Chosen Despite Of Your Choices
I have heard many stories of people who work towards different goals instead of focusing on what they know God is calling them do. They either end up going down the wrong path or giving into what they know they should’ve been doing in the first place. It all comes down to our choices.
The choices we make will either produce goodness in our lives or will lead us down a path that we were never meant to go down.
For example, Jonah in the Bible was told that he was to preach to Nineveh for them to repent. Jonah had two choices: he could either do what God told Him to do despite his fears and inabilities, or he could go the opposite way. He chose the latter and found himself in a lot of trouble. Eventually, Jonah finally gave in and followed the plan God had for his life. Another example is David. He had an affair with a woman named Bathsheba while her husband was fighting in David’s army. David could either come clean with his actions and tell the husband, or he could try to cover it up. David ended up taking the husband out of the equation and, in result, the baby David was about to have with Bathsheba passed away. There are consequences for the bad choices that we make. But notice, despite the bad choices and sins both men committed, God still chose to use them. He had a plan for each of them despite knowing their faults. Jonah helped with turning people's hearts back to God. David is famously known as the best king of Israel and for being a “man after God’s own heart.” What a great God we get to not only serve, but partner with! There is a verse in the Bible that made me laugh when I first read it. It says in Isaiah chapter thirty-five verse eight, “and a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.” “Even if they are fools” meaning even if we mess up a lot, and don’t know what we are doing, God helps guide us along His path! God knows how difficult and stubborn we can be. He knows how we think we know best, when we really don’t know what’s best for us at all. ONLY God cares for us and knows what is best for us! He is so kind and patient with us that He still provides a pathway as we learn to follow and obey Him. He has chosen you and given you a purpose, whether you think you are worthy or not, or equipped for it or not. Isaiah 45:4-5 tells of how God has chosen you, specifically by name, and equips you whether you know it yet or know Him yet. The verses say, “..I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me. I am the Lord, and this is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do now know me..” God is ready, and willing, to use you - you just have to make the choice to get on board! He is persistent in wanting to use people as a part of His plan for His glory and for your own good! You are never too far gone with God! No matter how big the sin or how messy your life has gotten, He is bigger and His plan is more elaborate! God chooses to work through broken and insecure people because they will know that it is all His doing and not themselves.
Another lesson we can get from those two men and their stories is how God will get your attention. When He has something for you, or something to specifically do through you, He will make it known one way or another. It can be considered another version of “what is meant for you will always find its way to you.” It just comes down to will you step into what God has for you no matter how scary the unknown is?
One of the key components when building a relationship with God is faith.
A good amount of people forget that faith is essential to live life with God. Hebrews 11:1 describes faith by saying, “now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews chapter eleven is all about what people who have faith can accomplish in life. When you have faith you don’t need to understand everything, you just need to believe in, and know, the One who does and that is God! You can have confidence and hope in what you would like to happen, but whether it happens the way you would like, or not, you must have faith in what, or Who, you do not see. More often than not, we never know how something will pan out. You will be directed to live differently than the world, speak differently than the world, and overall learn to live out of your comfort zone.
With God you will be directed and, therefore, be able to live differently than the world, speak differently than the world, and overall learn to live out of your comfort zone.
But with God you can step out in faith and witness what He wants to do in your life, and others, through your obedience in walking with Him. God has a bigger reasoning for everything. When you go through something it may not be only to teach you to lean on God more, but it may be for others to see the positive effects of what God can do in someone’s life. Ecclesiastes 1:10 says, “is there a thing of which it is said, “see, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us.” In other words, nothing is new under the sun. If you are struggling with something, have committed a “big sin,” or have had a traumatic life, chances are there are people who have been through, or are going through, the same thing. You can learn to either go to God with it, seek someone out who has been through it too, or find someone who is going through the same thing and get through it together. We aren’t made to do life alone. God said in Genesis 1:18 “…it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” We need others for accountability, encouragement, and just overall enjoyment. Again, there’s God knowing what we need before we do! So, trust that He has everything worked out! He not only knows who needs to be in your life, but He knows when you need to be there in someone else’s life. God knows you so well that He sees your potential before you do- that’s why He calls you to work with Him! God teaches and equips His people. He already has a way out for you in anything that you struggle with or experience in life. So trust God and let Him lead the way by walking in faith behind Him.