Among all the wonders we are blessed with, one of the most powerful things that we have got is the power of “free will” or Choice. God has created humans with Free Will. We, therefore, are living our lives exercising the power of freedom over our personal choices and decisions. Life is full of choices. Every day God gives us the freedom to make choices about what we think is going to be good, or even best for us. The success and failure of our life is made up of the little choices we make every day of our lives. For every action, there is a reaction, and for every choice, there is a consequence. Most people don’t put careful thought on the life God wants them to possess. Often they become distracted with the cares and concerns that come their way without ever living a more fulfilling life.
John C. Maxwell said “It is our decisions, not our conditions that determine our quality of life”
The power to choose is in our hands. We can choose wisely or unwisely as we are confronted with decisions, temptations, choices and priorities. We make decisions every day. Some decisions have far reaching consequences and other decisions are not so far-reaching. But our Choices determine the values, character, direction, and destiny of our life. When you need wisdom remember that God is the source of wisdom. Prayerfully consider the eternal nature of your Creator, the fleeting reality of your life, and the just wrath of God. In Psalm 90:12, Moses prayed a humble prayer; “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (Psalm 90:12) Moses wasn’t asking God on how to spend his time more wisely, but for wisdom on how to invest his life in alignment with God’s season and purpose for him.
George Eliot said "The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice." God has given us the power of choice. Thus learning what to choose, and how to choose, may be the most important knowledge we will ever receive. Of all the choices we face in our life, there is one that is of eternal consequence. It is a choice to know and obey God or ignore and disobey God. By using the Free Will, our ‘first parents’ (Adam and Eve) made a wrong choice. Consequently, they lost their innocence and caused decay and death on them and their offspring. The shortness and weakness of human life are the fruit of sin and judgment in the world. Although life is short and the wrath of God terrifying, the mercy and protection of God for His people are great. We need a Counsellor, to make the right decision and the only Counsellor who can give wise advice and rescue us from our predicament is God. In Psalm 90 we see this in Moses, who prays, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom”
Deuteronomy 30:15-16, 19 God says “See, I have set before you today life and goodness, as well as death and disaster. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live.” And the God the Almighty advises us that we should choose Life because the other alternative is decay and disaster.
Every human being on this Earth has free will or the freedom to make decisions. One of the greatest choices we make is to love and obey God in all things. Life and death and blessing and cursing have been presented to us, and now we have to choose which kind of life we want. If we decide to love and obey God, to walk in line with God’s word, and to do what He tells us to do, then we will receive all the blessings coming on us and overtaking us. If we decide to not obey God, to not walk in line with His word, and to not do what He tells us to do, then we will receive the curse overtaking us. Whether we receive the blessing or the curse is going to depend upon the choices that we make.
If we desire to reach a specific destination then we are going to have to walk in the direction that leads us to that destination. Galatians 6:7-8 says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows, Those who live only to satisfy their sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.” Our harvest is going to be based on the seeds that we sow, if we continue to sow to satisfy our sinful nature and to disobey God, then we will reap decay and death. But if we decide to sow to the spirit, we will reap the God-kind of abundant life. To reap the eternal rewards of salvation, a person must pursue the godly life God has set before him or her.
One of the greatest mistakes that people make is they make decisions without the counsel of God. The writer of Proverbs over and over warns us about depending upon man's wisdom rather than seeking God's wisdom when making decisions. Proverbs 28:26 says "He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe." If we desire to have an abundant, prosperous, and blessed life, then there are certain decisions that we are going to have to make to reach those destinations. Your life isn't an accident. You have a destiny, one that only you can complete. The Bible says “You can make many plans, but the LORD's purpose will prevail. (Proverbs 19:21) Your life isn't a mistake you have a destiny, one that only you can fulfill. The Bible says, “All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old” (Psalm 139:16).
We all were born for a purpose and with a purpose. Our fulfillment is possible only in so far as we complete our destiny. So, fulfilling our purpose must be our primary goal in life. We will be held accountable for what we do while we are here in this world. We must realize that our fulfillment in this life is dependent on our becoming and doing what we were born to be and do. When we discover God's purpose for our lives, we can be confident and persuaded that we will succeed. Therefore, I submit to you that the choice to know God is the right choice. Any person who exercises this choice has made the right choice and hence by the standard definition of wisdom, he is a wise person. That is why the Bible says in Job 28:28, “The fear of the Lord-- that is wisdom.” But anyone who chooses to ignore God has made a wrong choice and hence he is not wise; that is, he is foolish as stated in Psalm 14:1, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” So, the fool is the person who is not wise because he chose to ignore God. His foolish choice invariably leads him to corrupt and vile deeds.
This is why James 3:13 says “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” Wise choices lead to life, health, and blessings. Unwise ones can bring misery, illness, harm, and death. You have the power to choose! Choose God’s word over man’s ideas and philosophies. Do not continue to travel in a direction that is going to take you to a destination that you do not want to reach.
Choose life and choose blessing by choosing the word of God today. God's word is a road map to the most prosperous and the most enjoyable life that we could ever live. If we make decisions that are in line with God's word, we will reach a point where we are experiencing days of Heaven right here on this Earth (Deuteronomy 11:21). The quality of your life ultimately is shaped by the quality of your choices and decisions you make in your day-to-day life. Remember, God wants you to live in the reality of His unfailing grace, and when you learn “to assign, appoint and ordain” each day going after God’s heart, you will see His Favor, growth, victory, and breakthroughs.
Keep in mind that deciding not to choose is a choice. In other words— to decide not to choose good is always a choice to choose evil. You are not free to not to choose. To decide not to choose is a choice. Let me make it very clear—to decide not to choose right is always a choice to choose wrong. Choices bring consequences, and wrong choices are dangerous. Don’t sell yourself short of God’s promises of grace— Remember “Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning”. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
Albert Einstein said “God did not create evil. Just as darkness is the absence of light, evil is the absence of God.” The antidote to ignorance is knowledge. Knowledge comes through truth, and truth brings liberation. The end result of your life here on earth will always be the sum total of the choices you make while you are here. Some people today do not wish to accept responsibility for their actions. They blame society. They blame the environment. They blame the government. They blame the circumstances. But remember that Adam sinned in a perfect environment under perfect circumstances. We can’t blame it all on somebody else. We must accept the blame ourselves for our part. Society is made up of individuals. If we have social injustice, we’re the ones who are wrong; we’re part of it. Let’s accept our responsibility to do something about it. Our life essentially is nothing but a collective result of the choices we have made along the way.
When God commanded Adam not to take of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, He was showing him what choice he should make. God wanted him to choose life, not death. Much later, when God brought Israel out of Egypt, He gave them a similar choice: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). “It is your decisions, and not your circumstance, that determine your destiny.”
Billy Graham said, "The strongest principle of life and blessings lies in our choice. Our life is the sum result of all the choices we make, both consciously and unconsciously. If we can control the process of choosing, we can take control of all aspects of our lives. We can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of our life. So start with what is right rather than what is acceptable. If you don’t make a decision, then time will make it for you, and time will always side against you."
Jesus said, ““Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is working against me.” (Matthew 12:30). If you do not crown Jesus, you crucify Him. There is no middle ground. Do not live in mediocrity. Do not just exist! Make the wise decisions that will determine your destiny. And the little decisions that we make determine our destiny. It is choice – not chance – that determines your destiny. Dear Friend, the day of choice is today. Your decisions will determine your destiny. Life is short,” So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.” (1 Peter 5:6)
