Study Guide
Choices
2,119 words, about 11 min read
Chapter 4: Choices
The eyes of the Lord are upon His church. He is beholding the wheat and the tares. But He is doing so with mercy and the outpouring of grace. He knows those who are His. He also knows those who will never be His. Nevertheless, even as He did so for Judas, He is giving those who are out of the way, an opportunity to repent and come back to righteousness. He is also beholding the righteous. He knows the things we face today, as well as the upcoming onslaught of trials we will face in the future. He is mindful of our sojourning here, and all the devices and tactics of the enemy to steal our soul. Therefore, He is pouring out the grace needed to strengthen us for the days ahead. The sun is setting and darkness is on the horizon. The sons of God must rise up and walk in the glory of the Lord; magnifying His name and offering His salvation and access to the Kingdom of God. This must be done before this world can be judged.
2 Corinthians 3:17; Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty
Liberty is the freedom and the ability to walk as we choose. It is not to be controlled by anyone or anything.
Jeremiah 10:23
O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
Jeremiah was speaking as and from the disposition of a fallen man. I need us to see this from God’s perspective. Truth is the absence of evil. It is the will of God, (which is the Word of God), executed in all things. God’s original creation is the manifestation of truth. There was no evil in Heaven or on earth. There was no satan or adversary of God. There was no devil, slanderer, or liar. God looked upon all that He created and said, “It is good.” There was no lie, only truth. Lucifer was once a part of the truth, for he too was made perfect. But one day he exercised ‘choice.’
Satan is a liar and the father of the lie. He birthed the spirit of iniquity, and all manner of evil. He defiled the temple in Heaven, he persuaded many of the heavenly hosts to rebel against God; and finally he seduced mankind, turning him away from God. In the Garden, Adam was given a commandment not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now the questions are, “Was Adam able to choose his own way? Was he able to direct his own steps?” To be given a law or commandment that is meant to govern your behavior, is not the same as being controlled by something or someone more powerful than you. Adam was not controlled by God. He was given a free will. Knowing the commandment of the Lord, and the consequences for disobeying them; he still had the ability to direct his steps or to do as he pleased. But something horrible happened in the Garden of Eden. The man and the woman exercised their ‘right of choice.’ They chose to reject the commandment of the Lord and accept the Lie as truth for their lives.
This was the opportunity the devil needed. It was now lawful for him to possess man and all his kind. In doing so, the Law of the Will was overcome by the Law of Sin and Death. Man no longer had the ability to choose his course.
They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course - (Psalm 82:5).
After the fall of man, the spirit of iniquity that worketh in the children of disobedience, rendered him incapable of maintaining a choice to obey God in all things. He could desire to serve God and even delight in the commandments of God, knowing that they are righteous. But the ability to maintain a walk in them was destroyed when he exercised ‘choice.’ Therefore, the Word of God is proven to be true, it is not in man to direct his own steps. He is a captive, and a slave to the Lie.
Paul said; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:(Ephesians 2:2).
It was in this captivity that we found ourselves wanting to obey the commandments of God, but we discovered that evil was always present in us. Evil concupiscence controlled us. Our will and our conscience were under the control of the devil.
Although most of us would prefer to be controlled by the Holy Ghost, that is not the way of the Lord. He is not a usurper. He will not overtake your will. He simply asks that you submit it to Him. The Father knows that only when we are submitted to Him, can we manifest power over all the power of the enemy. It is the Father, who set the criteria for obedience. If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15, and verse 21 says, He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Yes, God is capable of controlling any and everything. However, He has chosen love to be the criteria for obeying Him. Therefore in freeing our will and our body from the captivity of satan, we were now free to choose the path we would take. Therefore, we are faced with a dilemma. Through the Spirit of Grace, the soul has been redeemed from the power of satan. Our conscience has been purged from sin and dead works. It can now render righteous judgment. But even more so, we have our will back. It is once again free to choose its own course in this world. But there is just one problem with choice. You see, there are only two powers on the earth today; the power of God and the power of satan. To live in the Spirit of God is our place of power and peace as long as we walk in the Spirit, (which simply means we obey God). Our power over all the power of satan is in the Holy Ghost. Likewise, our power of choice is in the Holy Ghost. That is the only place where we are able to choose our course. This was not so while we were under the power of satan. We had no choice. We couldn’t even choose God, He had to choose us in Eternity. In His foresight and foreknowledge of us He knew that if offered, we would accept His redemption.
Though we have been given the power and right of choice, we really need to consider the consequences of making that choice. We are already in God. The choice takes us outside of righteousness. It would be deja vu for mankind.
Adam chose to disobey and lost all his power over all things on this earth. He had no more dominion. He gave it all to satan; who testified to Jesus that it was all given to him. We must understand that life only exists in Jesus Christ. Everyone outside of Christ is dead. Yes, they are separated from God and walk under the power of death. It is also true that satan holds the power of death. Therefore, that which is not of God is of the devil. That which is not of the Truth, is of the Lie. Thus, those who walk outside of the boundaries of the faith have chosen to submit themselves to the great Lie. We are so excited about ‘choice,’ but what is there to choose, eternal life or eternal damnation? We live in the Spirit of God, therefore, we have been made holy, righteous, and acceptable to God. Thus, to exercise ‘choice’ now, would be to reject our birthright, and our God. To exercise choice now would be to prefer the Lie and willingly submit to satan. This would make us a Lie. But the scripture has already declared, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever. worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” - (Revelation 21:27).
Nevertheless, there are those who have chosen to walk in darkness again. They have elected to once again, become willing captives of the devil. They have also chosen to suffer the consequences of their choice; death, hell and eternal damnation.
Israel is our example, therefore we can look into the schoolmaster and see the heart and mind of the Father as His people exercise their ‘right of choice’.
Jeremiah 2:13
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Jesus Christ has given us a fountain of living waters. It is the Holy Ghost. Nevertheless, some have forsaken the counsel of the Spirit of God and gone after the things of this world. They have trusted in things that have no life in them.
Jeremiah 2:14
Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?
Why have you been spoiled or stripped of righteousness, peace and power? You were not born into slavery. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Have you decided to submit and yield your members to satan? Have you now become his servant?
Jeremiah 2:15-16
15 The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.
16 Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.
If you yield yourself to Satan he will enter your house, your job, your marriage, your children, your plans and your ministry; and do as he chooses. You will be powerless against him.
Jeremiah 2:17
Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?
You brought all this evil upon yourself the moment you exercised your ‘choice.’ For the sons of God, ‘choice’ is a refusal to deny yourself. It is a display of arrogance, selfishness, and pride. “Choice” said, “I want to see if there is something more or better than what you have offered me. I choose to explore other possibilities.”
Jeremiah 2:18-19
18 And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river
19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
Your own wickedness will be your chastisement. You will come to hate yourself and all that you have become. You will see what an evil thing it is to ‘choose’ to forsake the righteousness I gave you in the Holy Ghost. It will be revealed that the fear of the Lord is not in you
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