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Destiny By Choice!
Contributed by Charles Hughes on Jun 15, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: As soon as you arise each day, you will have choices to make. The choices you make today, will take you toward or away from your divine destiny! Remember, choices are life-changing and everlasting! Will you choose to be on the Lord’s side?
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Let me start this article out by saying that it’s not directed at everyone. There are so many who are doing a fine job following God and His plan for their lives. They are making choices that are in alignment with the Word of God and moving toward their divine destiny. They are also obedient and submitted to the Word of God. However, many are not. Read on and determine for yourself if this message applies to you.
This is a very familiar passage of scripture. Chapter 32 takes place right after Moses comes down from the mountain top of Mt. Sinai, having just received the Ten Commands from the Lord.
When he descended from the mountain, having been away from the people for 40 days and 40 nights, Moses heard the sounds of sin in the camp. Joshua thought it was the sound of war. But, Moses had already been informed by God that the people had slipped into sin while he was gone. Upon arriving into camp, Moses went immediately to the man who was supposed to be in charge: Aaron, the high priest. Here was the supposed man of God in the middle of anarchy, not just observing, but participating in the rebellion against God. Moses, upon evaluating the situation, asked a very necessary and obvious question: “Who is on the Lord’s side"? This choice would be life-changing and everlasting. Those who chose the Lord were saved. Those who chose otherwise, by word or silence, found themselves being dealt with harshly.
I think this is an appropriate scenario to discuss today, seeing that we are finding ourselves faced with a very similar situation. Many of our church leaders are failing in their responsibilities to tell the body of Christ what the word of God says on issues that we are facing in the world we live in. All you have to do to see that we live in a world that is losing perspective on the difference between right and wrong is read a newspaper or look at TV. In today’s society, it is hard to find any absolutes regarding morality anymore. Scripture pertaining to the last days are coming to pass. Issues that are plainly labeled as sin, and even abominations to God, are being accepted by society, and many in the Church.
We’re seeing children turning on their parents and parents turning on their children. Murders and thieveries are being justified in increasing numbers. We’re seeing homosexuality running rampant. Gay marriage, homosexuals adopting children, gays running for elected office unashamed, and even brashly defiant, are issues we face today. Men and women in positions of authority and trust are betraying the responsibilities they have to the people who are looking to them for leadership, protection and justice. And, while all this, and more, is going on, pastors, evangelists, teachers, prophets and apostles are siding with this dangerous trend to make perversion and sin acceptable. Brothers and sisters, it’s time to make a decision. You can’t straddle the fence on this. Are you on the Lord’s side or not?
Our authority on all matters spiritual and moral is the bible. The very word “bible" has become synonymous to be a book of authority on a subject, an authority that is indisputable, the final, highest level of truth on the topic at hand. When it comes to moral issues, we in the Christian world have looked to the Holy Bible for answers. What’s happened? Why are we letting the world tell us what’s right and what’s wrong? We are the ones who are supposed to be telling the world what’s right, not the other way around. But, instead, we’re finding some of our clergy caving in to pressure to be “tolerant, open-minded, caring and understandable."
We get criticized for calling sin what it is: sin. Well, I say, “Let the criticism come." I’d rather be criticized by the world than judged by God. How can I say I love you, that I care about you and fail to correct you when I see you heading for disaster Jesus came to confront the status quo of His day, because the Pharisees were leading the revolt and taking the people with them.
Men and women of God, I’m talking directly to you, especially. Like the children of Israel, have the people slipped into sin, while you were away preaching for money, preaching safe (seeker-friendly), non-confrontational messages; messages of prosperity without accountability; healing without holiness; heaven with no righteousness. If this is you, you need to stop waffling on these crucial issues. You can’t remain neutral or silent. Your silence is tacit approval of the sin that’s being promoted, which makes you just as guilty as if you were committing the sin yourself. You can’t skirt the issues and avoid dealing with these problems the world is facing.