Making the Right Choices I

MEMORY VERSE

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: – Deuteronomy 30:19

TEXT: Genesis 3:1–10; Genesis 19:1–4, 12–17, 22–26; Judges 16:1–31; 2 Samuel 11:1–27; 12:1–14

INTRODUCTION

The first responsibility that God gave man is to choose: choose the animal names as he deems fit and choose between life and death. Eve could have chosen not to listen to the serpent, Cain could have chosen to take God’s advice and not kill his brother, Lot’s wife could have chosen not to look back, David could have chosen not to sleep with Bathsheba, Judas could have chosen not to betray Jesus. They were all decisions.
You are one decision away from changing your life forever. The interesting thing is you probably don’t know what that one decision will be.

It’s natural to assume that such a big, life-changing decision would be obvious. Most times we tend to focus on the big decisions like career, marriage, settlement, finance etc., but smaller choices can also have big effects. Our lives are constantly spilling into the lives of others, and theirs into ours.
What is always true is that the decisions we make today determine the stories we tell about our lives tomorrow. Every day, we make one small choice after another. And those choices just keep accumulating, each one woven into the rest, forming the tapestry that is our life story.
One way or another, each choice you make is the decision of a lifetime, whether or not you can see where it ultimately leads.
Hypocrisy is a choice, living holy is a choice, making heaven is a choice, being good is a choice, running the race that is set before you is a choice, walking with God is a choice, carrying God’s fire and anointing is a choice, praying always is a choice, being a blessing is a choice. Repentance is a choice. Jesus made a choice in all His temptations and it was a perfect choice.

The ability to make choices is a God-given gift that defines human existence. Every decision, whether small or monumental, carries consequences, shaping not only our earthly lives but also our eternal destinies. The Bible serves as an extensive guide to understanding the principles behind making right choices, providing profound insights, examples, and lessons to ensure our decisions align with God’s will.

FACTS ABOUT DECISIONS

• Many of our decisions lead to fairly predictable consequences. And if we learn to choose well, we can connect the dots between where we are and where we want to be.
• If you want to take aim at the story you want to tell, you have to make small, life-changing choices and then act on them daily.
• The best decision you can make is always the next one. Each decision should move you closer to becoming all that God made you to be.
• If you could take a step back and look at your life, you’d see that every decision matters, even the little ones.
• But it’s critical to understand: these seemingly no-big-deal decisions add up over time. They become habits. And those habits have a cumulative effect, ultimately changing the story we tell about our lives.
• People that find themselves hooked up in one terrible habit or the other never knew that the decision to try it once will be a lifetime menace. The decision to forgive or not to forgive, the decision to join or not to join, the decision to love or hate, fight or surrender, continue or give up, keep living or forgetting about life etc. is what shapes our destiny and future.
• No one ever planned to end well but decided to do so in the summation of all the choices they made. Failure or success is a choice that we have made.
• The truth is you are one decision away from changing your life forever. Your best decision ever is the one you’re about to make.
• Life is a multiple-choice question that ends up with a final grade. You choose your answers by yourself and earn your grade by your choices.
• The decision to follow hard after God and serve Him all the way this year 2025 is one of those decisions that you will not regret making.

REASONS WHY YOU MUST STOP AND RE-EVALUATE YOUR CHOICES

1. Consequences: Many that failed to stop to re-evaluate their decisions have suffered grave consequences. There is a moment when we have that inner voice telling us to stop/wait and re-evaluate but most people will wave it off at the slightest thought. The immediate gain, pleasure and foolish excitement clouds the mind of right judgement.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” – Galatians 6:7–8

Samson failed to evaluate series of troubles that has been coming his way from having affair with women outside the covenant provision. He kept going down and down till he eventually met Delilah. He never knew that the affair with Delilah will end his life and ministry. He was interested in the sex and pleasure at the expense of his wonderful destiny. Judges 16:1–31

Esau traded his birthright for temporary satisfaction (Genesis 25:29–32). Later, he wept bitterly, but his tears could not change the outcome (Hebrews 12:17).
Don’t find yourself in the “Too Late Zone.” That is a place you will not want to be. It was too late for Lot, too late for Adam and Eve, too late for Judas, too late for Amnon who raped his sister.

2. Time: Time is one gift that can hardly be recovered. While some things may be restored, certain seasons of life never return. (Numbers 13–14) The Israelites refused to trust God and enter the Promised Land because of fear. As a result of their disobedience, forty years were wasted in the wilderness, and an entire generation missed the fulfillment of God’s promise.
Luke 15:11–32 The prodigal son wasted a significant portion of his valuable time living recklessly, eventually finding himself serving and eating with pigs.

Some people waste their entire lifetime by ending up with the wrong partner in life. How do you reverse a marriage with someone who has brought misery instead of joy?

3. The Innocent: Throughout Scripture, we see that wrong decisions often extend beyond the individual who makes them. Saul’s slaughter of the Gibeonites brought suffering upon his descendants. When David numbered Israel, many innocent civilians died. The choices of leaders—whether spiritual, political, or familial—often affect those who have no voice in the decision, even the newborn.

Korah’s rebellion did not end with him alone; his defiance against God’s authority led to the destruction of entire households, and innocent children lost their lives as a result. (Numbers 16:1–35)

In the days of Herod, innocent babies were killed simply because he perceived a rival in the birth of Jesus. These accounts remind us that innocent people suffer when we give in to the temporary madness of wrong judgment.