5 | LIFE REQUIRES CRITICAL CHOICES

To define critical would be to classify the word as a synonym to serious, grave, essential and indispensable. To define choices would be an act of choosing between more than one possibility.

Together, critical choices is a process to which the decisions made will have casted either a positive and/or negative impact over one’s life with the changes derived from said decision having influential factors that would account for the life we live and the people we become.

Making a decision grants us the ability to have the choice in how a situation will turn out. It is a thought and intuitive led process in where we have to draw up all the possible outcomes of said situation and having weighed the pros and cons, make that choice in the route we will decide to follow. As such, it encapsulates the need for us to not rush in any decision we make as inevitably, such decision can cause for there to be a positive and/or negative consequence over our lives.

I think this a very important thing to know when living a Christ led life. In the past episodes I have mentioned the need of me ensuring that I kill my flesh each day so that Christ lives in me. That is a critical choice- I am choosing to sow to the Spirit instead of my flesh (Galatians 6:8). In doing so, I am also sowing to God and Jesus at the same time as we know that the Holy Trinity (God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit) is three in one. From that sowing, I reap everlasting life in God all because I made that critical choice to live a Christ led life. That will be the case for us all- reaping everlasting life in God. This verse, out of many in the Bible, clearly exemplifies the concept of critical choices.

It can not only be a need in making the critical choice to follow Christ and devote your life to Him. It must also be a want. We must both need and want to create Christ led lives for ourselves. We must make that choice to Christ becoming our anchor and the one who is in control. We must remain in a choice of daily enrichment and fulfilment for the life we live to be lives that serve God.

Two choices were outlined in the above verse with two outcomes and with said outcomes being critical in the effect of how it will implicate one’s life. Either to reap destruction from the flesh or eternal life from the Spirit. Don’t make the wrong choice. Remove yourself from societal pressures, overcome internal inflictions, surpass through the external mockery and hate. Those things are temporary and of the world. It has no standpoint or value in God’s Kingdom and in the Spirit.

A good heart and being generous have value in the Kingdom of God. It may not always be easy to remain uplifted in our spirits due to pain, suffering or difficult situations we may find ourselves in. However, we must remember that a negative season is not our whole life, only part of it- don’t let it define you and change your heart from being good or choosing to trust in God, no matter what, as God will make a way for you (Galatians 6:9). So, even in such times of pain and suffering don’t allow fear to render you to yearn for worldly peace but rather yearn for peace from God, the type of peace that is invaluable and you cannot find in the world, only in God.

Don’t be afraid to make the right choice. Comparison is a thief of joy (Proverbs 14:30). Just because we see others who have gone further in life on the same path we are walking on objectively (for example, academic, profession, finances, family) that doesn’t mean that the choices they made whilst on that path was the right ones to make subjectively. Don’t be tempted to follow a path that bears no fruit of God just so you can level up as quickly as others. Short term fix doesn’t equate to long-term joy.

Break out of the cycle of temptations, persevere through the seasons of doubt, rise above the naysayers. These choices, accompanied with Christ led devotion and discipline will set you aright above struggles and limitations of this world.

Make that critical choice to let God use you and show His wonders in your life.

To be used by God is making that choice for your life to be God-led. Putting God at the forefront of your mind in all your thoughts and speech and making Him the centre in all of your actions. It is simply the choice of putting God first.

To be used by God is the gift of receiving His guidance in all that you do. We walk by faith and not by sight knowing that God will guide, guard and protect us against and through all things. It is simply the choice of seeking God first.

To be used by God is the symbol of living in Christ. It is not only known to you but beknown to all that you serve a living God and He is actively working through you to fulfil the vision and destiny He has laid in your heart and mind to fulfil. It is simply the choice of living in God’s instructions.

God is a provider. He is THE Provider and so we can never fall short of His grace, His miracles, His testimonies, His glory and His blessings that He has placed into our lives as Children of The Most High. He provides for us all. He does it in an immaculate timeframe when it is most needed and according to His plan for our lives. What we seek and yearn for comes from God exactly when we most need it and as He made for it to be so.

We are constantly living in answered prayers because God constantly provides. He is constantly working. We can never be diminished, limited or setback by the things of this world as we live through the riches that comes from Heaven, God’s Kingdom. Even for the things that we may not yet know that we either want or need, God has already provided unto us everything that we both want and need. It is already here, within sight of our peripheral vision, and God is just waiting for the right time to put it within reach and sight of our central vision.

I think sometimes it may be easy to overlook what God has in store for us. It’s bad to say but it is something that we may suffer with. I mean this in the sense that because something hasn’t come within the timeframe, we had humanly set for ourselves, it is now a reason to question whether God hears our prayers of the provisions we are seeking for. Know that our humanly timeframe is not aligned with God’s timeframe. Our plans are not God’s plans. The extent to which we can work is incomparable to how actively God can work.

He is an exceptional, breakthrough, overcoming battles, constantly providing God. He does things the way He does for a reason. Stop trying to rush through life and doing things on your own. We literally have God, our Lord to call unto and seek for Him to help, to lead, to take control, to provide. So, what are we waiting for? What are we hesitant about? What is there to be afraid of?

The answer: nothing. When you make that choice to make God your provider- everything falls into place. Everything works out. And everything turns out okay.

So, again I say, what are we waiting for?

Choose God today. Choose God every day.

Let Him lead. Let Him provide.

I just wanted to finish this episode by looking at the wordings of 1^st Corinthians 10:23- All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

In other words, verse 23 infers that whilst it is acceptable to have access to everything, it is not all useful, valuable and an item to be established in our lives. And so, we as individuals need to make the critical choices in deciding what is right for us and meant to be a part of our lives. This also goes for whom is to be a part of our lives.

God is a provider and so everything that we both need and want from Him; He will surely make it so to place it into our lives. Receiving everything from God is a blessing. For the world, although it has the capacity to provide individuals with everything they want and need, it is not always from a place of righteousness. The things of the world have the ability to be underlined with greed, jealousy and hate and so whilst one may receive everything from the world, there will most likely be a catch in having the access to receive everything. The world is full of tokens of exchange- we must give to take, and the giving aspect is more than likely from a place of sin. God is an establishment so everything He provides is a gift of establishment to set us aright, strengthen and build us to fully embrace the gifts He blesses us with.

Reading on past 23 we get to verse 31 which states, ‘Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.’ We have the freedom to receive all of our hearts desires from God, but they must be things that glorifies him. Some may counter this and argue that isn’t this a form of exchange in that to receive everything from God, we must glorify Him, but the argument wouldn’t hold.

Receiving everything from God is derived from the covenant that we have established with Him in our walk in Christ as Children of the Most High. You cannot token or exchange a covenant. It is a gift of establishment. It is a foundation of the relationship we create between ourselves and God and so to glorify God for receiving everything from Him that we have desired for, honestly is the bare minimum. We should be glorifying God, regardless. If it wasn’t for Him, we wouldn’t be where we are today, we wouldn’t be constantly living in answered prayers, we wouldn’t be able to wholly heal from past pain, we would be limited by our humane strength to persevere through all things.

All we have is because of Him, because of God.

With that said, I urge us all to choose and continue to choose God without a doubt, uncertainty or compromise. Make that critical choice today and watch Him move in your life.

Remember, Trust in the Lord, Love like the Lord, Walk with the Lord.TLW

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