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What the Bible Says About...
How Our Choices Create Our Future
The freedom to make our
own choices is a very important issue in our society. Every day, each of us
chooses to do the things that we do, unless we are in a situation where we
have been stripped of our freedom and then we must do as those who have
control over us command us to do. This would be the case of those in prison
or those who are enslaved by force in repressive societies. Even in these
circumstances one still has freedom to make certain choices although they
may be limited. For example, one can choose as to what kind of attitude and
response one would have to his or her oppressors. Those in prisons can
still experience freedom when they have Christ, because true freedom is an
act of the soul and therefore we each can make choices in our soul. Other
men cannot force us to think wrongly unless we choose to agree with them.
There are other
circumstances that can limit our choices because of the authority that exits
in the world. One of these would be the choices of school children are
limited to the authorities' decisions and rules. This is also true of the
military. These are just two of many circumstances that can limit one's own
personal choices.
However, no matter what
our choices are today, they are ultimately creating our future because every
choice that we make will either cause us to be blessed or cursed. Another
way to put it, is that things will get better or worse for us. All choices
have consequences. These consequences will be for our betterment or will
work to destroy us. We are also responsible for our choices. The Bible
challenges us with this admonition in Deuteronomy
30:19: 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:
Messages going forth in
our society today have stressed our "right to choose" but have not balanced
it with the message that our choices also have consequences (especially in
the area of lust and selfishness.) For instance, most movies have glamorized
many things that are bad for us and have not generally shown the destructive
results of smoking, drinking, adultery, fornication, gambling, abortion,
etc.
These things do not
often hit home until ----
- A loved one gets lung cancer and is
dying.
- A child is killed by a drunk driver
- Close friends divorce because of the
unfaithfulness of a mate
- A teen is infected with a venereal
disease she will have for life
- A family loses their home because of
gambling debts
- A baby is aborted because of the lust
and selfishness of it’s parents leaving them struggling with guilt
Our Daily Choices
We face choices on
a personal level daily:
What shall we
eat? ---- We can choose to eat healthy or
just "pig out" on junk food.
Whom should
we vote for? ---- We can take the time to
pray and study the candidates positions and vote accordingly or we can
refuse to vote. When we do not vote, we are actually making a choice to
allow others to choose who shall rule over us.
Whom shall we
marry? ---- This is a serious life-time
commitment and should never be gone into without God's guidance. Making
this choice foolishly or based on emotion alone has brought much heartache
to many a person.
What
occupation should we pursue? ---- Those
making this decision strictly based on need or money issues will regret not
seeking God about this issue. God has gifted every person with certain
talents to adapt to the jobs that are suited just for them at the right
times in their lives.
Should I
return the money that was credited to my account by accident? ----
Remember the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you." When only God is watching, what kind of
choices do we make? He is looking for people He can trust, as He desires to
use us in His work.
Should I
purchase this item on credit? ---- Do I
really need this item or is it something I want, even though I cannot afford
it?
These are just some
samples of choices that we face. We also face temptations that we must
resist with the Word of God. The consequences of some choices are more
deadly than others. When we rebel against God and choose our own way, we are
choosing a path of destruction that will ultimately end in hell. Because of
God’s love and mercy to humanity, most of our choices do not have immediate
results. We are all given a time to repent and find the Lord and His ways.
We may all get away with sinning for awhile; however in time we will reap
what we have sown.
2 Peter
3:9 says The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Galatians
6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Wrong
Choices Cause Soul Sickness
Many people are sick in their souls
because they have not known the ways of the Lord, and therefore have made
wrong decisions. God wants to heal us in every area of our souls and bodies,
as well as give us a new life in the spirit. To receive healing of the soul,
however, we must understand it and why it needs to be healed, restored, and
renewed.
The Greek word psuche
(pronounced "sue-kay") is the word Bible writers used when talking about
things of the natural man, which in English is called "the soul." The soul
of man is comprised of the mind, the will, and the emotions. Our emotional
patterns tend to formulate our personalities.
The soul, or personality, is formed
through a person's reactions to the information the mind takes in. The way
each person chooses to react to the things he hears, the things that happen
to him, and the things he chooses to receive as truth causes each soul to
become what he, or she, is. However, when a person is born again, he becomes
a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17;
Galatians 6:15), and the soul can be changed and renewed through the
Holy Spirit.
As Christians we are to develop the
attributes of Christ and become like Him. Because much of our personalities
are formed through our choices, we have to make new choices to let go of the
old nature and receive the new. Our new natures are formed by the truths
from the Word of God. The healing of the soul, which is a cleansing process,
takes place as we learn to study the Word and develop a close fellowship
with the Lord through prayer.
The
Mind, the Will and the Emotions
We might
look upon human beings in this way: each of us is a spirit who has a soul
and lives in a body.
The will
is how we exercise our freedom of choices. God gave man this freedom when He
created Adam. God will not violate our free wills and make us do the
right thing, nor will He make choices for us. We can choose His way, "the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ"
(Romans
8:22:For the law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death),
or we can choose the way of self -- which really is the devil's way or "the
law of sin and death."
There are only two ways: God's or the
devil's. What man thinks is his own way is really Satan's way and puts him
under the authority of the enemy. If someone is not for God, he
automatically is against Him
(Matthew 12:30).
There is no possible way man can just do his own thing and think he is not
making a choice. That choice is choosing Satan's way. Even "no choice" on
man's part is a choice, because when we refuse to choose, others will make
our choices for us. Satan causes men to follow him by encouraging apathy,
laziness, or lack of responsibility.
The mind is the intellect, with
reasoning being the "voice" of the mind. If the mind remains unrenewed, not
"healed," it will continue to think carnal thoughts, believe false
information, and result in fleshly speaking and living.
The emotions
were designed by God to express His characteristics, which are placed in our
spirits when we become born again. Those are the "fruits" written about in
Galatians 5:22,23, and other places. If we do
not yield to the renewal process, we continue to act like our "old father,"
the devil.
Put on the
Nature of Jesus
Much of the Church considers
sanctification or "conforming to the image of Jesus"
(Romans 8:29) to be optional. It is not taught or preached as much as
it was in former generations. Many Christians born since World War II are as
much a part of the "Me Generation" as the world. Self-will and rebellion are
more a part of society today than at any time previously in the history of
the United States. It is no surprise that much of today's American Church
operates in carnality, and it should be no surprise to us that God has
finally set out to expose this evil and clean up His Church.
When Paul wrote to the Ephesians
about "crucifying" the old man, this is exactly what he meant
(Ephesians 4:18-24). When something is
crucified, it is put to death. Every Christian needs the things of his old
nature (which are part of his unregerated soul), to be put to death in order
for the life of God to permeate the whole person. We have been given the
power through the Holy Spirit to overcome sin in our lives. We can choose
to obey God and He will empower us to overcome every sin.
Romans 6:12
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that
ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members as
instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as
those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness unto God
14 For sin shall not have dominion
over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace
15 What then? shall we sin, because
we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16
Know
ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye
are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto
righteousness?
Instead of pursuing
holiness, many Christians have just allowed Christ to dwell in their
spirits, but have not allowed Him to renew their souls and heal their
bodies. As soon as a person is born again, he should begin to make the
choices that will put to death his old ways of thinking, talking, and
acting, and allow the Holy Spirit to replace them with God's ways.
Overcoming Through Faith
Renewing the soul will
cause negative habits and emotions to change. The key to that change is
faith. Through our wills we must choose to change. However, it is only
the work of the Holy Spirit who can actually bring permanent change in us.
We cannot do it in ourselves. We choose to let go of the negative and that
allows the Holy Spirit to do the changing. But doubt and unbelief can keep a
person from receiving this kind of healing as much as it does healing of the
body. A Christian must make the choices for God's way and against
his own way in absolute faith that the Holy Spirit will do His part and make
the needed changes in us.
If we allow our bodies
to be lazy and undisciplined, they will suffer the consequences. Bad
physical habits can hinder God's work in us. The Holy Spirit wants to help
us overcome these ungodly ways. In the soul, if we choose to be resentful,
hateful, angry, unkind, discouraged, worried, fearful, impatient, lustful,
greedy, etc., we will allow these things to rule us instead of calling on
the strength of Christ to help us to overcome these negative attitudes.
Many habits or
addictions of the soul and body can be broken with a three-day fast. Certain
desires or feelings of the body are perfectly legitimate, such as hunger,
sleep, and so forth. Through the five senses, the body is the receiver of
information from the world around it. The senses were given to us by God to
protect us, and under the direction of the Holy Spirit, they work perfectly
to serve us. However, under Satan's influence, or self-will, the senses are
perverted to fulfill the lusts of the flesh which can bring destruction.
Changing Old Habits
Every sinful habit in
our lives gained its foothold through our thoughts and choices. We can gain
victory over those habits by thinking God's thoughts. A person who feels
unworthy and unacceptable can replace those negative feelings with the truth
that through Jesus, he or she has become worthy and acceptable. The process
of conforming to the image of Jesus will be successful as we choose to
replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
The way to change a
habit of negative thinking is to choose to change that negative
thought for its opposite. The Bible calls that "overcoming evil with good"
(Romans 12:19-21). For example, if a Christian finds himself ready to repeat
some negative gossip about a brother or sister, he should choose to say
something nice about that person instead. Very quickly, the habit of
repeating negative things about other people will be broken.
The Lord wants to save us from tragedy, sickness,
fear, anxiety, and the turmoil of this world. These things come upon us
because of our bad choices or through ignorance or chains of iniquity.
Instead, God wants us to walk in the Spirit of life so we may have His love,
joy, peace, and victory
(2 Corinthians 7:1) over every trial and temptation.
Bible
Choices Bring Blessings
Our future is determined by all the
choices we are making today. Let us bring God into helping us make our
decisions. In doing that it will determine whether our future will be secure
and will have God's blessing on it. Let us be as Joshua was and declare: "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
God promised Joshua good
success if he obeyed the words of the Bible and chose to follow Him. Joshua
and his family were blessed because he made the right choices even though he
went through many battles God was with him. He was an overcomer!
Joshua 1:8:
This book of the law shall not depart
out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou
mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou
shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Joshua 24:14:
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.
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