THE WAY TO CHRISTIAN SUCCESS

By Jay Pearson

 

Today I would like to discuss the most important decision you will ever make in your life and another that you will make over and over and over. The first part will reap the consequence of your eternal being. The second will reap the consequence of your daily peace. That decision is: Who do you decide to be Lord of your life for salvation and then with salvation.

John 6:65-67
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

The Lord of all creation instilled in you freedom of will and with that will, the ability for you to decide. That is the topic of this lesson: YOU DECIDE. Today you and I get to choose. You decide: what you think, how you respond to a situation, when to change your thoughts, where you go or not to, what you give and how much, when to stand and when to sit, when to stay and when to leave, when to pray or not, how to pray, what to pray for, who to pray to. The list could go on and could fill this page with the decisions you make in one day. Each decision is not always conscience but are sometimes pre-conceived. They are the product of habit. They are filed away in your belief system. How important are these choices?

Proverbs 2:11
Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

Make no mistake, you are totally responsible for your decisions and actions.

2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

You might not be able to choose your circumstance in life, that is true. But you can choose how you respond to that circumstance. This is also true. How you respond to a situation is on you. Of course, every word here applies to me also and are my responsibility. I use the pronoun, you, in this lesson to be impactful for your life. I will have to decide and reap the consequences to these same choices.

Joshua 24:14-16
14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

This is applicable to us, today, we chose to follow the God of creation or the gods in who’s land we abide. There are many gods in the world today and many who serve them. Choosing the Lord will put you on the side of righteousness. Unrighteousness will oppose that decision and you, personally. The Lord chose you first and gave you the heart to choose Him.

Romans 6:22
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Just like God loved you first, presenting you with a choice, accept or deny. We can choose because we were chosen and our eyes are now made open.

John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

John 15:20
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

Just how important are our choices? A dictionary definition of discretion is: the power to make free choices; unconstrained by external agencies, the freedom to act or judge on one’s own.

Proverbs 2:11
Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

You decide.

Proverbs 3:21
My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

Our choices are our responsibility. They are either profitable or unprofitable.
You decide. This Old Testament verse is just as applicable today as when it was given.

Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Psalm 112:1-5
1 Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

How important are our decisions? You decide, it is your decision. It is your responsibility. Did the car in front of you, cutting you off in traffic and now going 20 mph in a 50 mph zone, cause your anxiety and words of cursing or did you allow yourself that privilege. The circumstances we are dealt with do not control our response to that circumstance. Praising God in any situation with thanksgiving, prayer, or cursing and disbelief are your responsibility. You decide.

Proverbs 19:11
The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

Proverbs 5:2
That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
You decide who is the Lord of your salvation and you decide who is the Lord of your moment, this moment and the next.

Romans 7:25
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

You decide.

 

 

 

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Presented 21 February 2021 in Pride, LA