Category Archives: Choices

Affliction, Bible, Choices, Consequences, Fire, Gospel, Praise, Rescue, Scripture

A BURNING LOG

ZECHARIAH 3:2

“And the LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a log snatched from the fire?’”

I love to go camping, even though I don’t do it a lot. I really like primitive camping when all you have is a tent, a campfire and some easy to cook food. One of the best things to me about camping is the campfire. I love the smell of wood burning. I love the flicker of the flames at night. I love the sound of the wood crackling. What happens if you pull one of the logs out of the fire? It will eventually stop burning although it will have the obvious signs of having been burned.

The LORD is rebuking Satan in today’s verse for bringing accusations against Joshua, the high priest who was mentioned in verse 1 of chapter 3. When the Lord says, “Is this not a log snatched from the fire,” He is saying to Satan, “Can’t you see the signs of suffering on him for his sins?” Remember, Israel had only recently returned from exile because of their sins. They were still wearing signs of their struggle.

APPLICATION

There are so many applications for us in this verse. I will try to stick to just one. We are all wearing the scars of our sinful flesh. Some of us made choices before salvation that caused actual physical scars. Some of our sins caused long-lasting emotional scars. We are like that log that has been snatched from the fire. God has taken us out of that fire, but we are still singed.

The beautiful thing about salvation is God can take you right where you are and cleanse you. Your sins are washed away. Eventually that singed smell will go away. Through the healing power of God, you can be “washed whiter than snow.” Listen to Isaiah in Isaiah 2:18. “‘Come now, and let us debate your case,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall become as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.’”

I know I have some leftover effects from my “Before Christ” days. They are a reminder of the grace of God in my life. I stand amazed every day that He would save a wretch like me. I bet you do too. But praise be to God, we are washed. We are cleansed. We have been set free.

Are you washed in the blood, in the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb.

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Abiding, Accountability, Bible, Choices, Death, Following, Life, Modeling, Obedience, Scripture

DEATH AND TAXES

ZECHARIAH 1:5

“‘Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?’” 

I have heard it said many times, “There are two certainties in life – death and taxes.” While that may be true, no one likes to dwell on either. Here in the U.S., it is tax season. Everyone is expected to file their federal income taxes by April 15. I’ve already done mine and was fortunate to get a little refund. However, it will all happen again next year. At least death is a one-time deal, right? I am not worried about that because I know where I am going.

Today’s verse is kind of somber. God is reminding the people that everyone dies. Their fathers had died. Their prophets had died. There is no escaping that. Why does God do that? What was He trying to say? He was warning them that those in the past who had resisted His commands had passed away. Resisting God does you no good. Only He is eternal.

APPLICATION

Is there someone to whom you are hanging on to? You think everything will be fine as long as they are around. Warning – they won’t always be here. We can’t place our trust in anyone here on earth. We are all just passing through this earth. You may have been fortunate enough to have godly parents who taught you right. They may still be alive. Enjoy them. But our parent’s faith won’t do a thing for us as far as getting into heaven. That only comes from our own faith in Christ.

The good news is our parents’ lack of faith isn’t counted against us either. Deuteronomy 24:16 says, “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin.” We also know Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,…”

You must come to God through Jesus. Just because you grew up in a Christian home, that does not make you a Christian, anymore than being born in a garage makes you a car. Right? So, come to Jesus. Let Him give you the plan He has for your life. Only He can be trusted to do that.

O Father, I am so thankful I am resting in Your hands and not my own.

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Abiding, Bible, Choices, Devil, Enslavement, Following, Hope, Pride, Return, Scripture

FAILURE TO RETURN

HAGGAI 2:17

“‘I struck you and every work of your hands with scorching wind, mildew, and hail; yet you did not come back to Me,’ declares the LORD.”

When I read today’s verse, my thoughts went back to a dog I used to have. That dog was bad about running away from home. If he got off his leash or out of his fence, he would take off and be gone for days. Most of the time I would have to track him down by neighbors’ reported sightings. You would think he would happy being fed, loved on and cared for, but he had other plans it seemed.

Even though God judged the nation of Israel in the past through the destruction of the crops with scorching winds, mildew and hail they did not return. Amos 4:9 uses almost the same words as Haggai. “‘I struck you with scorching wind and mildew; The caterpillar was devouring Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees; Yet you have not returned to Me,’ declares the LORD.” About 200 years separated these two prophets which tells us they were very slow to return to the Lord.

APPLICATION

Our failure to return to our Lord may not span 200 years, but we are just as disobedient. He tries to draw us back, but we reject Him. We are comfortable in our sins. Just like my runaway dog, we like the “freedom” that we think we have on our own. We don’t see the dangers that lurk behind every corner. The devil loves runaway Christians. He will continue to lure you away.

So, what must we do to return? It’s pretty simple. Just stop running. Stop, turn around and fall into the arms of Jesus. Now, what does that remind you of? How about the story of the Prodigal Son that is told in Luke 15:11-32. It says the son came to his sense and returned. Even though he probably still smelled like pigs, his father embraced him and welcomed him home.

If you are like me, you probably stink with sin sometimes, especially if you have been wallowing in it. God has been calling you home, but you have ignored Him. Return to Him. Come home. He is waiting for your return.

Come home, come home. Ye who are weary come home. Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling, calling all sinners, come home.

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Allegiance, Allies, Battles, Bible, Choices, Consequences, Enemies, God's Will, Scripture, Truth

BE CAREFUL OF YOUR ALLIES

ZEPHANIAH 2:12

“‘You also, Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.’”

In the ministry I am a part of, Every Man A Warrior, we speak a lot about the importance of having allies. Men need men in their lives to hold them accountable and also to encourage them to walk with God. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, he has a friend who can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.”

The Ethiopians’ error was in choosing the wrong ally. They allied with Egypt against God’s people. They may not have invaded on their own, but they were part of the army that did. God speaks against them in Isaiah and Ezekiel. Their destruction was prophesied. However, they did not heed any of the warnings. They persisted in their hostilities toward Israel.

APPLICATION

We must be careful who we choose as allies. What may appear to be a good idea can prove to be a disaster. Many a person has lost fortunes due to partnering with a dishonest man. Promises made were not kept. Lies were told to get them to join in. Not everything that glitter is gold, right?

The same holds true for us in our spiritual walk with Christ. Not every church out there is teaching the truth. Not every preacher is living what he is preaching. Not every “Christian” brother or sister is a true believer. We must check these things by the Word of God. Through it, God will show us truth from error.

I have several men I consider my allies. Some are my partners in our ministry. I trust these men completely. I know they have my back. More importantly, I know they will call me out if I am wandering from the truth. I need that. You need that. Do you have allies? Do you have people in your life who will confront you if needed? If you don’t, get some. You don’t want to walk this path alone.

Lord, I know the strands of cord are strongest when they are woven together. Give me allies who will make me stronger.

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Belief, Bible, Choices, Consequences, Destruction, Faith, God's Will, Judgment, Salvation, Scripture

THE RESULTS OF UNBELIEF

Zephaniah 2:4

“For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will become a desolation; the inhabitants of Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted.”

Choices have consequences. I remember dealing with a troubled young man one time at one of the children’s homes where I served. I told him after a particularly heated episode, “You can make your own choices, but you can’t choose your consequences.” Years later I ran into this young man, now an adult, married with two children. He told me he never forgot those words, and they had guided him ever since that day.

Zephaniah begins in verse 4 listing all these nations that surrounded Judah that were rebellious towards God. Look at how he describes their end. They were abandoned, desolate, driven out and uprooted. None of these end results were positive. All these nations suffered God’s wrath. They all were judged by a holy and righteous God.

APPLICATION

I don’t want to be abandoned or desolate or driven out or uprooted. Thanks to Christ, I never will be. Because of the faith I have placed in His saving grace, I will always have God by my side. I will never be desolate. I will never be driven away from Him. I will always be grafted into Him. Those are the results I want and now have.

But so many around us are headed in the same direction as Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Ekron. They are headed for disaster. The sad thing is they are not even aware of it. They think they are just fine. It’s all smooth sailing. Tragedy awaits. But we have the answer, don’t we?

Knowing where I am headed makes this life so much easier. I may still face hard times, but He is with me. 2 Timothy 1:12 tells us, “For this reason I also suffer these things; but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to protect what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” Are you convinced?

Thank You, Lord, for giving me a future and a hope. I rest in You.

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Abiding, Accountability, Battles, Bible, Choices, Discipline, Godliness, Integrity, Purity, Scripture

SOUND THE TRUMPETS

ZEPHANIAH 1:16

“A day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers.”

I have never played a trumpet but have the utmost respect for those who do. One of my favorite trumpeters is Phil Driscoll. He is amazing. He’s been playing the trumpet for decades and using it to praise the Lord. If you haven’t heard him, you need to check out some of his music.

Unfortunately, Zephaniah isn’t referring to Phil Driscoll in today’s verse. Instead, he is reminding the people of the trumpets that were played in times of war. There were different trumpets and different sounds played to give signals and warnings. Now, they are going to hear God’s trumpet as He brings judgment on the land.

APPLICATION

God may not sound a trumpet to give us warnings, but we have every warning sign we need in His Word. All throughout its pages God tells us how to live and the consequences if we don’t. It would be nice if we had red lights that flashed and got buzzed with an electric current every time we came close to straying, but God gives us that infamous free will, doesn’t He?

The only way we can stay holy is to follow His Word. I love 2 Peter 1:3-4. “3 for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust.”

So, what is our excuse? It says very clearly that He has given us everything we need to live godly lives. We want trumpets to blare and sound the warning. We want God to reach down and jerk us away from sin. We have to make the choice – the choice to live holy, to live in purity. Will you today?

Take my life, lead me Lord, take my life, lead me Lord!

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Apathy, Bible, Choices, Goodness, Harm, Judgment, Punishment, Scripture

APATHETIC HEARTS

ZEPHANIAH 1:12

“‘And it will come about at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who are stagnant in spirit, who say in their hearts, “The LORD will not do good nor harm!”‘”

Apathy drives me crazy. Really, it does. I had rather have someone disagree with me so we can talk it out than have them do nothing. Those people don’t want to take a side. They don’t believe either side is worth it. So, they sit in the middle. We used to call them “mugwamps.” They sit on the fence post with their mug on one side and their wamp on the other.

The Lord says he will punish such people. He calls them stagnant in spirit. Wow! That’s harsh. They don’t believe the Lord will do good or harm. I know people like that. They have no need for God. They don’t hate Him. They just don’t have any use for Him. They fit right into this category described here in Zephaniah.

APPLICATION

What is your heart saying? I pray you are not like these people in Zephaniah’s day. It is time to choose whom you will serve. It is time to decide in your heart. Stop being stagnant. Trust in the Lord Jesus who does no harm. He only does good. Why? Because He is a good, good God.

We have been reading a lot about God’s judgment on Judah. That can get kind of depressing. But listen, God had much rather bless us than judge us. He had rather love on us than punish us. Because He is a holy God, He cannot let our disobedience go. He has to deal with it. However, lean into His love.

I am so glad I have decided to follow Jesus. The blessings He has bestowed on me have been too numerous to name. Have there been times when I disappointed Him? Unfortunately, yes. But He is right there to welcome me back into His warm embrace. He’ll welcome you, too.

I choose You, Lord. I know You do good to me. Help me do Your good in the lives of others.

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Choices, Confession, Consequences, Denial, Faith, Scripture

DENIERS

ZEPHANIAH 1:6

“‘And those who have turned back from following the LORD, and those who have not sought the LORD nor inquired of Him.’”

It hurts to have someone turn their backs on you and behave as if you didn’t exist. I have had that experience a time or two in my life. It was no fun. Some of those situations were eventually made right, but others were not. To this day, there is a distance that I do not have the ability to fix.

The Lord is still speaking here in verse 6 and is explaining the extent of His judgment. In today’s verse, He is telling us He will eliminate (that verb is found back in verse 4) all the unbelievers, those that have claimed to know Him and turned their backs on Him and those who have never believed. Denying God is a whole lot worse than denying an earthly friend. Denying Him has eternal consequences.

APPLICATION

Denial is not just a river in Egypt. You’ve probably heard that one before. But seriously, denial is serious. I have heard it hundreds of times. God is love and would never send anyone to hell. That is exactly right. He doesn’t. We do it to ourselves by denying His existence. By making that choice, we choose hell.

Fortunately, I have known people who refused to believe most of their lives but accepted Christ before they died. Whew! That’s too close for comfort. We never know when God is going to say, “That’s it!” We need to be ready, right? Are you? Are you sure? Are you sure that you’re sure?

There is no better feeling than knowing you are securely in the arms of Jesus. He will carry you through. Once you know Him, you will never want to leave Him. Once you are sealed by His Holy Spirit, nothing can take you out of His hand. So, don’t be a denier. Don’t be a procrastinator. Come to Jesus!

I am so thankful that You have me in Your hands, Lord. I know I am secure for eternity.

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Blessing, Choices, Flesh, God's Will, Idols, Loyalty, Scripture

MY PLEASURE

ZEPHANIAH 1:5

“‘And those who bow down on the housetops to the heavenly lights, and those who bow down and swear to the LORD, but also swear by Milcom,’”

When I was in my early teen years, I worshipped pleasure. Now, I didn’t say that out loud, but my actions all pointed to that. I still attended church and even sang in the youth choir, but my heart was pledged to something else. All I desired was pleasure. I didn’t really care what the source was as long as it felt good. I did not call it a god, but it was.

The people of Judah had turned to worshipping all sorts of idols. One was worshipped on their housetops through incense. They worshipped the Sun and Moon. And they even worshipped the detestable idol of the Ammonites, Milcom (also known as Molech). This god was brought into the nation by King Solomon when he was pursuing his own way.

APPLICATION

Ask yourself whom you serve? Oh Carl, of course I serve God. I attend church every week and even put money in the offering plate. I’ve taught Sunday School for decades. That’s all well and good, but whom do you worship? For whom are you living? Is your god the God of the universe or some figure you have developed in your own mind that fits your lifestyle?

So many of us go through life thinking we are doing the “Christian thing” well. We go to church, we serve and even get baptized. We can do all those things well and still miss God by a mile. God desires complete surrender. We have to give Him our all. When we worship, it has to be all about Him. Nothing from the world can make our worship better. We have to be centered on Him and bow only to His will.

I don’t like not getting my way. I’m just like most people in that regard. But I have learned to yield my desires to Jesus. There is pleasure in serving a holy, righteous God. There is pleasure in knowing I am pleasing Him. My pleasure senses have been transformed through His Word and His Will. Yours can be too.

Thank You, Lord, for teaching me what real pleasure is all about.

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Abiding, Bible, Choices, Confession, Darkness, Fellowship, Forgiveness, God's Will, Power, Scripture

FROZEN SUN AND MOON

HABAKKUK 3:11

“Sun and moon stood in their lofty places; they went away at the light of Your arrows, at the radiance of Your flashing spear.”

June 21 is normally the longest daylight day of the year where I live. The sun seems to hang in the sky forever. But I cannot imagine the scene in Joshua 10 when the sun literally stood still. “12Then Joshua spoke to the LORD on the day when the LORD turned the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, ‘Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, at the Valley of Aijalon!’ 13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the Book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to go down for about a whole day. 14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.”

Habakkuk, perhaps, is recalling that story. He knows God has that kind of power. His point in today’s verse is to remind the people of God’s omnipotence. He even holds the sun and moon in His hand and does with them as He wishes. If that is so, then surely, He can handle what they are going through.

APPLICATION

What do you believe? Do you believe God can handle your problems? I told someone this week, “Whatever is over your head is under His feet.” God can and will handle it, in His time. But you must believe. You must trust the God of the universe to carry you through whatever it is you are facing.

My family has been through a lot in the past dozen years. They watched me go through two stem cell transplants for an incurable disease with no guarantee I would pull through. But in the midst of that, we trusted our Lord. We knew whatever happened, He was in control.

The same God who turned His back on His Son and caused the world to go into darkness because of the sin which Jesus took on Him is the same God who will not work in your life as He desires until your sins are confessed and you are in fellowship with Him. Turn to Him today and confess your sins to Him. Let Him wash you clean and work in your life today. Come out of the darkness.

Father, today I bring all my sins and transgressions to You. Forgive me, Lord, and set me back on the right path.

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