As Christians, God has given us the ability to choose whether we will follow His commands or our own way. We make certain choices that can affect how we walk with the Lord.
Salvation
God offers us salvation through His Son. It is through the prompting of the Holy Spirit that shows us the way to salvation. We chose to obey and follow that prompting. We have to make up in our minds to take action.
You have to call on the name of God. “But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” (Acts 2:21;NLT)
You have to believe that Jesus died for your sins so that you may have eternal life. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,” (Acts 16:31; NLT)
God gives us the freedom to choose Him.
Trusting God
Trusting God is difficult, yet we have to choose to do it. Trust does not manifest itself. You have to set your mind on the scriptures and communicate it to the Lord.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5;NLT)
“But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” (Psalms 56:3; NLT)
“Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.” (Psalms 37:5; NLT)
You cannot do any of these things on your own without the help of the Lord. Once you decide that you will obey the Lord, you will have to cry out to the Lord for strength.
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13; NLT)
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10;NLT).
When you are going through a difficult situation, you should not say “I can’t thank God in this situation” or “I have not reached that spiritual maturity yet, so I can’t do that”
Your trust can only be developed unless you have those difficult times. Now I am not suggesting you pray for them. (They will come on their own!) But you have a choice that when the trials come you will reach up into the arms of God and ask for His strength to be thankful in the difficult situation.
You are choosing to trust in the strength of God and not your own. Yes, it is hard to do, but we must strive to be more like Christ each day. We are not alone. God is here to help.
Do you choose to call on Him? Are you willing to thank and seek Him?
“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9;NLT)
