#Decisions & #Consequences

Psalm 119:105 

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 

After consecutive unsuccessful and dizzying attempts to chase after a life I thought I wanted, I was left shaking myself awake from a sort of suspended animation if you will. Suddenly, what I thought I wanted made me gag. Nothing more sobering than to be stuck on the wayside of all your decisions and studying their consequences. 

Every decision we make has a consequence. This is why I had us question our motives in the last post. It is because when your motives are defiled, you will make defiled decisions and have to pay a hefty price for them.  A lot of people right now are living in the consequences of their actions and blaming it on the devil. 

When the devil's been on paid leave because they've practically done his work for him. 

Some consequences can be reversed. Others, can't. You will just have to ensure going forward that you're not moving the same way you were when you made those irrevocable decisions. You will be unable to do so however, if you're unwilling to take some accountability. 

Let us mosey ourselves down to the 7th chapter of Joshua to meet a man named Achan. After the destruction of the walls of Jericho in chapter 6, there were some devoted things or in other words, spoils left behind that were not to be touched by anyone for anything. 

Yet here we have Achan from the tribe of Judah, who defied this mandate and made the decision to take for himself some of the devoted things. The camp would suffer a lost during battle that caused Joshua to cry out to God basically saying, "Yo! What's good? You've allowed us to look like fools in front of the opps! Now the whole city is going to find out and get us!" 

God basically responded, "This has nothing to do with Me. But everything to do with your camp! They've violated a covenant I told them to keep. They have stolen things that don't belong to them. They can't stand up against their enemies because they've made themselves liable to destruction.  I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction." 

So the next morning, Joshua with God's guidance, held a meeting with all of the tribes. From those tribes one tribe was called forward. From that tribe a clan was called forward. From that clan a family was called forward. And from that family a man was called forward. 

Who was the man? 

Achan of course! 

The word found him out and he confessed to stealing a lavish robe from Babylonia, 200 shekels (roughly $55.36) and a bar of gold worth 50 shekels (about $13.84). 

Chile! You mean to tell me, my dude put the whole camp at risk for a stupid Louis coat and sixty something dollars? #FacePalm 

I know this stuff was probably worth more back in those times, but still...

Needless to say the verdict was made. Achan and his family was stoned and burned. #GoodandTerrible 

And I highly doubt he would have ever confessed had he not been called forward. 

Do you see this though? 

Decisions that are knowingly constructed to go outside the will of God, will produce for us temporary pleasures but ultimately cost us in greater consequences later. There's so many stories in the bible where people had to pay for their bad decisions. 

Which means people have been making them for eons! 

Listen, there is a difference between someone who makes an ignorant decision versus someone who makes a willful ungodly decision.

In this case, the grace of God is invited or uninvited to the fold. 

A person's mental predisposition will determine the appearance of grace. We block grace when we refuse accountability. Moreover, we block grace when we're motivated to make decisions that we know are as wrong as two left shoes. 

James 4:17 

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. 

Let's check out the flipside of the coin shall we? If we can make ignorant decisions and make wrong decisions, we can also make right decisions. 

How? 

We ask God for WISDOM. Wisdom is the principle thing said King Solomon in Proverbs 4:7. 

Speaking of King Solomon, he was made king at a very young age. Yet he was already a wise young man.  

One day as he made an offering to God, God showed up and told him to ask for whatever he wanted Him to give him. Guess what this stand up guy asked for? He didn't ask for a platform, a brand, popularity, or even riches. 

This man asked for wisdom. 

Isn't that something? 

The reason why he asked for wisdom is because he didn't want to risk making any costly decisions in such a high position of authority as he progressed forward. 

Now, it doesn't matter what kind of position you're in. Whether you're a little guy or a big guy. A no name or a known name, requesting God give you wisdom to help you navigate around these parts, is by far one of the best things you can ever do as a believer. 

Also, you must trust Holy Spirit, who's another source of guidance. Matter of fact, God will funnel more wisdom through Holy Spirit to assist you and keep you from being stagnant and unable to make any decisions for fear of making a bad decision. 

Know that when you're hip to hip and joint to joint with Holy Spirit, and have sacrificed self will for God's will, as you move, God's word will be like a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path, showing you the way to go.  

Alright, I think I've laid enough foundation to share a #TransparentMoment with you guys. 

I believe it was the fourth year of my journey in God when He told me to leave the church I attended at the time and go to the church I actually attend now. I told God no and decided to stay where I was. To be honest I told Him no out of fear and complacency. I held a lot of positions there and I wasn't in the mood to uproot or become acclimated to another church's culture. 

A little over a year later, God told me to leave that church again and to go to the church I attend now. I didn't and instead, assuming that it was a better option, I made the terrible decision to go to another church that would eventually rip me to shreds. I remained at that church for two years before God told me a third time to leave and go to the church I attend now. 

And that, was three years ago. 

I say that to share this part, I literally almost DIED because of those decisions. I can recall feeling such a spirit of heaviness at the first church I attended after making the decision to stay because the grace of God had lifted. And the vicious warfare and spirit of death that followed me during the two years I chose to be a member of at my previous church, even though the grace of God was covering me in my ignorance. 

Get this, those aren't the only bad decisions I've made in my life.

The point of it all, I made decisions that has taken me three years to clean up behind. 

In the beginning of this post, I said that everything I thought I wanted makes me gag just thinking about it. Not only due to my life going awry as a result of my decisions, but the fact that as of late all I want is to be in PURPOSE. 

At the center of God's will. 

I wake up everyday and it's all I want. I look for it. I sniff for it. I want to get my hands on it.  I don't think about anything else.  Nothing else really even matters to me. Superficial desires have to take a back seat. 

I don't know what it looks like but my prayers are catered to finding it. 

So I will be willing to do whatever I have to do to make the right decisions on purpose and reap their beautiful benefits. 

Let me help you out with this, every transition will require you make a decision or two. You can't afford to neglect the opportunities to request God's wisdom prior to making these decisions. Make not one decision with ill motives or purposeful rebellion. Or even in your emotions, because EMOTIONS LIE! 

Accept that decisions made in God, will produce for you a bevy of results that you won't have to correct or suffer from. If you're reading this and you've been stuck between making a decision, ask God for wisdom and then put on your walking shoes.