Deuteronomy 30:19 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.
Everyone has circumstances in their lives that need to be addressed, but we need to choose God’s living answers to overcome those circumstances that we have fallen into. Wisdom dictates that we apply and use the Word of God to find our victory and choose God’s healing Word for our soul’s restoration as we fight the good fight of faith. Deut.30:19 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. The battle for life and the right choices to be made throughout our lives will never stop on this side of eternity. We intentionally need to choose God every day.
Life’s events can catch a person off guard; in some cases, the unanticipated hardship can devastate a person within a brief moment. As they try to pick themselves off the floor, they find themselves crushed under the circumstances. One day, a person is living what they think is a well-adjusted life, and the next day, all hell has broken loose against them. “What did I do to deserve this?” is the question on the victim’s mind. The answer is simple. We have an eternal enemy and we had better be battle-ready and battle-proven to take on these Prince-Powers with the weapons our Heavenly Father has given us to defeat all evil. John 10:10a The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Otherwise, we will be imprisoned by circumstances, sitting in the dark, wondering what happened to cause such a catastrophic change in our lives. Of course, the enemy of our soul will have all kinds of accusatory reasons for our predicament, but in most cases, the problems that afflicted us showed up because we were not diligent in living God’s Word.
The Lord’s warnings may have been all around us when we started putting God on the shelf, and not taking time to pray, listen, and reason with Him through His Word. Within a short time, we started drifting back to some of the destructive habits the Lord had previously delivered us from. Then we started ignoring the red flags of danger God was waving at us, as He tried to get our attention. 1Kings 19:11b Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Yes, a good question. What are we doing here imprisoned in the circumstances of our own doing?
Like Elijah, in the middle of a life storm, we find ourselves looking for God in all the secular places and our perturbation grows into a full anxiety attack of self-condemnation and hate. Meanwhile, God is talking to us in His still small voice expressing His love for us, but we are too caught up in our circumstances to notice. No wonder God says to be still and know that God is God, and we are not. Psalm 46:10a He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.
My friend Carolyn testifies to the fact that the more she disciplines herself in following God’s Word and taking the time to be with her Lord, she finds her ability to make better life choices has increased a hundredfold. She has noticed that she becomes more productive and fulfilled throughout her days. Carolyn says the correlations are amazing in that – to the degree of time committed to being with Christ and walking in relationship with Him, the results in productivity excel beyond her human ability. By taking the time to be still and know that Jesus is the Lord of all, He gives her the peaceful resolve to do all her work and do it well. Eph. 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
Through faith in Christ, the circumstances of life become manageable and even conquerable when we put God first in our lives. Matt. 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. When we choose life and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us by His Word, then truly, His Word does become a lamp for the steps we must take in life, and His Word does light up the path we are to walk on. Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. We can break free from the prison of circumstances and become Christians of valour who will become tested and approved in Christ. God commands us to choose life and to live that life to the best of our heart’s ability. Therefore, choose life.
I am witness to this and feel blessed to find the soft voice of guidance so close if I can quiet the loudness of the circumstances. Thank you Lord and thank you Norm for bringing this word to us!
Blessings to you and your family Monica.
“The answer is simple. We have an eternal enemy and we had better be battle-ready and battle-proven to take on these price-powers with the weapons our Heavenly Father has given us to defeat all evil. ”
The answer is simple. Jesus defeated all principalities and powers at the cross and through our exclusive faith in the finished work of the cross we are able to resist the powers of darkness opposing us.
We are destined for Heaven and there is no eternal enemy there.
It is not faith in yourself or what you do that brings victory in our lives but faith in what Jesus did at Calvary.
John 15:5 KJV: I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Good word Don
Yes, only the finished work of the cross and the blood of Jesus can save our eternal souls.