Have you ever noticed that whenever you decide to take a particular path you are challenged to keep your promise to yourself?

The bible documents several stories of heroes whose decisions were tested but we will look at just one. In Daniel 3, we find the story of three young men named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who decided to worship only God, not idols. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a golden image erected and decreed that when all people heard “all types of music” they must bow down and worship the golden image (verse 5). Otherwise, they would be thrown into a fiery furnace. The three Christian men told the king that whether God saved their lives or not they were not going to worship the idol (verses 17, 18).

The word decide has Latin roots and is made up of two words, “de” meaning “off” and “caedere” meaning “cut.” To decide then is to cut off everything else except the most important thing. We tend to succumb to challenges because we give ourselves alternatives or have not committed to our decision.

Michael Jordan decided he was going to be the best basketball player in the NBA and allowed nothing to distract this pursuit. Let me bring it closer to home. Your mom, dad or provider decided they were going to provide food, clothes and shelter for you and conquered challenges to make it happen. Here is something interesting, you make decisions every day which you now perceive as insignificant or easy. But many of them seemed scary or even impossible at first, yet you rose to the challenge. You are not done yet.

Now rise to new challenges. Decide and commit. God is for you.

Romans 8:29-31 says,

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?