Where will we go and what will we say, or do?

These are choices that believers face and must make daily in a myriad of situations and circumstances. We must choose in regard to our relationship with others, then what to buy, what we say, where we will go, will we extend ourselves to certain others, will we be restrained and turn away from certain situations? All these are to be governed by the Lord in the life of the Christian. The Greek word translated "Lord" actually means "owner" or "governor."

Some of our choices may at times seem insignificant. But, since we are the regenerated (born again) "children of God," all our choices are actually between evil and good. We may think we are independent beings but that is not true, Biblically. We've never really live independently – we live either in accord with the spontaneous promptings of the "Sin-nature" that dwells within our flesh bodies (Rom 8:3b), or we live in accord with the "Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:2) in our human spirit.

Read and note that the KJV word "servant(s)" here below is better translated as "slave(s)."

Romans 6:14-23 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin (sin's power), and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul writes that we are to walk in accord with and by the strength of the indwelling guiding light and life of Christ and this is how then that we overcome the impulses of "the flesh." "This I say then, Walk in (accord with) the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh (Gk., sarx, flesh)" (Galatians 5:16). We are to turn from the prompting of the Sin-spirit that dwells within our "flesh" (cf., Rom 7:17-19).

It may be surprising to many, but when we choose well we have no inner sense. It's like living in a healthy body; we don't sense our body's wellness; except we may note how wonderful it is in contrast to our body being sick or weak.

By contrast, however, we may choose wrongly; that's when we are walking independent of the Lord, ignoring His inner warning of restraint. When we choose to live independent of Him it really means we don't trust or agree with His Spirit leading us… this is an act of Sin. The Apostle Paul says, "Whatsoever is not of faith (trust) is sin." (Rom 14:23) and "the just shall live by faith" (Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11). The Lord desires that we as Christians will ultimately come to learn to conduct our daily manner of living in this way of walking in accord with the indwelling "Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:2a). Our faith or lack thereof is proven by our walking in accord with Him, or not.

Our walk, either with or contrary to the Lord's life in us, exhibits our free-will to choose. Without such a free-will option man would be reduced to that of a robot or zombie. God Himself is the ultimate free-will, and man, made in God's image was created with a free-will, as given by God. Our life choices are to be rooted in our trust relationship with Christ. Our love for the Lord could not be expressed as being genuine apart from having free-will. Only freedom of choice permits us to give genuine expression to that love. If one were required or compelled to love, it would then not be genuine love. To compel one to love would be to negate genuine love; love must be an act of free-will.

God is the original giver and expresser of love. God gave Christ for us first, as an act of His love. He gave His Son that we might be reconciled to God, and saved from the judgment that was due us as the Devil's "children of wrath" (Eph 2:3).  

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that HE GAVE his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (Zoë, the eternal spirit life of God).

If we love Him, it is only "because He first loved us" (see 1John 4:19). Once we have seen, received, and tasted of God's love, our hearts are captured. Yet, the Apostle Paul says we Christians, who are still free to say no to God's will in our "day to day" living, are now "constrained by the bands of God's love," in appreciation for His giving His Son, Jesus Christ, whom He has dispensed into us.

2 Cor. 5:14a For THE LOVE OF CHRIST CONSTRAINETH US…

Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory: