He Has You

The sum of your life is all the choices that you make. “But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve…as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15 NLT).

For each one of us, there are times in our lives when we come to a fork in the road, a major decision to go one way or another, and the choice we make will matter for years to come. Some forks will impact our entire life here on Earth, and they will most certainly matter eternally.

It’s better to pray about decisions than consequences. “With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way” (Proverbs 3:6 ERV).

We make choices every day, and we should consider each one wisely. But it’s the major fork in the road where we must be prayerful and seek discernment, knowing how much our decisions will matter. Never rush into a decision that there is no turning back from.

Better to pray for good decisions than for help after making bad ones. “Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes” (Proverbs 19:2 NLT).

Too often, we make decisions looking for the easiest path. We want the easiest life possible but don’t consider whether it is the best life God would have us live. It’s more important that you’re in the will of God than your life is easy.

Just because the road is rough doesn’t mean you’re going the wrong way. “Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 GNT).

For all of us we can look back at the forks in the road we had come to and made the wrong choice that impacts our lives even to this day. Don’t look backward in regret, but look forward with careful attention. Learn from your past mistakes, but don’t live there.

Don’t live in regret for your failures, but be in awe of all God would yet do through you. “Yes, God is working in you to help you want to do what pleases him. Then he gives you the power to do it” (Philippians 2:13 ICB).

Pray for wisdom to know what to do, and then pray for patience to wait for the Lord to lead you. When it comes to a fork in the road, it’s better to be slower and right than faster and wrong. Oftentimes, the Lord will make you wait before leading you to see if you will.

Trust God with your decisions, and then wait for Him to answer. “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (Psalm 37:23-24 NLT).

Sometimes, the fork in the road is a decision that is only between us and the Lord. Get counsel from trusted advisors where you can but recognize those decisions that you can only trust the Lord to lead you in His will for your life.

Don’t make decisions based on what man might do, but based on what the Lord would have you do. “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23 NKJV).

Often, a fork in the road for you impacts the lives around you, and you must carefully consider that your decision is bigger than yourself. Never be selfish when choosing a path that will impact those around you. Be as considerate towards others as you’d want them to be with you.

The value of your life is the benefit you are to others. “Don’t think only of yourself. Try to think of the other fellow, too, and what is best for him” (1 Corinthians 10:24 TLB).

Sometimes, the fork in the road is a distraction to keep you from where the Lord is having you go. It is an obstacle that takes you off track and out of the perfect will of God for your life. Don’t imagine that every door that opens up along your journey was opened for you by the Lord.

Distractions are the devil’s ploy to keep you from all that God wants you to accomplish. “Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right or to the left; turn your foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:25-27 NASB).

Other times, the fork in the road is the escape route that is put there to save you. The Lord is watching you on your journey, and you can be sure He will help you when you go the wrong way. Trust the leading of the Holy Spirit even when it doesn’t make sense.

Do not worry about the decisions before you, and instead, trust in the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Lord said, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21 NKJV ).

Give yourself grace after making a bad decision, knowing that the Lord is gracious to us all. Do your best in all your choices; pray for wisdom, pray for His leading, and know that even if you make the wrong choice, the Lord still loves you forever.

We all make bad choices we have to live with, but He loves us no matter what. “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!” (Lamentations 3:22-23 HCSB).

What fork in the road stands before you on this day? How much have you prayed about the decisions that are in front of you? What thing are you giving up on without asking Him what you should do? Be honest with God in your prayers,  and your life will change.

If you want to make wise choices, simply ask God to help you. “If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5 AMP).

Blessings to you always,

Paul Balius