"Decisions, Decisions..." - Joey Ferrell

A very dear friend of mine, wonderful preacher, licensed therapist, and brother in Christ, Lonnie Jones used a statement some years ago in a lesson designed to reach younger souls that has stuck with me ever since…and I think it is just as valuable to us “older” folks as well and maybe you will agree. Here is the phrase:

You must decide which you want…is it what you want most, or what you want right now.

If that doesn’t make you stop and think for a few minutes, I am not sure you read it. Look at it again! Lonnie told me that it was seen on a poster and attributed to Abraham Lincoln.

Every one of us has to make a decision about our lives nearly every minute of every single day. Satan’s hand is in the midst of every one of these decisions and we have to decide where we must fall within this range of the question.

Think about some of our iconic studies of some who have been faced with those similar challenges in their lives:

  • Adam and Eve - charged with the first sin…why? They chose what they wanted right now over what they wanted most.

  • Lot - He survived the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra because he chose what he wanted most, unfortunately, his wife chose what she wanted right now (looking back to see the loss of her friends and her own family.

  • Joseph - He walked away from a sinful situation he was faced with in the story of Potiphar’s wife. He could have yielded very easily to temptation. The opportunity was very similar to what we may see today in a world filled with temptation regarding sexual sin and immorality…but he chose wisely…he chose what he wanted most.

  • Judas - We all know that he chose what he wanted right now…when he had what he wanted most sitting right beside him at the very table that he was dining at the Last Supper.

There are many other stories in the Bible that we could look at with this “turn signal” of events. Some were stories that we can celebrate, and the others we mourn over and grieve those decisions.

What about you and I? Have we decided what we want right now or what we want most? It can be a tough question at times and it certainly appears at every juncture in our lives. I like the way that the English Standard Version renders 1 Corinthians 10:13 regarding our help in these times. Take a look at how that reads:

The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. 1 Cor 10:13, ESV

You see, we each one have a conscience that can be seared when we make the wrong decision, but we also each one have a way of escape. Some may say that it is not as easy as it sounds…and for the ones who may not have a hope of eternal life in Christ Jesus, they cannot understand the power of this verse. After all, Hebrews 4:15 tells us that even our Lord suffered the temptations of this life…not faltering!

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Heb 4:15 NKJV

If you will recall, He was tempted in all counts in the events of Matthew 4. The devil put forth the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life temptations. Honestly, any sin we commit today falls within those definitions as well.

So, what do we do? Be strong. Study and put the word of God in your heart. Know that you will not escape temptation, but God will give you a way to move beyond that in your decision of:

What you want most…or what you want right now!

Visit Lonnie’s podcast at “Keeping up with the Jones: The Lonnie Jones Podcast Adventure” on all platforms.

Sin, Overcoming temptation, DecisionsJoey Ferrell