The Choice is Mine to Make

I have been going through a season of major to mild irritations, grieving the loss of people who are dear to me, dealing with health issues, facing change, change and more change. Every morning I wake up and make a decisions of how I choose to respond to the challenges of that day. I make my decision before I get out of bed. Before my feet touch the floor I make my declaration, "This is the day the LORD has made I will rejoice and be glad in it."(Psalm 118:24

My decision to rejoice, however, does not eliminate the battle. I have to choose over and over to take every thought captive because if I don't I begin to feel myself becoming captive to negative thoughts. Although I have a freedom that was purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ still I must choose daily to walk in that truth. 

"A man is slave to whatever has mastered him."(2 Peter 2:19) Bombarded by negative thoughts if I allow them to dictate how I respond to the challenges I face then they will be my master. But I don't have to be their slave I can choose to be free from the crippling influence of negative thoughts because of the salvation I have received through faith in Jesus Christ.

The real question is how shall I represent Jesus Christ to a broken world? I am a broken person who lives in a broken world and yet according to 1 Corinthians 3:16 I am also God's temple and God's Spirit lives in me. My spiritual act of worship morning by morning is to offer by body as a living sacrifice choosing each day to rejoice and give thanks in the power of the Holy Spirit taking every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, because of you I have the choice to rejoice. I choose to rejoice.