Imagine a child who is very strong willed, determined, and even rebellious at times. Imagine this child understanding how the lack of discipline works at his very young age, as he has already mastered manipulation for his benefit. 

He sees a toy in the store that he wants to add to his already vast collection.

Immediately he takes the toy and tells his Mom, “I want this.” She looks at him squarely in the eyes and says, “Uh, that’s a negative.” 

He throws it in the shopping cart as if her statement has never even been uttered. 

Mom takes it out and puts it back on a higher shelf. This immediately throws the child into temper tantrum mode. He begins to scream and kick, falling on the floor, doing his manipulation act. Mom looks around to see who’s watching. Sadly, she has an audience. So, she is immediately in a quandary as to what her next move should be. The child is completely dominating the aisle, knowing he has everyone’s attention, and realistically is in control. 

This is a very prominent scenario in our society today. 

What would you do? The “count to 10” ideology is an option; how about the negotiation tactic? Or maybe just politely reaching down and lifting the child off the floor and saying ever so gently, ok, baby, whatever you want?

These three possibilities make me laugh as I pen the words.

My son pulled that trick one time, and I immediately jerked him up off the floor and tore his butt up. He never did it again.  And he’s a God chaser now, following hard after God. 

Oh! But you say, you can’t do that today! Why, that’s child abuse, or someone will report you to child services, or even possibly have you arrested. 

Well, there you have it! Without discipline at a young age, you now have adolescents killing their parents, killing their peers, breaking and entering, stealing, robbing, and the list goes on. 

This may seem to be a crude illustration to the title of my article, but in truth there’s a lot of relevancy to it. 

You see, God is our Heavenly Father. He said before we were even in the womb He knew us. He created man in the garden from the dust of the ground, and breathed the breath of God into his body, and man became a living soul. 

And God saw that all He had created was good. 

Needless to say, the time came when God granted Adam and Eve the test of choices to be learned, a discipline which they failed to adhere to, and thus the fall of man followed.

God had given them heaven on earth. He showed them the majestic splendors which He had created, and announced their role in this newfound thing called life. 

There was a test to be taken, even though it wasn’t considered such to Adam and Eve.  There’s still tests to be taken. Everyday man faces tests. Unlike in our school procedures where the tests followed the lessons, now the lessons follow the tests. 

God gave them their boundaries, He stated explicitly what their duties were to be, and what they were forbidden to do. They failed the test, thus today we are still learning lessons from their failing the test of obedience and discipline. The lesson learned—sin replaced righteousness, lies replaced truth, hostility replaced serenity, death replaced life.

The age old liar came on the scene, just as he still does every day. Of course, he approached the weaker vessel, Eve. We consider her the weaker, but actually she was stronger, because she convinced Adam to follow in her choice to sin. So who do you consider the weaker of the two??? 

The word counterintuitive came to me several years back, during an era which I vehemently detested because I could discern the actions being evil and lacking even the essence of common sense. 

I liken that to the approach the serpent used on Eve. He appealed to the ever present categories of sin, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.  She took the fruit of the forbidden tree, and she swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker. Then she gave it to Adam, and he did the same. The test was over,  the lessons began. And they’re still coming today, seemingly even more vile, more perverted, more detestable, and yet they’re being celebrated in every city on the earth. Sin is to blame for all sorrow. 

The battle continues to rage between good and evil. Man is finite, his days are numbered, but God is infinite. He is the great I AM, He is, always has been, and always will be. 

Only a fool says in his heart there is no God. And there’s millions of fools walking this globe today. 

I hear people say, “Well, if God is all that, then why does He allow all this?”

He allows good things and bad things to happen because He has given to every man, woman, boy and girl the freedom of choice. 

He does not infringe upon our self-will. John penned the words of Jesus in Rev. 3:20, “Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me.” In other words, Jesus is saying, “My child, Give me your heart.”

See, GOD WILL LET YOU, He will let me, make our choices in life, whether those choices are good or evil. But He will not let us choose the consequences. And there are always consequences to choices. 

When we choose to live for Jesus, then He promises to never leave us nor forsake us. He says He will be with us always, even unto the end of the world. 

As we study His Word and build an intimate relationship with Jesus, who is the Word, we find making right choices are easier. 

The apostle Paul wrote in Acts 17:28 “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (have you repented? Repentance is a way of life)

31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

Sometimes it may seem God turns a blind eye or a deaf ear to choices we make because there’s no immediate repercussions. But later on in life payday comes. It may not come in the same manner as the original choice which was contrary to His will, but the consequence never fails to present itself as a reminder.

Some say, “Well, yeah, but that happened years ago, and I repented over it and moved on.” Nonetheless, the Bible says in Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

God will let you. He will let you decide your fate, as one person said once, do all  you can, make all the money you want, go everywhere you desire, but be sure, the choices you make will have consequences…so choose wisely, and consider God in every situation. 

Never forget—God will let you. 

Will you let Him — be your Savior, your Lord, your Father, your Guide, your Teacher, your soon coming King?

Eternity awaits…God will let you choose the life you want to live, and your choices here and now will determine where you will spend eternity…in Heaven with Him forever, or in Hell where the fire is not quenched and the worm never dies. 

D. S. Mullis

copyright.. Feb. 18, 2024