Whose Way Should I Choose?

One of the tensions and the way I live my life, is the choice I make on a daily basis how I live my life.  Should I do it 'God's' way or should I do it 'my' way.  

Listen to podcast:Your Way, My Way 

There are so many facets of life that influence and condition us to think or behave in a particular way. These conditionings influence our decision making process and thus has an impact on our behaviour and the outworking of these actions. We are subjected to some of these or all of these conditionings depending on what we have been exposed to. 

Here are a few... Conditionings 

1.  Cultural

There is nothing wrong with culture. Every culture has its strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes the way we live is governed by culture e.g. in some cultures, the parents choose the husband for their daughter.  In my culture, this would be frowned upon.  I can just hear my daughter's comments if she knew that we would choose her husband. 

2.  Generational

The difference between the older and the younger generation.  The following label is often attached to this - the generational gap.  Another example is cooking techniques are passed from generation to generation.  The younger generation have no idea why certain food items are cooked in a particular way.  Only to discover when speaking to great grandmother, that the reason for cutting the fish head and tail off was to fit the fish in the frying pan.  Ha ha.  I found this so funny.  Nobody told them to purchase a larger frying pan! 

3.  Religious or Spiritual

Your religious or spiritual background has conditioned you how to live your life.  For some people, they have had no expose to anything spiritually. This influences and has conditioned you how you live your life.  Growing up in a Christian home, every Sunday morning our family would go to church.  To praise and worship our Lord Jesus Christ and to hear the minister preach from the Bible.  It has become part of my lifestyle.  By the way - "I love it". 

4.  Humanism

Humanism in its simplistic form is removing any reference to a spiritual being from their frame of reference. There is no God or a creator and that man (or woman) himself, defines what truth is.  Scripture references are used and any reference to God or Jesus is removed. For example "I can do all things through I who strengthens I."  Plus, I heard a song on YouTube with the following lines "Its all about me, Its all about me." Life revolves around me, myself and I. 

5.  Fads

A fad is any form of behaviour that develops among a population and is collectively followed with enthusiasm for some period .  A fad will condition and influence the way we live.  e.g. 1950's we saw the hula hoop, 1960's - dyeing T-shirts, 1970's - streaking (cant show any pictures of this ), 1980's - arcade games.  Do you remember the popular game called pacman? 1990's - tattoos, 2000's iPhones and iPads.

When determining the way or the path you want to choose for your life, will you allow your conditioning to be the overriding influence or would you choose what the Word of God says. 

Isaiah 55: 8-9  

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, 

Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts. 

Its very clear from this passage of scripture, that our ways are so different to God's ways and our thoughts are so different to God's thoughts. There are so many examples in the Bible that illustrate this.  Let me mention a few.

When Moses delivered the Israelites from Egypt and on the journey they came to the Red Sea.  Problem.  The Red Sea was in front of him and the Egyptians were approaching. Moses in his human understanding could do two things.  They could swim across the Red Sea or fight the Egyptians.  Being a man of God, he decided to go to God in prayer.  This was the reply from God. 

Exodus 14:16    

But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.  

 And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 

What a miracle?  They walked across on dry land.  When we don't rely on our own conditioning, and we enquire from God, He gives us His thoughts and His way of solving the problem. Choose His way every time.

There are so many examples in the Bible where God's way is so different to our way e.g. David and Goliath, the Israelites had no food in the wilderness and God provided manna from heaven.  That is truly God's way.  It always supersedes our thinking and expectations.

How can we tap into God's Way on a Daily Basis?  Some practical advice as recorded in the book of Proverbs. 

Proverbs 3:5,6 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths. 

One of the great attributes about God is that He NEVER changes. 

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.  

Now that's a promise from God. 

Always choose His ways and His thoughts - EVERY DAY

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