Question, what does it mean to choose God and follow Jesus? Is it just accepting Jesus and going your own way….. Let’s find out!
From the beginning of time He chose us! (John 15:16) Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:
However, you do have to still make a conscious decision to choose Him as well. He wants you to choose Him!
(John.8:12)Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again. “I am the light of the world,” he said. “Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness
The first step in choosing God is by accepting His Son and becoming a part of His family. (Rom. 10:9-10)
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
And, by doing so you also invite the Holy Spirit to become active in your life as well.(John 14:16-17) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
And, last but never least, living as a son or daughter in Christ, others would hopefully notice a difference in your character and love towards others, and relate it to the Christ in you, and want Him for themselves, Amen!(John 13:35)Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
By choosing God you’re not just saying yes to Him, but also to everything that comes along with Him, His Son and the Holy Spirit! One God, three persons, Amen!
(John 15:26)“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. (John 10:30)I and the Father are one.”
Choosing Him means you’re wanting to become more like His Son right now, today! Jesus is the Only model God wants us to emulate.(1 Corinthians 4:16)Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
And, because Jesus lived a life of integrity: (Being true, Genuine, Reliable, Sound and Trustworthy) that means you do too…
And, because Jesus loved those that couldn’t stand Him, but wanted Him dead! That means you have to love your haters too..(Matthew 5:43-44 ) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
And, because Jesus was against anyone being treated unfairly, and welcomed ALL! That means you do too…That also includes those that you find yourself sometimes turning your nose up to, and not wanting to have any dealings with because of….
If Jesus was all for the outcasts! Then guess what! You do too! (1 John 2:6) Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
You’re becoming more like Jesus takes time. It’s something you gotta desire and want to see change! And know that the change doesn’t happen overnight. And He’s not expecting it to.(Ezekiel 36: 26-27)A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
He knows that change starts with your (yes!) As it forms firm ground in your heart! Jesus knows it’s a process. A process He has to oversee and cultivate.
His ultimate goal is to get you where He needs you spiritually, Amen!(Rom. 8:28)And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
And, by allowing Him to take charge, and take His rightful position, which is on the frontline of your heart! The position as Commander and Chief, Amen!
He has to become the “Master Mechanic” around it all! Front -sides – and back, Amen! (Psalms 91:4) He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
Saying YES! Comes with a lot of spiritual benefits! And, for those benefits to take place in your life, you must follow as He leads you. His leadership keeps you in His Will for your life. It keeps you in connection with what He is doing for people, through people, right now today! (Psalm 32:8)The LORD says, “I will teach you the way you should go; I will instruct you and advise you.
Aren’t you grateful that you do not serve a God who is forceful! A God that doesn’t say, “My way or else!” No, He will always give you the choice to choose Him!
Understand that He does have safeguards for you to follow to keep you safe, and out of harm’s way, but please also know that He is not going to force you to want Him…
He is not going to force you to follow Him, or obey Him! It’s all left up to you! He will lay out the same blueprint for you, as He does for everyone who chooses to follow Him, but He will not make you follow it, Amen! That choice is yours my friend!
With an open heart – He wants you to believe who He is for Yourself, and He wants you to know for Yourself, that He sent the Word into the earth, as flesh for you and me! (John 1:14) And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).Because of His unmatched Love! To get you back in connection with Him, Amen! (John 3:16-17)For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Just think about when Jesus first came on the scene in (Luke 24 & John 20), how He walked about calling His Apostles one by one and how they dropped everything to follow Jesus. He didn’t say, “Follow Me or die!” No, He called! They followed! There were no questions, no second thoughts, or regrets!
They left known careers, and families for the call of Jesus. (Matthew 6:25)Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
Can you imagine the conversations that took place when the Apostles went home to explain their reasons for leaving to follow a man they didn’t even know….. Can you imagine all the questions that were thrown at them by their families.(Luke 18:28-30) Peter said, “Look, we have left all [things—homes, families, businesses] and followed You.”And He said to them, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God,
who will not receive many times as much in this present age and in the age to come, eternal life.”
God knew that they would have to leave their families to come follow Him! He knew that the income that they were bringing home would now look different to their households.
So don’t think for one minute that God would allow them to take the “probably” Only Income that was coming in, away without continual support? Oh no, that’s not the God we serve! They still had to provide, but that provision would look different.(1Tim.5:8) But if any provideth not for his own, and specially his own household, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.
Can we talk about the lack of hesitation that didn’t come from any of the Apostles upon their calling!
And, how their lack of hesitation could have only been because of the drawing of the Spirit of God….(John 6:44)No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
Question, do you think the Apostles, beforehand, heard the message spoken by John the Baptist? Do you think any of the Apostles followed John the Baptist before Christ? Yes! And Yes!
Please Grasp This!! The way Jesus came onto the scene, walking along the shore, calling and they followed, with not a thought of hesitation, and then leaving all they ever knew, right then and there! WOW.. (Matthew 4:19)And He said to them, “Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.”Immediately they left their nets and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].
In your choosing Him, you are saying, Jesus I choose to make my life all about You. As You lead, I will follow! I know, in my choice of choosing You, has everything to do with You for me, and everything to do with me for others! (Matthew 5:16)In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven.
“Lord, I am aware that the life I choose to live in You, will look different from the others around me, and that all eyes will be on me for they too will see the difference as well! So, I choose to obey all that You tell me to do, and how You tell me to do it”…
In order to hear His instructions you have to know His voice, so when He says go and do, you’ll know and recognize His voice. (John 10:27)My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
I have been asked before, “how do you know God’s voice from your own,” and all I could say to that question was, “ because of the relationship.” the time I invest in spending with Him.
Just think about it, when you grow a relationship with someone you spend time with that person, you learn that person, you become accustomed to their voice. You become accustomed to the way they speak certain words or sayings. That’s pretty much how you grow to learn the voice of God. (Isaiah 30:21)”And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right and when you turn to the left.'”
When He speaks your soul responds differently to His voice! His articulation is like no others. When He speaks, regardless of what it is, you’ll know it’s Him, and you’re going to want to listen!
When it comes to knowing His voice it reigns high above anyone else, including your own. There can be no time for delayed responses while trying to figure out if it’s Him speaking or not. When it comes to hearing, listening and obeying His voice, there can be no indecisiveness.
When you choose God, you’ll soon come to know that He has something specific for you to do, something that’s had your name on it from the beginning of time, He just needed to get you re-equipped for the assignment, Amen! (Heb.13:21)may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen
Can we take a moment to think about what Jesus felt when God said to Him, “Son, Your time is now!” Do you think He was anxious, absolutely not! He was ready and awaiting that time for His release!
When Jesus started His ministry He was already 30 years old, but what about those years before His release as Savior. In those years of doing a normal day to day job as a Carpenter, just waiting until God was ready for Him to come onto the scene…(Mrk 6:3)Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?”
Which brings us to His forerunner, John the Baptist, and his preparing the way for Jesus! And, all God had birthed him to do before Jesus’ coming on the scene.
(Matthew 3- please read)
Question, Do you think God told John the Baptist his reasons for being born? Yes,
John the Baptist knew what his assignment was, that’s why he spoke this.(Mark 1:7-8)“After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Question, do you think God told Jesus what He was about to face when He sent Him to earth? Absolutely!
(John 18:37)Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 6:51)I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
He wasn’t sent into the world blindsighted, God had well prepared Him for what He would face. Do you not think He didn’t already know that Judas was going to betray Him! And that Peter was going to deny Him 3 times! (Read Luke chpt 22) Jesus knew all that was going to take place, right down to His death and Him rising on the third day! (Read Mark 9:31 / Luke 24:46)
Jesus is no longer on Earth, yet still the most hated, betrayed, denied and lied upon by those who claim to love Him, as they did 2000 years ago.
As we know, nothing is new under the sun! All that’s happening on the earth today is the same thing that was going on when Jesus was in it as well!
The only difference from them to now is that they had Jesus with them walking around in the flesh !
He was The Purest Unadulterated definition of what a living, walking – talking sacrifice looked like.
He was and is still seen as the Lion and the Lamb! (Revelation 5:5) Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.
The Lion of Judah who dominated and stood triumphant without missing a beat! Who prevailed!
And, the Lamb who was slaughtered! That took away the sins of the world, Amen! And because of His greatness, we get to live for Eternity!
My question to you is, who are you choosing and who are you following? Are you choosing God today, tomorrow and forevermore? Are you choosing to follow the best Who has ever done it, Jesus! Will you allow Him to be your role model?
Will you choose to listen to the instructions and directions of the Holy Spirit? (Rom.8:14)For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Will God be well pleased with what He has put you in charge of here on Earth? (Jer. 29:11) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
What will you hear when you stand before Him face to face!
Will you hear, “Welcome, for you have done the Will of My Father” or, will you hear, “‘Depart from Me, I never knew you; you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
The choice is yours! Make the right one, Amen!
Be Blessed….
Host Of Angels 