The Gift of Free Will

…I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life….Deuteronomy 30:19 (NIV)

One of the greatest gifts that God has given us is free will. Throughout His Word, He continually teaches us the right things to do to have a great life, but ultimately, the choice is ours.

In Deuteronomy 30:19, God says, …I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.

This even includes our choice to love God and have a relationship with Him. He could make us love Him, but that’s not what He desires. God isn’t interested in having a bunch of robots who worship Him because they have to. He longs to have sons and daughters—children who choose to love Him because they want to.

Free will is an awesome gift but also an incredible responsibility. Galatians 6:7 says we reap what we sow—decisions have consequences, for good or bad. The truth is, if we choose to, God will let us make bad choices; however, bad choices can also lead to bad results.

For instance, if I choose to eat a bunch of things that aren’t healthy, eventually I won’t feel as good as I could. When that happens, it’s tempting to want to blame the devil or something else for my problem. But if I’m honest with myself, it’s the result of my own bad decisions.

There was a time in my life when I was reaping the consequences of years of bad decisions. There may be things in your life right now that you wish you could do over, and we’ve all been there. The good news is that God is merciful, and He will help us with our messes—even when we are the ones who made them!

The greatest way to overcome a series of bad decisions is to begin making good decisions. Little by little, as we make wise choices for our lives, we begin to reap the positive consequences.

In addition, we are also affected by other people’s decisions…

You may be familiar with my story. As a child, I was sexually abused by my father for years. It wasn’t the result of anything I had done, but I was suffering the results of his bad decisions. For years, I didn’t understand why God would allow that to happen to me…or why He wouldn’t have miraculously delivered me from the situation.

The truth is, there will be times when we are hurt by other people’s choices. However, if we choose to trust God, He can work something good out of our pain. It’s difficult to even explain, but God has somehow taken those bad things that happened to me and used them for my good and for the good of many others through my teachings (Romans 8:28).

Always remember: No one ever gets away with anything. If someone is doing wrong and hurting others, they are planting seeds for a bad harvest in their own lives. Truly, the greatest thing we can do is pray for our enemies, because in the process, it helps us to release our own bitterness and unforgiveness that can hold us back.

While we live in this world, there will be times when we suffer from someone else’s poor decisions. But even then, God can and will help us in the midst of it. He can take even the bad things that happen and work them out for our good.

Prayer: “Father, I ask for Your Help, each and every day, to make wise choices that will produce good results in my life. I know I can’t go back and change past decisions, but I thank You for your Grace, Mercy, and Help right now, right where I am. I ask You to take every wrong thing that has happened—whether it was the result of my own decisions or someone else’s—and work it out for my good as only You can. Regardless of what others have done or how their decisions have affected me, I thank You for being my Vindicator (Psalm 37:6-8; 57:2-3). You see everything, and You are constantly working on my behalf to help me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”