The CHOICE

I was reading thru some of my journals the other day and came across a simple quote that I had copied down. I am not sure where I heard it or if I wrote it myself but either way, the weight of it hit me again as I reread it. 

"No matter the reason WHY bad things happen, I have the CHOICE to believe Jesus or the devil."

Wow. How profound. So many times I can get stuck on the reason behind the WHY of bad things happening. It goes round and round in my head. WHY this? WHY that? WHY would God allow such things to happen. It's a never ending question. One that many people have tried to answer and I have yet come across a good answer to that question. Some have come close, but not quite. 

The idea that we have a CHOICE of what to believe about situations is not exactly a new concept to me, but it is a big one!

Regardless of what your religion is, the question of why bad things happen is in every heart and mind! It haunts us. It can make or break us. 

I have had bad things happen to me, and to those that I love. Not only that but seeing current events play out has got me asking WHY again. 

When you take a look at the thoughts that you have while you ask this question, there are often prevailing thoughts. Some are loud, some are repetitive, some are quiet and yet deserve to be noticed just as much as the others. Our thoughts shape who we are, what we are about, and what our actions will be. Our thoughts can also keep us captive. Stuck. 

The truth is that we have choices of what to do with our thoughts. We can CHOOSE to react or do nothing. A lot of times, I find that it is easier to ignore my thoughts, but they are still there. Waiting to pounce on me in inopportune times. Especially in times of stress. 

I want to first talk about the way that Satan uses our thoughts against us. He is usually the one who is loud, insistent, and annoying. And NEGATIVE. Boy, can he be a Negative Nancy. But he also can come disguised as the "voice of reason" or "the you should, they should, why don't you" thoughts that can make you feel angry, guilty, self righteous, etc. Satan likes to take your own thoughts and turn them just a little bit so that you doubt God, your faith wavers and you start to turn to his way of thinking, Satan is sneaky. 

BUT......

A few things about Satan......

He is not present everywhere. He can't be in more than one place at a time, because he is not GOD. He uses his demons to do his dirty work. He is not able to read your mind, though he can make guesses because he has had time to study human behavior. 

THE BEST PART......

Jesus IS everywhere all the time. His HOLY SPIRIT is able to be in every corner of heaven and earth because he is GOD. GOD uses his angels to do HIS good works. God is able to know your thoughts and know your intentions and loves you no matter what! No matter your doubts, fears, and insecurities. He loves you. GOD also has been around for eternity and knows what has happened and what will happen. He's got plans and will carry them to completion. HE also is speaking to us daily. Whether in the physical world, or in our thoughts, Jesus has the answers and will speak to us. 

So, we have a CHOICE. To believe what Jesus is saying to us, or to believe what Satan is saying to us. 

What do you think Jesus is saying? 

Jesus is all about LOVE. If a thought isn't based on that, you can guarantee that it is not from Jesus. He loves us enough that HE GAVE HIS LIFE for us. 

Back to the reason WHY. There will always be things going on behind the scenes of every event. Things that we don't know about. There are also choices made by us humans that come into factor. 

THE CHOICE IS that we can choose to believe the truth of GOD's WORD. Or we can believe the lies that are masked by half truths. 

WHY do bad things happen? I don't have the answer to that question. But....

We have the CHOICE to believe Jesus' words or Satan schemes. Have you asked Jesus? Have you taken the time to listen? What does the Bible say? What do the convictions of your heart and mind say? Bottom line, make a choice. 

Don't sit there and wonder WHY. 

Now, I am not saying that it is okay to just accept what happened as "oh well". Often we have to go thru things and in hindsight learn from them. But the choice is ours to believe what we want based on our experiences and the convictions that we have.  

Make good choices.