Our youth have the age of 18 embedded in their minds as the absolute time of their release from parental control. Let’s all face facts. We love the freedom to have it our way without any opposition. We work hard to protect the right to make our own choices and be in control. Does our submission to God remove the right to choose? When we present our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), is God taking those choices away?

Choice Without Opposition

Submission to authority can be difficult, especially when there is a disagreement. In the recent decision, the government changed its mind and removed the guaranteed freedom of choice for women to abort their babies. This change stirred up protests and acts of rebellion. It is not the first time the government has changed its perspective. From the beginning of time until recently, the government banned same-sex marriages. The choices of those who wanted to indulge in a same-sex relationship were not considered or acknowledged on any level until the government’s viewpoint changed once again. This time, it was a popular choice and the people loved that they could now make this choice without opposition.

Man’s First Choice

When God created man, He also created choice. He placed one forbidden tree in the midst of many others He freely gave to man for food. God told the man in Genesis 2:16-17 that he could freely eat the fruit of any tree he wanted, just not that one tree. Adam could choose an apple or an orange or even squash. It was his choice. However, it wasn’t about which fruit or veggie he chose. It was the choice of obedience or disobedience. It was a choice that said, “I will obey God no matter what outward influence is around me or even what my own desires are.”

Loving God First

God wanted Adam and Eve to choose Him above what looked good or what they felt would be better for them. He wanted the couple to submit to His authority without rebellion or complaints. God wasn’t looking for protests. He was looking for them to love Him first. The forbidden tree represented an option. There was nothing wrong with the tree, just loving words from the Father that said, “Don’t eat from it.” It was a choice to obey God over the influence of the serpent. It was an inner act of the heart that should redirect them back to the ample provision God had already given them. Yet, they used their power of choice to stand against God’s plan and let their flesh lead them to the consequences God warned them of for their disobedience.

Our Heavenly Father did not stop Adam and Eve from making a deadly decision, and He will not stop us. He simply gave the consequence of living out of alignment with His Word. We have the power to choose whatever we want in life. He just asks that we submit to His authority. He wants our obedience. He wants us to trust Him with our entire being. This type of life is not just giving up a Sunday to go to church and keeping Monday through Saturday God-free. It is more than just reading a devotional in the morning and leaving God’s presence until the next sunrise. This is a choice we make to place God first and foremost in every part of our lives, in every decision we make, and in every part of our day. It is the choice that God sits back and lets us make because He wants us to choose Him. He is not forcing us to serve Him. He is not twisting our arms to be in a committed relationship with Him. He simply says, “I am here if you want me. If you choose not to want me, my Word explains the consequences.”

Will We Choose God?

Unlike the government, God doesn’t change His mind. His Word never fails. He doesn’t decide something that was a sin is no longer a sin. He is the same always. He just looks for those that want His best. He is our Faithful Creator and has the blueprint for our lives. He knows our potential and our beginning from our end. The choice is still ours to make. Will we whole-heartedly serve God? Let us all take a moment to examine ourselves and make sure we are making choices that keep God in control.

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants.” (Deut. 30:19 NASB)

Janet Boynes founded Janet Boynes Ministries in Maple Grove, Minnesota, in 2006. She authored the books Called Out: A Former Lesbian’s Discovery of Freedom, God & Sexuality, and her latest: God & The LGBT Community. Janet is an ordained minister under the Assemblies of God and travels the U.S. and overseas sharing a message of redemption and hope through the power of Jesus Christ.