Do Your Choices Reflect Your Hopes or Your Fears?

Let your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.
So many choices in life….Simple choices such as food, clothes, homes, cars to major choices such as marriage, careers, religion and children. Life is full of choices. They begin at a young age and each choice will determine your next steps in life. The question is how do you make your choices? Do you make them out of fear? Or do you make them out of hope?

We all have things we hope for- those dreams and desires that are so sweet. Your hopes may be dreams for your future or they may reflect your love toward someone else. If you are a parent, most likely most of your hopes revolve around your children.

Unfortunately,  we also have things we fear. Things that make us cringe with dread and anxiety. Those thoughts that remind you of the worst that could possibly go wrong.  We all have fears, it’s natural. But when we invite fear in, it doesn’t like to leave. The things you fear can dominate your thoughts and actions. It will consume you if you allow it.

I’ve been in that place that fear dominated every thought, every breath and every decision. My actions were based on fear of the “what if”, and every “what if” was the worst case scenerio.  Now, I ask myself what if my decisions had been based on hope. What if every decision had been based on “what if”, and every “what if” had been believing God for his promises?

So how will you make daily choices?  How will you make life altering choices? Will you let fear decide your actions or will you allow hope to reign?

When we act out of fear, we will make decisions that are not in line with God’s will.

Fear can cause you to:

1. Make hasty decisions that might seem good at the moment, but could be disastrous for your future. We act quickly and irrationally. WE ACT BECAUSE WE FEAR!
2. Not make decisions at all for fear of making the wrong choices. Then we become complacent and hopeless. WE DO NOT ACT BECAUSE WE FEAR!

Fear is from the enemy.  Fear is created in our minds and our hearts to keep us from waking in faith. God never puts fear in our hearts.
“God didn’t give us a spirit that makes us weak and fearful. He gave us a spirit that gives us power and love. It helps us control ourselves.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭

 

Hope will cause us to :

1. Act in faith. Knowing that God has us in His hand. Hope will remind us that we are not alone in this journey of life. God has plans for us and they are always good. WE CAN ACT BECAUSE WE HAVE HOPE!
2. Realize that life is more than the moment we are living in. Life is 10% of what happens to us and 90% of how we react. We don’t have to make decisions based on what has just happend. We can think clearly and rationally when we remember that life is more than just what we see at the moment. WE  DO NOT ACT BECAUSE WE HOPE!

Jer. 29:11- I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you.

Today, choose HOPE not fear!