Joshua 24:15 is a very popular verse. You’re probably like me and you’ve heard it many times throughout your life. The verse says,
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 KJV
I was sitting in church one day and a preacher mentioned this verse, and like He has done so many times, God began to speak to my heart and shine light on this verse like never before.
As Christians, making the choice not to serve the devil is an easy decision. One that we really don’t have to put any thought into. We know that his way are evil and destructive and we need to steer clear. Suppose you woke up each morning and you were greeted by Jesus Christ and Satan themselves saying, “Which one will you choose to serve today?”. You wouldn’t hesitate to answer, “Jesus, of course!”
The things that trip us up are those “false gods” that we are all so susceptible to. Namely, our flesh, our desires, money, fame, popularity and maybe even some loved ones in our lives. Has anyone else ever had to realign your priorities because you found yourself living to please a husband, boyfriend, child and friend instead of living to please your Creator. I’ll admit it, I’ve been guilty! If we’re not careful, those loved ones that were meant to be blessings to us can become idols that take God’s place. (Just ask Abraham!)
Of all the options for us to serve each day, I believe the one that we are all most prone to surrendering to is – OURSELVES. Whether we are saved or lost, we all have a flesh and, needless to say, our flesh is selfish. It wants what it wants and it wants it now. It’s so easy to give in to our own fleshly desires. I have found that I have to make a conscious decision each and every day – sometimes multiple times a day – that I will forsake my wants and pursue the desires of God. In my current season of life, I have a house full of small children and if you have any experience with small children, whether your own or someone else’s, you know that they can really test your patience and self-control. I have to remind myself day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment that my fleshly desires to lose my temper and lash out at my children do not line up with God’s perfect will for my life. I have to choose to serve Him and follow His leadership. Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes I completely fail at that. I don’t slow down long enough to seek Him in those difficult moments and I let my flesh take over and handle the situation in its own way. Let’s be honest, it feels good in the moment to let our flesh have its way, but you’re left feeling dirty and disobedient and distant from God. Am I right?
So, what is the secret? How do we conquer this flesh of ours that is always rearing its head? It’s simple really. We find the answer in the old, famous story of two wolves fighting within. “Which one wins?” the boy asks.
“Whichever one you feed.”
Whichever one is stronger, flesh or spirit, is the one that will come out on top. It’s our responsibility to feed whichever one we want to be the biggest and strongest. If you’re reading this, I’m going to assume that you have a desire for your spirit to be stronger. You want to control your flesh and make decisions that are pleasing to your Heavenly Father. The solution truly is simple. Easy? Not so much. Simple? Absolutely. Every time you feed your flesh the things of this world, you are strengthening it. On the contrary, each time that you feed your spirit the things of God, you are strengthening it. It takes effort and intentionality to starve our flesh of those things that it so wants and instead feed our spirit the nutritional things of God. Namely, His precious Word, gospel songs, Spirit-led preaching and fellowship with like-minded Brothers and Sisters in Christ. I’m here to tell you through experience, the effort is 100% worth it. When our spirit is strong, we have the power to choose right in those difficult situations that we are so often faced with.
I encourage you to start now. Make a conscious decision each day that you will strive to serve the Lord and forsake your flesh and its desires. If you’re like me, you’ll have to spend some time strengthening your spirt in order to have the strength to make those Godly decisions. Read and study His Word. Write it upon the tables of your heart. Listen to gospel songs. Attend a Bible-believing and Truth-preaching church. Spend time with fellow Christians. All these things will build up your spirit and you’ll find yourself choosing God and His ways more and more often.
I pray this was an encouragement to you and that it will bless and impact your life and your relationship with God. If you have questions or you would like to discuss this topic further, you can reach out to me at brannigan@fromonebeggartoanother.com or use the form on our Contact page. Thank you for being part of this community. Until next time, God bless.
One of the things that really stuck out to me so much while listening to this podcast and then re-reading the blog was “choosing THIS day”. We read this verse over and over again and we know what it says. We know it tells us to choose this day to serve the Lord, but we fail to realize that the very next day we can get up and read the verse again and it tells us to do the same thing for the next day. And the next. And the next. And so on. I don’t think this should be strictly directed to unbelievers and strictly to the “day” they choose to believe. I see that this is a decision we have to choose. Every. Single. Day. Since listening to this podcast, I have witnessed a few different unbelievers come to the altar and pray and call out to the Lord for help in their lives. Several times I have felt the Lord directing me to tell them to “Choose the Lord EVERY SINGLE DAY because He most definitely chooses them EVERY SINGLE DAY.” Sadly, I haven’t seen many of these people walk back into the church building. Reminds me of the 9 lepers healed by Jesus who left with their healing but did not return to give thanks like the 10th one did. I pray their minds are reminded that the Christian life is an EVERY SINGLE DAY decision. I certainly appreciate this message/podcast on this verse.