the Bible? Again, graciously, I’ve been afforded the privilege of living in America, where, at least for the time being, we can still choose to believe what we will.