Jeremiah 26:1-6 – “In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying, ² “Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have come to worship in the Lord’s house all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not omit a word! ³ Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.’ ⁴ And you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, “If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you, ⁵ to listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened; ⁶ then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse to all the nations of the earth.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, the very first thing that I heard in my spirit was, “It is always a choice.”   I paused and pondered that thought. Life is a series of choices, and every choice has a consequence (good or bad).   Every choice becomes the foundation for successive choices.   Choices make choices!

In Jeremiah 21, they were under siege by Babylon. Jeremiah brought the prophetic word: “Make a choice.”   Obey and live.  Rebel and die.   They did not like the choice because obedience meant surrender to Babylon, and their pride prevented them from obeying.  Babylon was to be temporary, but death was permanent.

In Jeremiah 26:1-5, we are brought face-to-face with something some today reject.  The prophetic word has value. God reveals His plans to help us navigate the troubled waters of life.   We want God to speak, but then we pick and choose which part of what He says we will obey.  Jeremiah 26:4 emphasizes the need to obey God’s directive explicitly.   Again, choice rises to the forefront! Choices have consequences (good or bad).

God’s call requires a choice.  Godliness is a choice.  We have the hope of divine enablement to manifest the character and nature of Jesus, but it begins with the choice of surrender.   (Remember the reference in Jeremiah mentioned earlier?)

In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul, by the Holy Spirit, revealed that our objective is to be examples.

1. We are to be examples in how we talk.   (Both the words we use and the subject matter).

2. We are to be examples in our conduct.   (What do people see in how we act and react?)

3. We are to be examples in Love.   (Agape, as seen in 1 Corinthians 13 and in Jesus, is the goal).

4. We are to be examples in faithfulness.   (Both loyalty to our assignment, to others, to our faith, and to our commitment and word).

5. We are to be examples in purity.   (What do others see in us? We may refrain from certain words or acts, but what is in our hearts?)

As I think about choices, I think of my conversion to Christ.   Jesus came into the world to save people, and that included the worst of the worst (me). My choice to accept Him affects not only me and my eternity, but everyone I encounter.   My choice lets me be an example that points to Him.  That example is a testimony.   My testimony either magnifies Jesus or reeks of hypocrisy, based on my obedience, which is the result of choice.

So, choose wisely!   Choose to obey.   Choose to accept His grace.   Choose to live Him by dying to self.   Dying requires dying!   It does not include partial resurrections of certain things, acts, or attitudes.  It requires dying. The choice before is Life by dying to self or death by living for self.

I choose life by dying to self!

Ephesians 6:11 – “ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, something different filled my thoughts. Being properly dressed filled my thoughts. Properly dressed or appropriately dressed. What does that mean?

Let me ask the question I heard in my spirit: “How confident would you be speaking to a group of people if you were naked? How confident would you feel if you were interviewing for a job in casual attire while the interviewers were in formal attire? How confident would you be playing basketball in formal attire when those competing were dressed for basketball? How confident would you be going into a battle wearing street clothes and carrying a notepad when your opponents were in full armor and carrying weapons of war?”

Think about those and other scenarios.  Your confidence level would likely be incredibly low.  Although the clothes themselves did not equip you, they affected your confidence, and your lack of confidence affected your ability.

Ephesians 6:10-18 reminds us of the importance of being properly dressed. (v. 11) – Tells us that we need the armor (proper attire) SO THAT we will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.   If the devil has the advantage of our lack of confidence because we are improperly or inadequately clothed, he does not have to be more powerful because we defeat ourselves.

“Clothes make the man” is a cliché, but it has some truth.   Why?   Because when we have the proper (situation-dictated) attire, we are more confident. The more confident we are, the more we trust our training and ability. We are not distracted by a feeling of inferiority.

Remember, we are not fighting spiritual battles with natural weapons. Likewise, if we wear clothing inadequate for the situation, it affects the outcome.

In (v. 13) we read, “For this reason…”   What reason?  This is a spiritual war. “Take (put on) up the full armor of God SO THAT you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.”

One benefit of being Spirit-filled is awareness of the proper attire! Please move beyond clothing in natural situations to spiritual warfare.   I know from experience the importance of proper clothing (gear) when facing a battle. I know the confidence that builds in knowing you are appropriately and adequately attired. The less the distraction, the greater the confidence.

How are we dressing for our daily battles?  Are we consciously putting on the clothing for the day?  Wearing our spiritual PJs to a battle may feel comfortable at first, but it will get us killed.  Putting on the armor (attire) requires consistent effort and determination.

Let’s get dressed for battle! What are you wearing to the war?

Ecclesiastes 4:6 – “Better is one handful with some rest than two hands full of toil and chasing the wind.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I heard the question, “Are you chasing the wind?”   I wanted to say, NO!   However, life has taught me never to respond with a knee-jerk reaction to God or to most other things.   Stop, Look, and Listen.   Put your mind in gear before you allow your elephant mouth to write a check you can’t cash.   Usually, God will give the answer and solution without our argument or defense.

There is a latent, if not predominant, tendency in the human heart to want more, and even to yield to greed. (Ecclesiastes 1:8-9).   Our human frailty and inability to see the end from the beginning force us to seek God and rely on His guidance. (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

I find the declaration in Ecclesiastes 4:6 arresting and thought-provoking. “Better is a handful with some rest than two hands full of toil and chasing the wind.”   This highlights the contrast between contentment and greed, or purpose and fantasy.  Ecclesiastes 5:10 should liberate everyone from the bondage of desire for stuff.  We should seek God, not stuff.

If we want to be free from fantasy and delivered from the black hole of inordinate desire for wealth and the fluff of stuff, the answer is in Ecclesiastes 5:20.

What we see is that doing God’s will and loving what we do blocks out the morbid thoughts of our mortality (which immobilize us and rob us of the enjoyment of life).   It helps us stay focused on God and His call.  Our life view expands from now to forever!   We become compelled by purpose, not controlled by stuff.

1 Corinthians 9:16 speaks of my heart and could be translated to include any purpose or call. “Woe to me if I don’t preach the gospel!”   Woe to me if I don’t pursue God’s assignment for my life!  Our whole focus should be God (His Kingdom is eternal), not fortune or fame (Earthly and temporary).

1 Corinthians 10:23 gives us a vital key to life.   Don’t do it because you can; do what is right every time.  Do what builds others up because in strengthening others, we strengthen the Body (of which we are a part).

Are we Wind Chasers or God Chasers?  The answer is in what we invest ourselves in! If we chase things while also trying to chase after God, we are double-minded and unstable in Everything!   Does that please God? Does that build up?

Yes, we have responsibilities, but what consumes our hearts and thoughts? Are we wind chasers?

Romans 1:28-32 – “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.  ²⁹ They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless. ³² Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.”

Time marches on!   Time leaves in its wake the good and the bad, the joy and the sorrow.  Time affords us choices, and our choices determine the growth or death of our hopes and dreams.   Love is a choice.   Sadness is a choice.   Rejoicing is a choice.   Living joyfully or morbidly is a choice.

I choose to love each of you and celebrate life, pursuing the purposes God designed for my life.   I will treasure the memories but will not be bound by time past; I will press forward to time yet spent.   I choose to live life and fulfill my destiny with a joyful heart!

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, I was challenged on several fronts.   I saw my humanity and its revolting frailty and faultiness. I also saw God’s Grace, and its incredible transformational power.   I saw the contrast between a life fully surrendered to and focused on God and one that elevates self (mind, will, emotions, hopes, desires, and disappointments) to the throne (center) of life.  I saw the contrast between dipping the toes in the wading pool of life and the swimmers who live, swim, or sink.

In Romans 1:28-32, the warning is inescapable.   We pick some sins as condemnable and judge them, justifying ourselves, but we are guilty at some point. The List of Sins in (vv 29-31) covers virtually every aspect of life and interpersonal relationships.   Are we guilty in any area?   Then, judging is not the solution; prayer is!   Romans 2:21 reminds us that we are expected to “practice what we preach.” Mercy will win people; judgmentalism will push them away because they see our flaws!

Romans 5:1-5 is a difficult pill to swallow.  When difficulties and struggles come, we resist and complain.  When loss comes, we bury ourselves in our remorse and miss God’s process and the product He is producing.

Consider the process. Sufferings (trials) produce endurance. That is interesting.   Endurance reveals to us and through us that we have survived this; therefore, we gain confidence that we can go through difficulty, pain, and loss.  We see hope!

Endurance develops character, which reveals who we are. Character trusts the Creator.  Character produces or opens the door to hope!  Not wishful thinking, but biblical hope, which is confidence and being convinced of God’s character!   It develops trust, which elevates us into a position of hopefulness, not despair.  

We become confident that Life’s disappointments are being transformed into God’s appointments, bringing us to a higher place in Him.  It opens the door to a Life yet lived. A life that impacts everything around us with the infusion of Hope!    We are brought into a place of overflowing Agape!

Life is a process! Justification (Romans 5:9-10) is instantaneous, but salvation is progressive.   We are being (sozed) made whole/complete daily. How we handle trials is a key factor in how high we soar in God!

Jesus came to give us Abundant Life, focusing on self-blocks that abundance! It is a choice! Why not choose life?

Jeremiah 12:1 – “Lord, you have always been fair whenever I have complained to you.  However, I would like to speak with you about the disposition of justice.   Why are wicked people successful?   Why do all dishonest people have such easy lives?”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, several realities of life flooded my mind.  It is easy to fall into the pit of despair when we struggle and look around at those who are making no attempt to do right, have ease, and prosper.

That involves a shift in focus from God to self.   Even Jeremiah fell prey to that trap. (Jeremiah 12:1).   My paraphrase: “Hey God, what’s up with this? People are pursuing selfishness, living wickedly, and all is rosy. I am serving you, and there is no end to my problems. WHY?”

God answered him in (v. 5): “Son, you are focused wrong. If this (foot soldiers, little foxes, minor issues) is defeating you, how will you face the big stuff?”   The answer was: “Focus on God, not man. Do not Compare and Despair!”

In Jeremiah 17:7-10, we have the same phraseology as Psalm 1.   Those who focus on God and live faithfully, obedient lives anchored in God and His truth, flourish.   No matter what is happening around them and even to them, INSIDE they are strong, confident, and provided for.   God is IN them, living THROUGH them, and His life produces the fruit of life!

Paul addressed that in 2 Thessalonians 3:10-15.    In (vv. 10 & 13), we have declarations we can make standalone, but they are inseparable in context.   Never reward laziness, and do not let the pervasiveness of entitled, lazy living around you cause you to grow weary of doing what is right.   Remember Psalm 1, Psalm 23, Psalm 91, and Jeremiah 17.

Hold the reality of Galatians 6:9 near as a reminder that the devil cannot win unless we quit.  God will not let go, especially if we do not let go.  Focus is the key! That is why Paul frequently encouraged and commanded to fill the consciousness with God!   What we fill our hearts and minds with defines who we become. Do not Compare and Despair!

Have a fantastic day and you resist the temptation to Compare and Despair!