In part 5 of this Bible study, we’re looking at the most powerful weapon God has given to us in this life. 

We’ve already seen that we’re entrusted with the gospel

(1 Thessalonians 2:4), with a stewardship (1 Corinthians 9:17), and with God’s people (1 Peter 5:3). 

Now we’re going to explore the power of choice – or what is otherwise referred to as free will.  In this revealing passage from the Old Testament, God lays it all out. Life versus death. Blessing versus cursing.  

We could go on to add everything else we experience in this life.  Good versus evil.  Prosperity versus poverty.  Victory versus defeat. Joy versus sorrow. Hope versus despair.  

In other words, our lives are the sum total of the choices we make that determine our eternal destination. 

We call this the Bible’s most precious verse, and it is. But notice the words “whoever believes”. That’s free will. That’s the power of choice.  God encourages us to choose salvation by faith, but it’s all up to us. 

And notice the word “whoever” once again.  Free will to choose eternal life is given to every human being – no exceptions. Some denominations teach what they call a limited free will, but the Word of God says otherwise.

One of the ways the devil tries to infiltrate the minds of men to control their ability to choose life, is through the reality of racism.  He constantly works to divide us along the lines of race, pitting one group against another. 

But if we see people through the eyes of God – and not the eyes of men – we can easily see that all racism is demonic in origin. It seeks to instill deceptive misdirection in the minds and hearts of as many people as possible.

Is there racism on earth?  Of course there is, but never forget we are spirits living in bodies. Our bodies die, but our spirits don’t. They live on into eternity. That is the real reality we need to never forget. 

God loves everybody, and Satan hates everybody. There is no racism in heaven, and there is no racism in hell. 

The only place where this can be found is on earth, where the Bible calls the devil the God of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). That should tell us everything we need to know about what racism is, and where it comes from, and what its eternal objectives are.

The devil doesn’t care about our race – he hates everyone.  But he uses the sin of racism as a deceptive tactic to keep us at each other’s throat, ignoring the fact that we’re all heading for an eternity in either heaven or hell.

If he could, Satan would kill every one of us in the next 10 seconds, because that’s his endgame.  He wants to see all of us eternally lost in hell.  In the meantime, he wants to inflict us with as much pain and suffering in this life as he can.

Racism is one tool he uses to that end.  Why?  Because he is the living personification of hate for all that is of God.  He invented it, and it’s what his very essence is.  

We’re made in God’s image and likeness, and that makes us the devil’s one and only target. It doesn’t matter about the color of our skin, what race we belong to, the level of our education, the amount of money we make, or what country we call home – he is no respecter of persons. He hates everybody. 

On the other hand, God loves everybody. He wants to bless every  person on the planet in every way possible, even while we live in this upside world where good is being called evil, and evil is being called good (Isaiah 5:20). 

Its quite common to blame God for people’s problems, but that’s just a smokescreen Satan puts up to hide the fact that he’s the author of all pain, sickness and suffering.  Think about it.  

The history of earth as we know it is like a long 6,000 year bookshelf with books and 2 bookends. The left bookend represents the moment Adam’s sin gave Satan access into the earth as the god of this world system (Genesis 3/ 2 Corinthians 4:4). The right bookend represents the moment the devil is removed from the earth and thrown into the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1-3).  

With Satan functioning as the god of this world during these 6,000 years in between those 2 bookends, we see the earth experiencing all manner of pain, sickness, suffering, both individually and collectively, with endless wars, crime and atrocities committed by men upon each other. 

So, before Satan entered the picture everything was wonderful and beautiful – no suffering whatsoever.  After Satan has been removed from the earth everything will be wonderful and beautiful once again – no suffering whatsoever. But wait!  The devil isn’t gone for good - yet. 

The minute he is let out of the bottomless pit, once again he’ll have access to the people who survived the Tribulation, or were born during the 1,000 year millennial reign of Christ. And sure enough, once again people will be deceived and rise up against God (Revelation 20:7-15). 

That will be the final attempt by the devil to steal, kill and destroy, and after he’s thrown into the lake of fire, there will be eternal bliss and joy in the presence of the Lord (Revelation 21).  This isn’t hard to understand if you know your Bible!  

Get rid of the devil, and everything sinful and bad goes away, including demonic strategies like racism. God is not willing that any should perish (go to hell), but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  Any means any.  All means all.

So why is it that most people die and go to hell anyway?  Because of the choices they make in life. Jesus said the thief comes for three reasons – to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). 

God won’t make us open the door to our heart, and Satan can’t force that door shut against our free will. Jesus stands at our heart’s door and respectfully and patiently knocks. 

He doesn’t kick the door down and force anyone to receive Him as Lord and Savior, but once a person decides – chooses – to get saved, there is nothing the devil can do to stop it! 

Once again, notice the word “anyone”. Salvation is a free gift from God offered to every single human being. He doesn’t pick and choose who gets saved and who doesn’t. That’s a popular theology in many churches, but it doesn’t hold up under objective scrutiny in the Word of God. 

Anyone means anyone.  All means all.  Whoever means whoever.   The choice to open the door to our heart is up to us, not God.  He made His choice by sending Jesus, and Jesus made His choice by dying on the cross as our sin substitute. Everything that needed to be done to pave the way for our salvation has been done. 

Jesus is victorious over sin and Satan, and there’s nothing the devil can do about it – except deceive people and convince them to choose death instead of life. Unfortunately, most people let the devil take them right into hell. Jesus said the way to eternal life is a narrow road, and few find it. Wide is the road that leads to eternal death, and most chose to travel down that road (Matthew 7:13). 

When Jesus told Nicodemus that whoever chooses to believe in His saving work on the cross, He was telling him that every good and perfect gift comes from God through the power of free will. We can choose to use our faith and receive from God, or we can choose to cut God out of our lives by rejecting His free gifts that start with salvation. 

If we make that choice, we are choosing to empower the devil to deceive us and lead us straight to hell forever.  We have no one to blame for this except ourselves.

In Deuteronomy chapter 28, verses 1 through 14 will list all the promised blessings that we are entitled to enjoy because we are saved and children of God. The rest of the chapter will list all the curses that come when we choose to reject God’s love and refuse to receive our salvation by faith. 

Those first fourteen verses are what we call the blessings of Abraham (Galatians chapter 3). In the English language, the biggest word in these verses is the word “if”. 

In fact, those two letters and that one word make up the biggest word in all the Bible. The word “if” means the blessings being offered are conditional, not automatic. The word “if” is found four times in the first 15 verses of Deuteronomy chapter 28, using the NKJV translation. You’ll find it in verses 1, 9,13, and 15. 

God did something for us, but now we must do something in return. We must choose to obey His commands. We must choose to get saved, and choose to reject sin and not let it reign in our mortal bodies (Romans 6:21). 

The greatest and most powerful weapon we’ve been entrusted with is the power of choice – free will.  Our eternal destiny, and whatever rewards we will enjoy forever, are all up to us to secure and enjoy.  Don’t let the devil, or the world he controls, convince you to choose less than what Jesus bled, died and rose from the dead to provide for you. 

Starting with salvation, God has given us exceedingly great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:4).  But we have to use our faith to appropriate them into our lives. 

On September 21, 1978, I was born again.  I made my choice then, and I make it now every day.  Like Joshua thousands of years ago, concerning me and my house, we choose to serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). 

What about you?  Nobody can choose for you.  Use your weapons to their fullest potential.  Choose life, that you may live and be a great blessing to others in Jesus’ name.