Anytime I think about choosing life or death, I usually relate it to what I speak. This is because the bible says that the tongue is like a two edged sword, in it has the power of both life and death. It is out of our mouth that we create our circumstances. The bible says that out of our mouth we speak both blessings and curses and that it should not be this way. So the bible relates life and death to our words a pretty good bit.

But this morning as I read in Deuteronomy, I was reminded of so much more. It is not only our tongue that we choose like and death but by our lifestyle and by our actions.

Deuteronomy 30:15-16 See today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity. For I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments, statutes, and ordinances so that you may live and multiply and the Lord your God may bless you in the Land you are entering to possess. But if your hearts turn against Him and you are lead astray to bow in worship to other Gods and serve them, I tell you today you will certainly perish and will not prolong your days in the land you are entering to possess.

So in these scriptures the Lord tells the Israelites that they have a choice to love and serve Him which will lead to life and prosperity or they can turn away from God and do things their own way which will lead to death and adversity. And just as they have this choice, so do we. We have the choice of life and prosperity or death and adversity. Not only do we choose this with what we speak but also with how we live. If we want the Lord to prosper us, to bless us, to build us up and make us strong, to use us, to call us His own people, we must love and obey Him. We must do things His way, not our own. The bible says that we prove our love for Him by obeying His commandments. So regardless of what season of life we are in, we are to stay near to Him. If we are in a good season, we are not to get so comfortable that we backslide and forget Him. If we are in a bad season we are to stay near to Him and trust Him and learn on Him as our rock and refuge so that He can lead us through and so that we can grow. I encourage you today to choose life. Choose prosperity that comes from God not the world. Love Him with everything in you. Deuteronomy 30:11 says This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach.

Am I going to be lead by my feelings or by the Spirit of God today? I can choose to speak life or I can choose to speak death. You may be looking at seemingly impossible circumstances, you may even have a broken heart…you can choose to trust God with them or you can choose not to trust Him with them. Out of your mouth is one of the areas in your life that you need to show your faith. With a heart of faith,,,speak life (the Word of God) over your circumstances. We can choose to remember that God is fighting our battles or we can choose not to. We can choose to walk in obedience to Him today or we can choose to do things our own way. We can choose to praise His incredible name or we can choose to keep our mouth shut.

Should we let our emotions overtake us and sin because of them? Especially knowing it only keeps us stuck on the same level with the Lord even longer. Itll only keep us going around that same old mountain. (I don’t know about you but I want a new mountain. Not for the struggle but for the growth.) Or should we choose to stand firm in obedience regardless of what we feel like doing so that in time we can overcome the things that God is calling us to.

At times, It may look like we are surround by difficult circumstances, whatever yours may be, but as children of God, we are surrounded by HIM. Regardless of what it “looks” like. He goes before us. He defends us.

He fights our battles. But this means stepping out and giving it to Him. We can’t fight expect God to fight the battle for us if we are too busy fighting it ourselves! So we have to step out and allow Him to step in, out of faith.

To today,, I encourage you to to lay your burdens, your thoughts, your concerns, your goals, your dreams, you fears, your heartaches, your desires, or anything else down at His feet and choose to speak life today. Choose to speak His word over your circumstances, yourself, and the people in your life. Choose to call those things that are not as though they are. Doing things your way will only fail you. So choose to do things His way instead. It only leads to good. And if you don’t know what His way is, just ask Him.

Today, choose life. Choose Jesus.

2 Corinthians 1:4 tells us that He comforts us in all of our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God.

Here lately I’ve had many opportunities to help others in a way that brought me back to places God has delivered me from. My heart bleeds as people trust me with their burdens because I’ve been exactly where they are at. How blessed are we to be able to help others simply because we can understand where they are at…?! It humbles me to be taken back and reminded of places I have been in. There have been some times in my life that were so dark that I could have never made it through if it weren’t for the Lord carrying me through them. But time after time, God has proven to me that no matter where I’m at, or even why I’m there, He will always come through for me if I call on Him. Sometimes there may be a gap between when we pray and when we actually see our answer but He strengthens us during the gap. It’s in the gap (or the wait) that we grow as people. His people. It’s in the gap that our faith is strengthened. And it’s in the gap that we learn things He is wanting to teach us. It’s where our tests will be. The gap the hardest part, but it is also the most necessary.

I believe a lot of what people feel that they can’t cry out to God for help because of the sin they have committed and are even still committing when needing Him. Who would’ve thought that in those dark times of my life He would have even helped me considering the things I had done and were still doing?! Psalms 136:1 tells us they it is through His mercy that we are not consumed, His compassion does not fail. His mercy is new every morning, great is His faithfulness.

So do not let the enemy lie to you and tell you that you can’t cry out to Him for help! Honestly, it was through Him showing me so much mercy and love regardless of my sin that lead me to turn from my ways. Him proving to me that He loved me regardless of all that I had done was my biggest influence…

I’m not saying that we can just wilfully continue to not change our ways. But God weighs our hearts. When we fall short, when we slip and fall, when we backslide, or whatever the case may be, we can always run back to him or cry out to him in the midst of our circumstances because His blood covers us..

So because God has delivered me from so many situations in life, I’m able to help others. What God will do for me He will do for you.

So here is my question. How can we make a difference in the lives of others if we aren’t real with them?? We live in a society where many are more concerned with status than being transparent for the sake of compassion. And if we get caught up in this… how will people take us seriously?? How will they feel that we would even understand where they are at?? Its because of this that we have to be real with people. We have to lay our pride down and let the love of Christ in us to stand.

I’m not saying that we have to tell people everything about us in an unnecessary way that they do not need in the moment, I’m saying that when we can help someone have being where they are at, DO IT.

This is why it bothers me when I see people that think a Christian could never understand their struggles or their temptations. It is through Christ alone that we overcome.

I encourage you to not let fear, shame, or any other lie from the enemy stop you from making a difference in someones life. Romans 8:1- there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

Reach out to people in love, help them when you can and remember..There is power in the name of JESUS.