I have to choose which direction to head, and there aren't any of those Emergency Turnarounds in the median, unfortunately.
But there's also not a WRONG Choice or a BAD Choice.
There is just simply a choice.
And when it's just a choice, with no obviously direction, where do you turn?
I have learned over the years, thatnot making a decision is a decision. It often leads you stranded, frozen in place. Or it might turn out that when you fail to make a choice, someone else makes a selection for you. Either way, you haven't avoided the situation. You've just lost control over it.
So I will be making this decision, whether I like it or not, because there is only one other that has my best interests in mind, and He's my torch that leads me.
Thank you Jesus for loving and directing when I come to these places.
Around me I have all kinds of people who truly want me to be happy, but they don't know my heart like You do, Daddy God.
"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" they say, so I should make this decision.
Or "chase your dreams or you'll regret it forever" others say.
Both are good advice, but what do You say, Daddy God?
Do I choose...
the safest option?
the most profitable option?
the immediate option?
the promised option?
the dream option?
the comfortable option?
the challenging option?
the close option?
the new start option?
Daddy God, show me the choice you want me to make. Show me where you want my hands, my feet and my heart to go. Lead me down the path you've made for me. Help me not to get caught up with the things that aren't leading me towards you. Daddy God, help me make the wise decision.
If you know me, you know I LOVE Andy Stanley, the pastor of North Point Church. His unique style of preaching allows him to connect and direct Christians and Non-Christians alike because even if you don't believe in Jesus, the bible is full of good advice.
But his current series Ask It (Click to check it out!) is a game changer. It will rock your life if you let it.
Ephesians 5: 15-17
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
So what's the question we should probably all be asking, Christian or Non-Christian? In light of MY Past Experiences, MY Current Situation and MY Future Hopes & Dreams, what is the WISE thing to do? If you look at decisions through this lens, things change. And here's the breakdown: MY:
We are all different. What's wise for me may not be wise for someone else and vice versa. It's a personal thing. We must look at ourselves in the following three situations to know what we should do. For Example: Sally has been running everyday; I have not. Is it wise for me to sign up for a marathon next week? Probably not. Is it wise for Sally? Maybe. That's for Sally to decide. Past Experiences:
History is the best predictor of our future. As creatures of habit, we tend to repeat history. For example: I know every time I've opened a box of girl scout cookies in the past, I've eaten the whole box in a day and then felt crappy about it. Is it a wise idea to buy 10 boxes of girl scout cookies when I'm trying to get control of my weight based on how I have scarfed them down in the past? Current Situation: We are all in different situations. We must consider where we are, this day, in order to make wise decisions. For Example: I am currently in debt up to my eyeballs, but my family wants to take a trip to Costa Rica this summer. Two years ago I didn't have any debt and went to Mexico with them, but now my situation is different and we are trying to crawl out of debt. Is it wise for me to be going right now? Future Hopes and Dreams: The decisions we make today will change things in the future. Don't give up the things you might want in the future for immediate gratification. For Example: I want to give my first kiss to my future husband, but this guy I just met says that's a deal breaker. Do I kiss him and give that up so that he will stay with me or would it be wise to walk away? Wise thing to do: Wise is not the same thing as right, not a sin, popular or most lucrative. That wise voice is the one in your head that you reason with. You might try to make excuses for going against it or justify doing something different, but deep down, it's that gut feeling that directs you if you let it. This question is a game changer. Are you willing to start asking it? Andy Stanley is challenging people to just ask the question. You don't have to change your actions but consider this question before you make decisions. What it reveals about the heart is empowering.
I love the messages at North Point Community Church, hence why I found
myself listening to two of their online sermons today. If you want to check
them out for yourself, you can find the sermon series "Age of Kings" here! Here's where
my heart led after watching Part One - Resistance is Futile.
(This was not the same direction Andy Stanley took, so feel free to check them
both out!)
Every time I hear someone preach about the bible, I get more excited about
it. I know that it's living and moving, but today I learned more about how
powerful the history side of it can be. Andy Stanley explained that history
buffs should love the bible, especially 1-2 Samuel, Kings and Chronicles. Call
me slow, but I didn't realize that these three books were talking about the
same time period through different perspectives. As Andy explained though,
these 6 books tell the story of the Kings of Israel and provide insight into
our own hearts.
In 1 Samuel, you start to see history unravel when the people of Israel go
to Samuel, and ask for a king. Up until this point, they had no king ruling over
all of Israel. They instead followed (or attempted to follow) the commandments
and God was their king, but 8:4 says that the people same to Samuel and said "You
are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us,
such as all the other nations have." This broke Samuel’s heart.
Everybody else had a king, and they wanted to be like everybody else, even
though they were favored.
So Samuel went to God and this is what he heard:
“Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they
have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.8
As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this
day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now
listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will
reign over them will claim as his rights.” (1 Samuel 8:7-9)
When he went back to the group and told them
“This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights:
He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and
they will run in front of his chariots. 12
Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of
fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others
to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will
take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will
take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to
his attendants. 15
He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his
officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the
best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He
will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will
become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will
cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
(1 Samuel 8:11-18)
Wow. Why would anyone choose to be ruled by a dictator? Especially those who
had been ruled before. These were the decedents of the people that had been led
out of Egypt and slavery under pharaoh, and yet, they wanted a human king to
rule over them.
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they
said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other
nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before
the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give
them a king.” (1 Samuel 8:19-22)
Looking back now, it's easy to say "Wow. That was a dumb move."
Why would anyone ever want to make an imperfect man king?... especially when
they have a perfect God who knows them so deeply that they can't understand the
lengths He's willing to go to in order to bring the best to His children who
desires to be the king of their lives? Yes, Samuel anointed Saul as king and
the chain of command was passed down from Saul to David to Solomon and without
them we would not have Psalms, Proverbs and The Song of Songs, but each of
these men fell short of the glory of God because they were human. After the
reign of Solomon, the kingdom split and continued to crumble.
But isn't this an example of what we're doing right now?
Think about what your heart. Where do you spend your time, your
talent and your treasures? If your heart is the "wellspring of
life" (Proverbs 4:23), where you place your heart matters. Who you
let rule over your life makes a huge difference in the course of your life. Samuel
tried to warn the people that they would become slaves to this king, but they
didn't care. They just wanted to be like everybody else.
When you give someone the power to be king, you give up that power over your
life, a power that humans will eventually abuse and misuse. When you give in to
an addiction like alcohol, food, porn, drugs, body image, relationships, power,
popularity, money, etc. you lose control and become a slave to that
object/activity whether you notice it or not. You serve that "thing" instead
of God because you cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).
But serving God is different than serving anything else. Serving God is
choosing the light yoke, a yoke that He bears the weight in
and you get to learn from the big guy that already knows everything (pretty
cool huh?). Serving God is freedom. You get to lose the chains of sin and death
when you are clothed with righteousness that comes from just accepting a gift
that is completely free to you but came at such a high price. You get to lose
the burden of working out your salvation because God has done that for you. No
matter what you do, God could never love you more, and No matter what you have
done, are doing and will do, God will NEVER love you less.
God created us to want to follow; that's why so many people look to others
to show them what to do. In the bible, we are referred to as sheep, something
that I've never really liked because of one bad lamb experience many years ago,
but something I've learned to take pride in lately because I am loved by my
king, my shepherd.
I belong to him ...." the One who created me. The One who loves me. The
One who died for me. He will never lead me off a cliff or feed me to the wolves
who stand back and wait for the moment I step out of the herd. No, they cannot
devour me because my Shepherd guards, protects. He sees the path ahead. He
might not show me the final destination... because He wants to enjoy the
journey with me. He wants me to rest in "green pastures" and soak up
the "quiet waters"... "He guides me along the right paths for
his name's sake." He and I will go through valleys - dark ones where death
surrounds us - but He won't lose me in there. I will "fear no evil"
when I am with Him. Because everything about Him - like His rod and His staff,
which are sometimes all I can see when His face is turned - gives me great
comfort. He anoints me and He blesses me with an "overflowing cup." -
Krissi
(from Psalm 23)
God's got sweet sweet sweet plans for your life but He's not going to make you follow him. If He did, it wouldn't be real love; it would be slavery. But why would you want to rebel from the only one that truly has your best interest in His mind and his heart?
We can not win this fight inside out rebel hearts so raise the white flag and surrender. Love has already won.
