The Choice

Deuteronomy 11:26-28 NIV I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods.

Our days are filled with choices. From the moment our eyes open until they close at night, we make choices that affect our physical condition, emotional well-being, and spiritual life. What to eat, exercise, or drop down in front of the TV, or how will I respond to a spouse, friend, or co-worker when they say something that doesn’t sit well? Am I going to focus on an unexpected expense, situation, or circumstance, or the unending faithfulness of God? Whether well-thought-out decisions or subconscious reactions, we are facing the same choice that God put before Israel.

Joshua placed the same choice before the people of Israel: “Choose today whom you will serve. Do you prefer the gods your ancestors served or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15). The choice is just that simple and straightforward; but a choice that must be made. There is no middle ground.

God’s words to the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3 were specifically for failing to make such a choice. Revelation 3:15-16, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” You may like your coffee hot or iced, but rest assured if there was a market for lukewarm coffee, Starbucks would be selling it. Lukewarm means to be torpor: apathetic and inactive. Failing to choose complete surrender, trying to walk the middle of the road and satisfy the world and the kingdom of God is not possible. Jesus stated it clearly, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other.”(Matthew 6:24).

We either choose to lay down our lives for His sake, trusting Jesus as our savior, provider, healer, defender, and guide, or we choose to trust in our own strength and abilities. Complete surrender positions our hearts to receive the incredible reward of being fully God’s. God is an endless ocean of love, help, healing, and power, but you must choose the path. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14). A path must be chosen.

This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

Each of us is only truly living to the degree that we have surrendered our life to Jesus. If you choose to lay down your life in surrender to God’s plans, purposes, and truth, you will experience life unlike anything you’ve known. A life that is eternal, kingdom-based, and fueled by the love of God. But you must make the choice.

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Gary and Sandy Anthony

Psalms 118:8-9 NLT It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

Psalm 146:3 TPT We can never look to men for help; no matter who they are, they can’t save us, for even our great leaders fail and fall. They too are just mortals who will one day die.

Isaiah 2:22 TPT So once and for all, stop trusting in man, who is but one breath from death —frail and puny man!

Psalm 20:7-8 NIV Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.

2 Chronicles 13:12 NIV God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.

Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.

Proverbs 3:5-8 NIV Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

Psalm 37:3-5 NLT Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.

Psalm 9:9-10 NIV The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Isaiah 41: 10-11 NIV So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.

Romans 15:13 NIV May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 32:8 NIV You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

2 Corinthians 10:12 NIV When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.

2 Chronicles 32:7-8 NLT Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us! 

Psalm 91:1-2 NLT Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

Proverbs 8:10 NLT Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.