“Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.” – William Jennings Bryan
“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance determines your destiny.” - Aristotle
God has given every man free will and deeply engineered in the soul of man is the power of choice. He instructed Adam and Eve, “But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Gen 2:17 NIV) This was a divine directive loaded with options. If it was not a choice then no consequence needed to be given; “if you eat you die.”
Because God has given us the power of freewill we have more to do with the outcome of our own lives than we would like to admit. We choose healing, we choose success, we choose forgiveness, we choose to harbor our past and we choose to let it go. The list could be endless.
Wherever we are in life is the direct result of the voice we decided to listen to and follow. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27 NIV) The majority of the fruitless state of affairs I have found myself in is because I chose to ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit. I wanted my way instead of his.
Many believers today don’t know the difference between a consequence and an attack of the enemy. In the Christian world anything negative that happens must be the devil. Seldom do we re-evaluate our choices. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Don't be misled--you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant…” (Gal 6:7 NLT) In the midst of a difficult situation the first question you should ask yourself is, “Did I sow this?
Pastor Andy Stanley wrote an excellent book called, The Principle of the Path. The premise being if we leverage the principles of God they work for us, if don’t they won’t. We must understand that the Bible is not just a book to be read or take to church it is an assemblage of principles to live by.
God has given us wisdom which is the ability to live life effectively. Wisdom empowers us to make choices that are in line with our purpose. The Apostle Paul wrote, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5NIV). You do not have to continue to live a life of chaos, dysfunction, depression, fear or shame you are, without a doubt, one choice away from victory.