Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

This week’s inspiration comes from an epiphany that people have choices, however typically their minds have predetermined what they want to do and they spend their time convincing themselves what they want is the best option. I call that being decidedly convinced. Accordingly, this week we’ll focus on deciding.

In Today’s scripture, Genesis 3:6 (NLT), we see Eve was convinced before she ate…
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.

Consider…
Often we convince ourselves to do things that we actually have already decided to do. Rather than simply admitting we want to do what we want to do, we’ll look for justifications.

In today’s scripture we read that Eve convinced herself to eat, not sin, but eat what she wanted. Normally the messages about Eve eating the forbidden fruit focuses on her wilful disobedience. However, I believe that rather than seeking to please God, Eve decided to do what was pleasing to her. She wasn’t being oppositionaly defiant, but she was wilfully incompliant.

This makes me think of James 4:17 (NLT) admonition…
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

One of the devil’s strategies is convincing us God isn’t really displeased with us wanting to please ourselves. Or another tactic is to introduce multiple choices to God’s true or false tests. But as was the case with Eve, not focusing on pleasing God only leads to sin, no matter how much we try to convince ourselves otherwise.

The fact is we know right from wrong. We try to convince ourselves that God will accept our wants, despite knowing He wants us to accept His will. Thus, we decide to do what we want and then proceed to convince ourselves that how we feel doesn’t really contradict God’s will.

But let’s be clear, our wants have no bearing on God’s will. And Galatians 6:7‭-‬8 (NLT) is clear…
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

The Bible is clear that living to satisfy our flesh leads to death, regardless of how much we try to convince ourselves otherwise.

In fact God has a higher standard than us just not satisfying our flesh. 1 Peter 1:14‭-‬15 (NLT) says…
So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.

God wants us to decide to be holy like Him. Doing that looks like Galatians 5:16‭-‬17 (NLT)…
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

Today’s message is simple, in the same way you have been decidedly convinced to live for yourself, be decidedly convinced to let the Holy Spirit lead you to live for God.

Accepting Jesus as Lord means deciding that your wants must submit to His Will.

Today’s song is…
More Like Jesus

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)