The power of choice is a recurring issue in the teachings of  Martha Kilpatrick, most notably in Response Ability, The Power of Decision, My Choice: Life or Death, Adoration, and The Healing Power of Giving Thanks. With June’s Message of the Month, “Yes or No, We Can’t Have Both,” the anointing of the Holy Spirit on this issue has only deepened. Here is a timely reminder of what’s at stake when we exercise our free will.

The Power of Choice in Sonship

In “Yes or No, We Can’t Have Both,” Martha says, “Unless we’re lead by the Spirit, we aren’t in Sonship.” We can choose to surrender to the Holy Spirit’s lead, or we can choose to do what we think is best. To rebuff the Spirit is saying ‘No’ to God. Too often, we believe that there are no consequences for choosing against God. But in giving us free will, God gives us the power to say no, to leave Him. We can choose to forfeit our Sonship…and all that comes with it.

The Power of Choice in Relationship

When we say ‘Yes’ to God and ‘No’ to the world, the world will hate us. The Bible is quite clear on this point, and there’s no avoiding it in our daily lives. When we love God above all else, and choose His will over our own, every relationship we have is affected. Sooner or later we’re drawn to a crossroad in these relationships, and it can be incredibly painful. When that happens, we have a choice. We are free to preserve or pursue the affection and praise of man, but if that’s our choice, we will not have the praise of God.

The Power of Choice in Discernment

When we refuse to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, we become blind. God alone knows what’s really in the heart of a person, and when we choose to go our own way, we shut the door on the Spirit’s wisdom and discernment. We become completely vulnerable, unable to see the wolves in sheep’s skins. We are ravaged by evil’s subtlety, at the mercy of the merciless, and then we wonder how it happened. As believers, our spiritual discernment is entirely dependent on our obedience to God ­– and that’s a choice.

The Power of Choice in Living

It’s incredibly sobering to be reminded of the consequences of our choices, but the good news is that it works both ways. “Yes or No, We Can’t Have Both” is a timely warning, but it’s also a call to choose LIFE. We can repent of our choices and ask forgiveness. We can choose to see what God wants to show us. We can turn to the Lord with all our hearts and meet Him in the place of our utter failure. We can fix our eyes on Jesus until His Light and Love so fills us that saying ‘Yes’ to Him is a thing of joy, not just obedience. We can choose to live as God’s beloved children, astonished at the ease of His yoke and the lightness of His burden. We can choose to love Him with all we have and all we are and watch as our lives change in the most surprising and wonderful ways.