There are certain choices that anyone of sound mind can make. God gave us the ability and opportunity to choose. Furthermore, He encourages – even challenges us – to make critical choices. Joshua 24:15 and 1 Kings 18:21 are classic examples where God addresses the most important choice we have to make, challenging us to weigh our options and choose intelligently. Joshua under divine inspiration said, “If it seems bad to you to worship (the LORD), then choose for yourselves today whom you will serve—whether the gods that your fathers worshipped that were beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will worship (the LORD)!”  Later, God’s feisty prophet Elijah posed the same challenge without mincing words: “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal is, follow him.”

Not only should we make these critical choices, but they should be informed choices. God said repeartedly that He does not want us to be ignorant – lacking the information necessary to make informed choices. So He gave us Deuteronomy,  describing the benefits of following and worshipping the LORD, contrasted with the disadvantages of choosing alternative options. In the punch-lines at 11:26, 30:15 and 30:19 God said through Moses, “I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse … See, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil. … I call the heavens and the earth to witness about you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life so that you and your descendants may live.”

Miriam of Bethany had made the right choice, even beyond the letter of the Torah, and it showed in how she prioritized the use of her time (Luke 10:38-42). Yeshua commended her, saying: “Miriam (contrasted with Martha) has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Miriam had discovered and chosen the Living Word. Embodied in Yeshua she had found the Life-giving Spirit from Whom the written Torah had emanated, and she had made her choice.

Even then, Yeshua was opening up more choices to those who had chosen to follow Him. Today, with the benefit of the Gospel accounts, the Apostolic writings and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, even more choices are revealed to us. For example, when the adversary tries to inflict disease on us, instead of first reaching for pharmaceutical symptomatic relief, we can choose to take our stand on God’s written promises which are “yea and amen” in Yeshua (2 Corinthians 1:20) and  in His Name exercise our God-given authority over every power of the adversary. I did that two nights ago, after waking up to the onset of a viral attack. The devil had to back off as promised in James 4:7. Having submitted ourselves to God, we can choose to resist and reject the attack of infirmity rather than accomodating it.

I find it so grievous to see Christians accommodate the devil’s desires, by not making those life-enhancing choices that have been opened to us through Yeshua’s incarnation, sacrificial death, resurrection and the ongoing ministry of His Spirit. Some Christians, after all that God spelled out in black and white between Genesis and Revelation, still believe the devil’s report over the Lord’s report, and live their lives way below God’s spiritual “poverty line”.  It makes me wish I could open some heads and some hearts and just do some kind of common-sense surgery there! But of course I can’t; God didn’t give me the power or authority to make choices for any other able-minded adult. So I just have to prayerfully lay the burden down at Yeshua’s feet and obey His command: “Do not be anxious about anything—but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

That’s enough for this post, but I have only scratched the surface. The take-away is, you can choose!  Please – inform yourself about your options, and then – choose blessings over curses, life over death!