Genesis 4:6, 7 - Making Right Choices.
Genesis 4:6, 7 - Making Right Choices.
Genesis 4:6, 7 (NIV) Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you
angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you
not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is
crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying
him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your
life. Deuteronomy 30:20 (NLT)
God doesn't force his will on anyone. He lets us decide whether
to follow him or reject him. This decision, however, is a
life-or-death matter. God wants us to realize this, for he would like us all
to choose life. Daily, in each new situation, we must affirm and
reinforce this commitment. [Life Application SB]
I love Deuteronomy 30. It's what I call the Nike text because
it is where God says, "Just Do It." Essentially, he says this:
"What I am telling you to do is not too hard when you stop and think
about it. It's not in outer space, and it's not across the ocean. No,
it's right here before you. You will have to make a choice, though,
and I won't do that for you. But when you make the choice to follow
me, you and your children will live, and I mean really live!"
God says, "When I set before you the opportunity to make the
right choice, Just do it! When you see the next right thing to do,
Just do it! What I'm offering you is a choice between life and death
- now choose life!"
There will be opportunities to do both good and evil today,
good which leads to life, evil which leads to death. It's a choice
each of us will make. It's a lot easier to decide what we will do
before we are faced with the actual choice.
Father, help me as I make critical choices today that will
affect my life and the lives of those I love. I know you want only the
best for me. In Jesus' name, Amen. [Celebrate Recovery Daily
Devotional by John & Johnny Baker]
What are you preoccupied with? Chances are, at any given
moment your mind is focused on a singular issue, interest, or need, and
everything else becomes peripheral. Maybe that preoccupation is the biggest
item on your to-do list, the biggest problem you face, or the biggest
desire in your heart. Whatever it is, it takes up a lot of mental
space. Our brains have limited focus.
Our preoccupations usually don't line up with Scripture. The
Word continually points us back to worship or praise or some other
Kingdom focus, but instead we're distracted by competing demands about
careers and relationships and personal plans for the future. In
themselves, these things aren't wrong. But we have a way of making them
disproportionately large. And our one true focus - God - seems to get pushed out of
the way to make room.
Why aren't we more preoccupied with Him? Why don't we wake up
each day with one pressing question: how can I love Him well? Why
aren't we more intentional about caring for the heart of the Father?
Other concerns can drain energy from our primary purpose. Unless we
fulfill our primary purpose, none of the rest falls into place or
ultimately satisfies us. But if we do fulfill that purpose - if we choose
to love God not just in theory but in the largest spaces of our
hearts and minds - He becomes more practically and powerfully present
in us and with us. He watches over our concerns when we watch over
His.
Choose to love and adore Him as your primary preoccupation,
and see what He does with the other concerns of your life. He will
fight battles, win victories, and resolve issues for those who are
focused on Him. [The One Year Experiencing God's Presence Devotional by
Chris Tiegreen]
I want you to love Me, listen to My voice, and hold fast to
Me - for I am your Life. This is the way of wisdom. I am training
you to stay close to Me as you walk along perilous paths. In any
close relationship, listening and loving are vitally important - and
they are interconnected. Listen to Me as I rejoice over you with
gladness and quiet you with My Love. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you
receive My glorious Love in full measure. This will dramatically
increase your love for Me.
The world is full of dangers, so it is wise to hold tightly
to My hand. Listen - through My Spirit and My Word - while I talk
you through tough times. Pour out your heart to Me, remembering that
I am your Refuge. As you stay in dialogue with Me, I help you
handle whatever is before you. Hold fast to Me, beloved, for I am your
Life. (Deu. 30:20; Zep. 3:17; Psa. 62:8) [Jesus Today by Sarah Young]
Stop worrying long enough to hear My voice. I speak softly to
you, in the depths of your being. Your mind shuttles back and forth,
hither and yon weaving webs of anxious confusion. As My thoughts rise
up within you, they become entangled in those sticky webs of worry.
Thus, My voice is muffled, and you hear only "white noise."
Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can think My
thoughts. This ability is an awesome benefit of being My child, patterned
after My own image. Do not be deafened by the noise of the world or
that of your own thinking. Instead, be transformed by the renewing of
your mind. Sit quietly in My Presence, letting My thoughts reprogram
your thinking. (Deu. 30:20; Gen. 1:27; Rom. 12:2) [Jesus Calling by
Sarah Young]
ILLUSTRATION
Every once in a while God gives us the chance to witness a
miracle! Recently, a leader in Celebrate Recovery shared this miracle
with me:
"A year ago a man walked into my office, broken, at his wit's
end, with a heart full of despair. He was angry and trying to cope
with a host of substances and other unhealthy habits that were
destroying his mind and hardening his heart. He was ready to abandon his
wife and family. Last night I saw this man again at a Celebrate
Recovery graduation service.
Now, eleven months sober, he is a completely different man.
"With tears in his eyes, he accepted his 12-Step chip and
then expressed his love for his wife who was sitting close by. I was
humbled as I heard him talk about the restoration that had come to his
marriage and how his kids are rejoicing and talking about God. He then
quoted the following Bible passage, changing you to I: 'If I do what is
right, will not I be accepted? But if I do not do what is right, sin is
crouching at my door; it desires to have me, but I must master it.' "
The man I met a year ago is no more. In his place, a new
leader has been born. That's what I call a true miracle - the
transformation of a human life."
Dear God of miracles, I stand in awe of what you have done in
so many lives. My words cannot express your greatness. In Jesus'
name, Amen. [Celebrate Recovery Daily Devotional by John & Johnny
Baker]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2015/20150409-0802.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Musical Devotional On Christian Living:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDY:
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Discover Bible Studies: http://studies.itiswritten.com/discover/
LINKS FOR PROPHECY SEMINARS:
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
http://www.lastdayofprophecy.com/
[March 21-26, 2016: Charlotte, NC in person with live streaming
and multiple outreach locations]
Revelation Today by Pastor John Bradshaw:
https://revelationtoday.com/other-streams/
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
