by Dr. Creflo Dollar

The more I meditate on the Word of God and study His character, the more I gain revelation of certain truths about who He is and how He operates. One thing I love about God is that He is not a harsh dictator who forces us to do anything. He is a loving God, who has given each and every person on earth the power to make his or her own choices. The gift of free will is one thing that characterizes God as a Father. He gives us His guidelines for life in His Word and then allows us to make our own choices. We have the power to choose a life of blessings or curses. Our futures are completely in our hands. Deuteronomy 30:15-19 is a foundation scripture passage that communicate the power of choice very clearly. It says: See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 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. Here we see God putting two courses of action before us: a good course that leads to eternal life and an evil course that leads to death, which is separation from God. He commands us to love Him and keep His commandments because doing so positions us for blessings in life. But He also warns that if we turn away from His Word and begin to exalt other things higher than His commands, there is a grave consequence. He says that following the evil path will cause us to perish in the end. These two realities—life and death—are non-negotiable. Proverbs 14:12 says that there is a way that seems right to a person but the end is death. When we choose to ignore God’s instructions to us in His Word and go with our own ideas about how to live our lives, we are headed for destruction. It is an inevitable result of choosing a way that goes against God’s directives. There is power in choice. God can’t and won’t make us do anything, and the devil certainly can’t force us into anything we don’t willingly agree to. For this reason, the responsibility for the direction of our lives is in our hands. Jesus said He came to bring life, and life more abundantly (John 10:10); but it is up to us to make the decision to choose His way. Holiness is choosing God, and it always leads to a destination that is favorable. It is the way of doing things and living life that is in agreement with the Bible. There are so many benefits to choosing God, including eternal life after we die, peace, joy, a more intimate relationship with God, wisdom, insight, and the empowerment to prosper in our life’s endeavors. With all of this going for us, why would we even think about following our own will instead of God’s will? Each of us will have to make the decision whether or not we will make God’s Word our final authority in life. The world would have you to believe there is no profit in serving God, but that simply isn’t true. When we obey God and do things His way, we perfect holiness and please Him. We also cultivate an intimate relationship with Him and put ourselves in a position to hear Him speak to us regarding our futures and what He would have us to do. There is so much power in choice, so who are you going to follow? Choose God and His way, and you won’t be disappointed!