MY LIFE: #48 It's Your Choice

It is the believer’s choice to walk after the flesh or to live in their true identity in Christ! While "followers" must use self-effort, the indwelt choose to release Jesus.

CHOOSING OR REFUSING

Our relationship with Steve & Jane Phinney encompasses the deepest of friendships spanning over 40 years. It certainly included our parallel patterns of marriage, raising our families, vacations together, & incredibly wonderful times of laughter & joy. For me, however, Steve was so much more. As an impactful role model, teacher & prayer warrior, I watched, listened & learned. I matured in my Christian walk. For Steve, every struggle or challenge would become an opportunity to pray for God’s Provision. As a strategic visionary, I saw God reflected through him as many Kingdom ventures took shape & developed as the years progressed.

In the depth of his knowledge & instruction, I was never left confused or intimidated in my curiosity. In fact, I was lovingly introduced to Biblical truths much deeper than what I would have imagined. Steve’s ability to bring clarity to the Word, structuring his messages with testimony & instructional diagrams, left me longing for the next encounter. This pattern of discernment & unfolding revelation continued thru out the decades. I have been honored to walk alongside him & am excited that he is now sharing his journey with us all. It is to God that I give all the praise for this humble & faithful servant.

Art Smit, Illinois

In the quiet chambers of my heart, a battle frequently rages—a fleshly conflict between two opposing forces. The Word of God calls it the Spirit waging war against the flesh. On one side stands the allure of self-passions beckoning me toward rebellion, pleasure, and self-promotion. On the other side, a quiet whisper of the Holy Spirit nudging me to release Life from within. However—the nudge requires a life surrendered, a path less traveled.

“Choose flesh” whispers the dark tempter of the world. “Seek your desires, your ambitions, your momentary pleasures of greed.” And oh, how enticing it seems! The glittering promises of indulgence, the pursuit of personal gain—these sirens sing their seductive melody. Selfishness, like a cunning serpent of the demonic realm, coils around my heart, urging me to prioritize my flesh above the indwelling Life of the Holy Spirit.

But, slowly, I am learning to pause and reflect. For deep within, a hunger for the Spirit Life stirs—a longing for more than fleeting pleasures. I glimpse the emptiness of the tomb of self-centered pursuits—the mirage that vanishes 30 seconds upon choosing the self-life. The more I chase after selfish interests, the more I find myself adrift, lost in a sea of temporary gratification.

And then, at the crossroads of my choice, I encounter Jesus, from within. His eyes, pools of compassion, pierce through my defenses. His nail-scarred hands extend an invitation: “Take up your cross and follow Me.”  The cost is clear—the pathway of shame, suffering, and selfish interests front me. Then it hits me, choosing Life over the paradox of lies is where I find true life.

To take up the cross is to choose deliberately—to forsake self-interest for the sake of Christ. It means denying the allure of selfish interests and embracing the rugged road less traveled. Just as Jesus bore His cross, I, too, must bear mine. The weight of obedience, the surrender of pride—it all converges at this intersection.

In the above diagram, notice the differences between the soul and body walking after the flesh and the free-flowing Life of Christ by those who choose to walk in and after the Spirit.

Walking after the flesh is choosing to believe that our thoughts, “feelings,” and appearance define who we are – behavior flows from identity. On the other hand, walking in and after the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus means choosing to believe God’s indwelling Word (Life of Christ) to direct the soul and body in living righteousness. Changes need to take place in the mind and then in the choosing. Then, they will affect the body.

So here we stand at the crossroads. The world tugs at our sleeve, urging us toward the flesh. But my heart leans toward the Spirit—the narrow way, the upward climb. Folks, choosing Christ is not a one-time decision; it’s a daily surrender, a thousand little choices that assist in reshaping our identity in and through the Life of Jesus.

And so, with trembling hands and a resolute eternal power, we choose. We must choose the life of Christ—the path of selflessness, the joy of servanthood, the fellowship of dying to ourselves. For in losing our lives, we find it anew—a life intertwined with His, a story etched in the identity of the Son of God.

As for me, “Not my will, but Yours be done,” I whisper. And in that surrender, I discover the paradox: In choosing Christ, I gain everything.

Study these verses: Prov. 3:7-8; John 5:24; 8:32; 10:28; Rom. 5:12; 6:6; 10:13; 12:1; 1 Cor. 1:30; 6:13; 9:27; 2 Cor. 4:10; 5:17-2; Gal. 2:20; 5:1; Eph. 1:4, 6; 4:17-18; Phil. 4:6-7; Col. 1:13; 2:10; 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 4:12; 13:8; 1 John 5:13; Rev. 3:20.

Coming up next is #49, “Accepting my Righteousness.”

Review the full library of “My Life Series” HERE.