THE POWER IN DECISIONS

by Neema Joshua | 16 December 2019 08:46 pm12

The name of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed. Let us remind ourselves from Scripture today…

By the grace of the Lord, today we will revisit lessons we have learned before, because the Bible encourages remembrance:

2 Peter 1:12-13 – “Therefore I will always remind you of these things, though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.”

2 Peter 3:1-2 – “This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you… that you may remember the words spoken before by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.”

1 Corinthians 4:17 – “For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.”

Today we will focus on something very important that affects many of us: the power that resides in decisions.

1. God’s Power Does Not Override Human Decisions
The power of God cannot exceed our own decisions. When we serve God, He does not treat us like robots who act without awareness, automatically following instructions. Robots do not make decisions.

God, however, has given us something called free will. No creature, not even Satan, can override it. It is not that He lacks the power; He simply chooses to respect our ability to decide.

When God draws someone to Himself, desiring their eternal life, He persuades rather than forces. He opens their eyes to the consequences of sin, showing them that without choosing to repent, they face destruction. The Holy Spirit acts as a guide, encouraging and empowering the person to choose rightly—but never as a captor.

2. Cooperation With the Holy Spirit
Many people pray for God to force them to stop sinning. Such a thing does not exist. The Holy Spirit is a helper, not an enforcer

(John 14:26 – “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”).

To stop sexual immorality, the first step is your decision to obey the Spirit. Then the Spirit empowers you to act on that decision.

To stop drinking alcohol or smoking, the first step is deciding to follow the Spirit’s counsel: remove temptation, avoid environments where sin is normalized, and act intentionally to break free.

Without a conscious decision, years may pass with no change, even with prayer, church attendance, and spiritual rituals.

3. The Power of Decision in Daily Life
The strength of human decision is immense. Consider sexual sin: Satan cannot make anyone act; he can only tempt and suggest. It is the individual’s own choice, influenced by internal and external temptations, that leads to sin. The Scriptures affirm this principle:

James 1:14-15 – “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

If you struggle with masturbation, pornography, sexual immorality, or other habits, waiting passively for God to intervene miraculously will not work. You must decide today to repent and act on that decision:

Delete sexually explicit images or content from your devices.

Refuse to dwell on sexual thoughts.

Remove yourself from tempting environments.

Avoid reading or watching sexually provocative material, even under the guise of “moral education.”

When your decision aligns with the Spirit’s guidance, God strengthens you to overcome temptation.

4. The Role of the Counselor: Jesus, the Wonderful Advisor
Jesus is called the Wonderful Counselor:

Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

A counselor provides guidance but does not override your free will. Similarly, temptation may exist everywhere, but sin is ultimately a product of our own decisions, not a direct action of Satan.

5. Steps to True Freedom
Decide to obey God.

Act according to your decision. This includes removing all temptations and practicing discipline.

Complete the steps of salvation: baptism, fellowship with believers, and consistent study of God’s Word.

God bless you richly. Share this good news with others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source URL: https://wingulamashahidi.org/en/2019/12/16/the-power-in-decisions/

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