July 14, 2021: Choosing "Self-Will" Over "God's Will" Can Be Dangerous and Devastating to Ourselves.

Every day of our lives, we make many choices; from which job to work at, whom will I love, whom shall I trust, what friends shall I have in life and so on. All these choices influence our lives, whether small or big. Some can create small annoyances, and others can create great disasters. And after those choices are made, there is no turning back...the damage has been done...and the devastation is irreversible, on ourselves and others.

When it comes to speaking and making the right choices, the Book of James addressed these issues very clearly in the first chapter:

James 1: 19-21 (NKJV)

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

You see God has given each one of us a "free will." And with this free will, or let us call it our "self-will", we are free to choose to "say or do" whatever we want for our lives; our "self-will" or "God's will"...The choice is fully ours. We must chose to live by the "Word of God" in our hearts, not by our "emotions".

Think of these "two wills" as two doors in our lives. Each door has its own unique set of circumstances, some good, and others not so good. The choices we make can bring joy to people's lives or to ourselves, or great pain.

The Door of Self-Will

The door of "self-will" is the door we love the most! We get to "say" whatever we want, "do" whatever we want or "love" whomever we want. But after those choices are made and consummated, we are on our own and we will have to endure the consequences of those choices, whether good or bad.

The Door of God's Will

The door of God's will be a little different...It is narrower. We cannot walk in with our "self-will" baggage. We must "surrender and submit" all our "self-will" to God first. None of us, all of Him. As we surrender ourselves to God's will, He will then lead us, by the "power of the Holy Spirit" in our hearts, down the road of His choosing, not ours. This road is not always a bed of roses. This road will contain some great heartaches but at the same time, great joys.

The overwhelming joy in our hearts will come from knowing that God is in total control and is allowing us to go through these tough times to help purify us...to make us a better person for others and for ourselves. As we come to surrender to God on a daily bases, moment-by-moment, we come to experience God's overwhelming love for us and find the true rest we seek. (Matthew 11: 28)

PERSONAL COMMENT:

So, we must choose wisely. We can wisely choose the "will of God" for our lives or choose our own "self-will" and face the unknown circumstances on our own. I heard a message from a pastor on the radio, and his words rang out so loud. This is what he said: “As long as we’re fighting the “will of God” for our life, we’re destined for defeat”. Let us seek "victory" for our lives, not defeat!