What Controls You?

We have a choice. That's what amazes me about what Jesus did: He gave us the freedom to be able to make a choice. Before, when we were enslaved by our sin nature, we were stuck. We could make no choice, but now we can. We can choose not to sin. Think about it for a moment.

There are a lot of choices we make in a day and not all of us are wise in what we choose. We can choose to shut off our computer and go to bed on time so we will be well rested in the morning. We can choose to eat right and exercise so our bodies function properly. We can choose to actually study and get good grades. We can choose to bless the company we work for, to give our very best and lend to its success. We can choose to trust Jesus, to push away worry and fear, and accept his gift of peace. But we are not always wise.

No one holds a gun to our head and forces us to stay up late. That is a choice. No one shoves junk food down our throat and ties us on the sofa. That is a choice. No one steals our text books from us or threatens us to goof off in class. That's a choice. No one pulls our strings to bad mouth our work place or to cut corners, slacking off. That's a choice. No one is closing our ears and heart to Jesus and inviting worry and fear in. That's a choice.

We have the freedom to choose and if we chose to be controlled by the Spirit things would look much different in our lives. Listen to the simplicity of this:

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)

We can word it like this: "Do not be filled by the world. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." Perhaps no one explained that to you. In this place, on this earth, in our society, being filled by the Spirit is the only way we can survive. Without him we do not have Jesus. We are to be filled by him, led by him, taught by him and controlled by him. Why do we ignore the one who is so important to our survival with Jesus in this place?

Jesus left this place, returned to the Father, so that he could send the Spirit, so we could receive him, be filled by him, and know the presence of Jesus, in each of us. By the Spirit Jesus lives in us. By the Spirit we are taught the things of God. By the Spirit we understand the Word. By the Spirit we are equipped to serve. By the Spirit we are supernatural, with supernatural gifts. By the Spirit we are empowered to take on the enemy and win. By the Spirit we are able to worship, pray and battle. By the Spirit we are sealed. By the Spirit we have a deposit guaranteeing what is to come.

So we have a choice: We can be filled by the things of "pleasure found in this world, things that destroy and lead to death, or, we can be filled by the Spirit of God through whom we receive all the things made available to us by Jesus. There is no one to blame for our choices. We can's say that the devil made us do it. It didn't work for Eve, it won't work for us. We can't say that we were too weak. Jesus has made us strong. We can't say we are products of our society. We were rescued from that. No, we were saved from slavery so we could make a choice. It is always about choice. Who will you choose to serve today? What will you be filled with today? What will you allow to control you?