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From the beginning Genesis 2:16 “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

            Because of His deep love for us, God gave everyone a choice, and that choice includes whether we choose to love Him and trust Him with all our heart, or to turn our backs on Him and go our own way by trusting some other plan or process.

That responsibility to choose and decide whom we would trust, was given the first day, and it can never be taken back. Joshua 24:15 “Choose you this day whom ye will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

            Every day we have choices to make and the choices we make, are the building blocks of who we are; who we believe; and who we trust. If we ask ourselves before every choice, Do I truly believe with all my heart in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we can answer Yes, then our choice will confirm our faith in God.

            Jesus said that if we choose to follow Him; trust Him; and love Him, we cannot place even our own life ahead of Him Luke 14:26. It is our choice—every day with every decision we make. If we are oppressed in body, it is our choice to repent of our sins and to trust in the atoning Blood of Jesus in faith; or choose to take some drug and trust the system of the world in unbelief.

            If we need cash, it is our choice to place that request before God in faith and belief; or to take a loan from a bank with no faith and in unbelief. If we are persecuted, insulted, or offended, it is our choice to place that matter before God in prayer Romans 12:19; or to complain about the injustice and file a claim in court.

            The Christian life is all about serving God in spirit and in truth. Jesus said Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

            Every day it is our choice to serve and trust God; or to serve and follow the world. Everything we meet every day is an opportunity to prove whether we love the Lord, or we love the world. If a coworker demands a pay increase, it is our choice to follow that example, or follow Bible instructions—Luke 3:14 “Be content with your wages.”

            The choices we make show if we are reading God’s Word and willing to do His will. If shopping for apparel, it is our choice to follow the appearance of the world for conformity and acceptance; or to search for modest clothing of the believer—for comfort and cover.

Our choice in music is a reflection of our faith—lyrics that glorify God—Ephesians 5:19-20 ”Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and “making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Satan’s influence is so strong—and he is determined to deceive, defeat, and destroy anyone who allows him. Satan makes sin popular and easy, but it is deceitful and destructive—we can fall into his trap. Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”

There is much false teaching and many “other gospels” Galatians 1:6 being printed and preached and followed today—in churches, online, and by many other means. What we read, hear, or accept as correct teaching from the Bible, will affect our conduct; our conversations; and our life. It is our choice every day to live in the light of God’s Truth—or to follow the darkness of the world.

The apostle said to—2 Timothy 4:2-4 “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Millions professing Christianity do not want sound doctrine. They search for teaching that would suit their life—a life of self-trust and no faith in God. The false doctrine of Once Saved, Always Saved, is a delusion straight from the devil. He convinced Adam and Eve that their choices would not affect their faith in God—but it did, and seriously!

Satan approaches in disguise—possibly as a minister who teaches eternal security or perseverance of the saints, or some other name, but it is the same dangerous doctrine. OSAS teaches that after a one-time profession of faith, we can never fall away from that faith—but Jesus said Luke 8:13 “For a while [some] believe, and in time of temptation fall away.”

The true salvation plan is a true repentance toward God, and a steadfast faith that keeps trusting on the Blood of Christ. Hebrews 3:14 ”We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end”—a confidence that if we choose to trust God in faith for healing, protection, peace, and everything else, He will be faithful to His promises.

If there was only one example in the Bible of a person being in a saved position by faith, but later falling away from that faith in Christ, then that one example would refute the delusion of eternal security—OSAS, a false teaching that is prevalent today on a global scale.

There are, however, many examples of being once saved, and later being lost through unbelief. We stand secure by our faith in Christ, but our faith can falter and cease to exist—we are then no longer in a secure position of trust. Romans 11:20 “Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.”

God chose Saul as Israel’s first king. 1 Samuel 10:24 “Samuel said to all the people, ‘Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen?’” Later, God rejected David’s oldest brother, Eliab to be Saul’s successor, because his heart was not right 1 Samuel 16:7. God had initially chosen King Saul because his heart was right; but later the attitude of his heart changed and was not right.

King Saul had the Holy Spirit at first 1 Samuel 10:10, but later God had to say 1 Samuel 15:11 "I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments." The king was obeying God at first, but later he stopped obeying Him. 1 Samuel 16:14 “The Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul.”

The king’s spiritual decline began at that point. His jealousy of David 1 Samuel 18:7-9 led to other sins, including multiple murder attempts on David’s life and even on his own son Jonathan. The king ordered the murder of eighty-five priests 18-19, and he 1 Samuel 22:19 “Put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.” The Bible says 1 John 3:15 “No murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

That is evidence the king was heading for the lake of fire due to wrong choices he made. Let us also consider what the prophet said to him after the king consulted a witch. Samuel asked Saul 1 Samuel 28:16 "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy?” We know Hebrews 10:27 that raging fire “Will consume the enemies of God.”

It was the king’s choice to repent and turn back to God in faith, but he chose instead to follow his own self-will in unbelief. When the prophet Samuel spoke those words, the king had only one day to live, but the king still had not repented and later committed suicide on mount Gilboa 1 Samuel 31:4.

Our decisions will eventually determine our destination, because our choices reflect our faith in God—or lack of faith in Him. The choices we make give evidence that we love God and want to do His will; or that we have turned our back on God and want to do our own will. Jesus said Matthew 12:50 "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

The apostle was careful and selective of those who traveled with him. On one occasion he selected Demas—who was a believer at the time. Later, however, the apostle had to inform his assistant of a change of attitude in Demas. 2 Timothy 4:10 “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.”

It was his choice, and he chose the world. James 4:4 “Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” The apostle said, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?” Demas did not guard his heart Proverbs 4:23, so that change in heart seriously affected his choices and jeopardized his eternal life.

1 John 2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” The first and great commandment Matthew 22:37 is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” The “crown of life” is promised to those who love God enough to come through trials, tests, and temptations still making the choice to trust Him in faith James 1:12.

Every day we choose, and our choices are an indication of who we are and where we are spiritually. The Christian life is one of learning and growing in faith—as well as remaining in God’s Truth. The Word of God is where we learn the will of God, so we can practice our faith by the choices we make. We are either a child of God or an enemy of God; we follow the Lord, or we follow the world. Matthew 12:30 "He who is not with Me is against Me.”

God’s love for us compelled Him to send His Son to die for us. Our choices give proof if we appreciate His love and sacrifice—or not. Romans 5:8 “God gives proof of His love to us in Christ’s dying for us while we were still sinners.” Every day it is our choice to believe and trust God—or not believe and not trust God! But Matthew 10:22 “He who endures to the end will be saved.”