Faith, A very Personal Decision

In Joshua 24:15, Joshua is speaking to the children of Israel, who God had delivered countless times by saying these words:

““And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day who you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.  ”

These were a people (the children of Israel) who had seen the miracles of God. They had witnessed the river Jordan part and they walked on dry land; they had seen the walls of Jericho fall down, and they had seen many other miracles the Lord had done right before their eyes. But yet, the certainty and depth of who God is had not formed. They were not fully persuaded like Joshua was.  The crises that people face today is similar to the one the children of Israel had faced when Joshua spoke those words to them, calling them out to make a decision.  Many people today have not made a decision about who they serve. They claim to love God and serve Him only, but this is merely lip service because their actions speak of a different story.

There are believers globally who say they love God and worship Him only, but will often make no mention of Jesus. There are believers who say they love and worship God but will worship ancestors. There are believers who say they love God but they worship their Pastor and not God, the only true and living God “I AM”. 

I can give many examples of how Christians within the church are only engaging in idolatry without fear. They serve God on Sunday and believe in astrology and mediums, they serve God on Sunday but are slaughtering goats on Saturday for other gods and deity’s, this is anti-Christ like behavior and all who are engaged in such should repent and be saved.

Now, don’t get me wrong, this is not an attack, this is a twenty-first century believer simply re-iterating what Joshua spoke over two thousand years ago in the midst of  a confused church that we all need to make a decision, because we cannot carry on serving two masters any longer, we need to all make a decision on what is best for us.  Do we take the narrow road that few embark on like Joshua, and those that came before us in the faith, or do we see it fit to worship the gods of this world?

When God created man in His own image and likeness, He created a default setting in us that seeks to worship, a default setting that understands that there is something bigger than us that needs to be glorified in the hope that we would make a decision to place him in that space in our individual lives as the “I AM” that He really is.

But, the devil and other spirits also seek that position of glorification in our lives, the devil also seeks to be worshiped and served as well, and he and his imps are constantly creating things for people to worship like idols that people have exalted above the name of God “I AM,” knowingly or unknowingly for centuries.

Believers have been engaged in this tug of war but God stands at the door and knocks continually waiting to be welcomed into our lives and hearts. God seeks not only to be glorified and worship, but he also seeks to be in relationship with us so that no matter what is happening in the world, we are fully persuaded that there is only one “I AM.”

And so, to re-iterate the words of Joshua, make a decision who you will serve, and my prayer is that every day you decide that there is only one true and living God, the God of the bible: I AM.