If It's Going To Be, It's Up To Me.

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you 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.

Around the world on any given Sunday, people will meet in churches to hear a preacher or a teacher talk to them or preach to them, and exhort them about the love of God, and what God has the power and the desire to do for us.

Not many will be telling the people what their responsibility is.

In any covenant it takes two parties. It takes two to tango. It takes two to reproduce.

Perhaps the greatest thing that God has ever given to us is the privilege and the Power of Choice.

Joshua words, "choose this day whom you will serve" tell us that you are responsible to choose, and that you have the privilege and the power to choose right or wrong.

Those words tell us; you are in charge of your destiny. “God is not in charge of your destiny”.

God designs your destiny but you must discover your destiny.

Let me say it another way, “the future you experience is the future you create”.

Just as Noah built the ark over a period of time, you and I are building our future.

One day at a time.

One choice at a time.

One act of obedience at a time.

Your future and your destiny is not a miracle or a mystery, it is a harvest.

There is a very powerful verse here in Hosea 8:7 "for they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind".

Notice, they reaped exactly what they sowed, they sowed the wind but they reaped a tornado.

You cannot blame anyone for the life you have good or bad, because you created it by your choices.

Yes I know that many things can happen in life, and can affect you for better or worse, but ultimately; no one can choose your destiny but you.

You cannot always control what happens to you, but you are the governor of what happens in you.

For many years the focus and the content of my preaching was all on the Holy Spirit and the Power of the Holy Spirit, and the operation of the Holy Spirit.

But one day it hit me: Most of my ministry had been telling people about God and about his power and his faithfulness, in other words, all about Gods part.

But the point of change and transformation has never been on Gods side.

God’s side is constant, it's settled, it's established. This is where these words fit, "it is what it is".

We never have to worry about God being faithful.

We never have to worry about there being enough power.

We never have worry about God loving us.

We never need to call Gods mercy into question.

It is what it is. God is love and he always will be.

So where does that leave us?

That leaves in the same place Joshua was in, the place of decision.

Decisions decide destiny.

Change happens at the speed of your decisions.

You can either run into your future or crawl into it. Your future can be gross, or it can be glorious.

God designs destiny.

You discover it.

Your decisions decide it.

Joshua exhorted the people to choose, then he was quick to say; I've made my decision. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

What decisions are you making today that are affecting your future?

After accepting Jesus into your life, the most important decision you will ever make is to obey the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the greatest teacher, the greatest instructor, and the greatest mentor.

Remember this: decisions decide destiny.

God decides your harvest, “30, 60, or 100 fold,” but your decision to sow schedules your harvest. Your decision to sow sparingly, determines that your harvest will come back sparingly.

Your decision to sow generously, determines that your harvest will come back to you generously. (See 2 Co 9:6).

Let me ask you some very important questions.

Who have you decided to listen to?

Whose words have you decided to believe?

Where do you go to church?

What part of Gods word have you decided to believe?

(The only part that works for you is the part you believe.)

What part of Gods word have you chosen to obey?

What part of Gods word have you chosen to ignore?

What battles have you chosen to fight?

What battles have you chosen to ignore?

Who have you chosen to honor?