Life is built on the decisions we make. The Bible makes this point clear in Deuteronomy 30:19, KJV. “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”. One verse that sets forth mankind’s responsibility before God. And what God tells us is, we get to choose our future. Life is all about the choices we make…daily…decision after decision. Life is built in the trenches of daily decisions. And we choose the path we take. As such, no one else is responsible for our decisions but us. That’s what I’d like to talk about in this post.
You are responsible for the decisions you make. No one else is. That simple truth is extremely important. Now, I am not saying that the choices we make are always good or easy to make. Sometimes, we can be in situations where there really are no good choices. Nevertheless, for the believer, this truth remains, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.” 1Corinthians 10:13, Berean Standard Bible. Notice, this verse uses the word, “seized”. That word has numerous synonyms that help explain it: taken, arrested, captured, afflicted, confiscated, clutched, and apprehended. All those words give us a full idea of what the word seized means: to be seized means it’s against our will.
Yes, temptation can seize us. Yes, we can be overcome by temptation. That’s why we must always remember that in the middle of being seized by any temptation there is a way out…always. Satan always wants us to believe we don’t have a choice. He desires to take away our choice. He wants us to be prisoners of our own passion. But we aren’t. Even in the middle of temptation, a way out exists. How do I know? Because the Word of God speaks on that very point. It tells us assuredly that “no temptation has seized us except what is common to man”. Plain, simple, and to the point. I like that.
Then, the Bible goes further, and teaches us what we should flee from: 1) “Run from sexual sin!”,1 Corinthians 6:18, NLT, 2) “run [keep far, far away] from [any sort of] idolatry”, 1 Corinthians 10:14, and 3) “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts.” 2 Timothy 2:22, NLT. In each case, the Bible instructs us to run from these temptations. No, we shouldn’t yield to our desires. Not every desire we have is a good and godly one. Yes, sometimes, we desire the wrong thing. Why is that? Because we live in a fallen world, surrounded by sin, and constantly tempted to do evil. In an evil world, which is what scripture calls the world, it can be easy to be tempted to sin. The Bible teaches us, we don’t have to give in. No, never!
“Scripture can guide not only our decision making processes but also our desires, dreams, and passions.”—Scott Wallis
Jesus Himself taught us to pray to our Father in heaven to “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:13, ESV. Yes, we should pray to find the way out of temptation. Why is that? “[E]ach person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” James 1:14, ESV. The path of each and every temptation is the same — death. Satan uses temptation to lead us down the path of evil desires to bring us to an early death. It’s vital we understand this truth about desire and decisions. Between them, that’s where evil can tempt us for the purpose of interrupting us from good and godly plans. That’s why it’s important that we cultivate daily good and godly desires.
Good and godly desires don’t happen by accident. No, they happen by choice. Yes, we are the sum of our choices. Desires and passions come from what we’ve cultivated in our own hearts. It’s those secret things we cultivate on the inside of us that no one else can see. Within the hidden man of the heart, either good or evil are conceived. We choose our desires, our passions, our dreams, our visions. And that’s why it’s so important for us to meditate upon scripture. Scripture can guide not only our decision making processes but also our desires, dreams, and passions. And they should do that. That’s what God’s Word is designed to do — instruct and lead us down the path of righteousness.
In the midst of a world of temptation, good and godly desires are still possible. Ultimately, it comes down to us and the decisions we make. At the end of the day, when judgment day finally arrives, only you will be held responsible for your decisions — good or evil. Scripture affirms that truth: “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.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 KJV. In Revelation 20:11-13, KJV, we learn, “I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds.”
Judgment day is coming. Now is the right time to prepare. How? By learning and applying God’s Word to our lives. Ultimately, at the end of the day, every man and woman’s salvation lies in the living Word made flesh, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Now is the time to seek Him. Repent! Turn from your bad decisions! Make good decisions…daily. And watch your entire life rewrite itself according to the divine plan of God. Therein lay your purpose, your cause, and what should consume you day and night: to make the decision to live by every word of God.
Decisions. That’s what we are left with.
Let us pray!
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