Examining the Choices We Make

God wants to bless you.

Like never what you have to position yourself to be blessed by making better choices often live calls for each of us to make choices. And when it calls for us to make them is up to us to take advantage of the opportunities that are given dust… Who's holding you back crying about, you know, this is an unfair world billing unfair world. The first sibling rivalry on this Thursday edition of Destin for victory hello and welcome to another day of teaching with Pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor, destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California, life is largely about the choices we make choices small choices even when you decide not to choose to is a choice today. Pastor Paul takes us to the garden of Eden to men to offerings and one very sad result. Stay with us now or stop by Pastor Paul.net anytime to hear today's message or any recent Destin for victory message on demand. That's Pastor Paul.net you can also subscribe to or download the podcast at Google podcast sort.

Wherever you enjoy your accounts must join Pastor Paul. Now she shares today's message examining the choices we make go with me to Genesis chapter 4, beginning with verse one now Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived and bore Cain and said I have acquired a man from the Lord.

Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground and in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.

Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of his back, and the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but he did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So when the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen. If you do well, will you not be accepted and if you do not do well send lies at the door and its desire is for you, but you should rule over it. All right, let's begin the walk through this this issue of choice is this, a boy what a strange text for you to talk to us here with Dr. go into another year and you want to talk about Abel and Cain and Adam and Eve, what would that will you see in a few moments you'll see in a few moments because the first point I want to make is often live calls for each of us to make choices. I want you to think with me through this message often live calls for each of us to make choices. Life is going to put you in a position where you got to make choices you don't have a choice but to make choices.

And so you need to understand that is just par for the course. Life is going to put you in places from time to time rather often when you think about it where you have to make choices. Just think about your day and plot all the points during your day. When you make a choice. Could be a subtle choice of small joys, a simple choice, but it's something you decide on now. I called your attention to this particular passage because I want you to notice volitional events in just the first five verses of the passage all the things that are volitional that are the result of somebody making a choice. First thing you notice is Adam and Eve had a baby, that's choice. Now the Lord had instructed them, be fruitful and multiply. Absolutely true in all mankind was given that I called and to be fruitful and multiply.

In other words, God creates us, but he uses the process of pro creation in order to do it and so we are the handiwork of God.

But God doesn't do it because snowstorm dropped you into your into a nursery in your house that oneness starts doing it was God's will, but it was the result of a choice of two people and sold you need to understand that's volitional they had a baby and then you look and see in the next verse they had another baby.

That's another choice they had came first and then they had a bowl and that was a choice I know some of you think my one. My parents told me I was an accident but an accident that quote unquote accident could not happen unless they made the choice to the King James language known each other and so it's a choice that was made.

It's a volitional event.

They chose to have one baby than they chose to have a second baby keep looking at the passage you also see that Cain became a man whose vocation had to do with agriculture. Why again, the Lord had said to mankind that you were to have dominion over the earth and literally that brought about the need for agricultural choices for people to make to ensure that the earth was replenished and the earth was constantly giving and God put life in the city, but the seeds had to be developed had to be planted. All of the crops had to be planted so that there could be the process we know as agriculture. That was a choice. Cain became a man of the field tiller of the ground next choice. It talks about Abel, the younger brother Abel chose to keep livestock that was a choice choice so that the livestock could also be managed just like that work will be managed by one man, then the livestock could be managed by another man in that family.

And that's how that family would be able to flourish and to pass on some skills and some life locations to others, and so you see that was a choice. Cain made the choice to become a man of the ground and Abel became a choice of one who became a man who made the choice to keep livestock.

These were choices they made them when you move on. You see that Ray Charles to give an offering to the Lord and it is wonderful when we realize that offerings are just that God blesses us as a result of us honoring him. The Bible tells you honor God with the fruit that came later on in the Scriptures were right here in the book of beginnings, but later on.

The principle is spelled out very very directly that you honor God, who is the giver of life and give overall health and strength and all the good things that resulted in you having what you have and the Bible says it is just right. Honor God with the firstfruits of what you have, so the principal is articulated to later in the Bible when here you see the practice, literally in the first family that God has given, and the right response is for us to get back to him and so look at the choice that was made bold, though these men show to give offerings to the Lord in the course of time. Abel gave firstfruits and game. The fact of what he had and big generous portions.

It tells you that was the choice Abel made.

I want to say thank you to God by how much and how how conspicuous my gratitude is as I get up to him. That's the choice Abel made Cain in the course of time, also gave an offering, but you don't see the language anything like what you see when it speaks of Abel Cain's offering was rather Kaslow rather minimal rather okay I guess I need to do something for God. And so he brings an offering from the fruit of the ground.

Based on his vocation, but it wasn't lavish. It didn't have the feel even when you read the words he didn't have the feel that you get when you read about how able D all right. So they both made a choice to give to the Lord. That was a good choice that they decided to give but the BMJ different Lee one-man data from a heart of generosity in the heart of worship and he wanted to lavish his thanks on God by the way, he gave his offering and the other guy was rather casual. He gave but it didn't say to God, what Abel's offering said that God let me pause just long enough to say that I want to help people live the abundant life here in the 21st century. But let me tell you in no uncertain terms the only way to live the abundant life is to give God abundant praise and abundant worship and abundance even when you give into the kingdom of God.

It matters what you give it matters how you give, and it matters why you give stay with us the second half of Pastor Paul Shepard's message is coming right up. We want to thank all of you who support testing for victory with your prayers and financial support, gifts that help Esther Paul share the joy the gospel message with the growing audience destined for victory is supported entirely by friends like you, and this summer when donations to the ministry often decline your support is very much needed.

So please prayerfully consider making your generous gift to Destin for victory today. Give online safely and securely from our website. Pastor Paul.net or give us a call at 855-339-5500. That's 855-339-5500. You can't control what happens to you, only how you respond to this Pastor Paul with the rest of today's testing for victory message examining the choices we make. I want to say our church is very generous to people. How does this is noticeably just hit this real quick and get back to my notes. I church is very generous, and not only do we bless the kingdom in many ways.

We also bless the citizens of the kingdom and we bless people in need.

In many ways and I've since I've been a pastor. We've always made sure part of our budget is earmarked so that people can be blessed when they are in me, but I learned over the years that I've got to respect the fact that some people have not worshiped God properly impaired, giving, and so when you need help. You need to look at your own life and say what have I done to advance the kingdom. What have I done to worship God by giving, if it is or nothing at all. You need to realize you've been cursing your life. Don't look to us to try to bail you out when you live in under a curse you brought on yourself. Fact of the matter is we have to learn to honor God. You see when you get that look right at this passage. They both made the choice to give but they gave in different ways and it had a different response from God himself. What you told here, respect did Abel's offering all about you but I want God respect in my life.

God respected Abel's offering God the hot respect Cain's offering and subtle income blog I should be glad I do so much that many bills I have these would be glad I bought some offering no know God and have to take anything off you just any old thing God.

It was then were some even giving is not God really need you to do it… Me due to doing the Lords and the fullness thereof the world they that dwell therein the kingdom of God is going to use what you give. But God," including the Jew to give you need to give, and you need to give like Abel gave so that you put yourself in a able position to be richly blessed. All right, now I'm back to my notes, but you need to understand choices have been made. The boys coming to the earth was a choice. The boys locations were choice. The boys giving were choices. I point these things out simply to drive home the fact that while there are things in life over which we have no control. You should not adopt the point of view that your life is exclusively the product of what happens to you. That's the point I want to make. Don't act like well I was born alongside the tracks. I was born the wrong gender order long race little wrong. Ethnicity around whatever you know I came already behind the eight ball. All you need to get that out of your mind.

You need to realize that God is putting you in a position to be blessed by teaching you how to make choices that will result in you being blessed it's about your choices.

Yes, we all have stuff happen to us, that's not good.

There's nobody watching this service right now who can say everything in my life is been one of why haven't had a sad time. I haven't had a tough moment in my life.

I haven't had any difficulty I haven't had any challenges any trials. If you could honestly say that you need somebody to lay hands on you. If you pulled on your here is you are deceived matters.

All of us know what it is to be facing challenges from time to time.

Situations that were not of our making difficulties, sicknesses, circumstantial changes that we wish we could change, but things happen to us, but here's what I want to say you need to get out all the stuff happen to me and that's why I'm in the position business you need to get into a new attitude and realized that yes there are things that happened was that none of us have any charge over by Lee can make good choices and when we make good choices and right choices. God then will respond by blessing us and making up for the fact that we all have to go through some tough things in life and you see the hand of the Lord bring you through your difficulties. In other words, one of the authors that ought blessed me so much when I first moved to California back in 1989 was a man named Stephen Covey he's he's no longer with us, but Stephen wrote some wonderful books and the book that really impacted me in 1989 when I moved to California.

In fact, I believe the book came out that year was seven habits of highly effective people, and he talks about a lot of really strong principles. He was a religious man and so I know that a lot of the principles came from the Scriptures. He didn't cite Scriptures in the book. It's a secular book, but believe me it was chock-full of a lot of principles that I could easily trace as being rooted in Scripture and one of the concepts that he talked about throughout that book was. We've got a learn to operate in our circle of control versus our circle of concern or sphere of control versus sphere of concern, however, he put it, it is two different areas and he said too many of us spend too much time in our sphere of concern goes all the things you're worried about all the things that concerned about all the things you regret all the things you don't like all the things you wish were different in your life. Sphere of concern somebody all live in concerned that the city you live in concern and Stephen taught we've got a learn to operate in the circle of control that's where your choices cause things to happen and I need you to know that God wants to bless you. Like never before. But you have to position yourself to be blessed by making better choices. So that's the first point I want to drive home.

Often life calls for each of us to make choices. And when it calls for us to make them. It's up to us to take advantage of the opportunities that are given to us… Who sold you back crying about, you know, this is an unfair world is billing unfair world welcomed on earth you will know when you get to heaven because you will notice the improvement that the matter is this world is ever going to be fair is never going to be like this world is never going to do everything the way God wants it done because this world system is governed by the God of small G of this world that's not Jehovah that is Satan.

He governs a system that is against fairness against justice against right that mean we shouldn't fight for those things on we should but I'm just telling you. Don't you believe that you're going to get all the justice and all the fairness in this world not going to happen.

You gotta go to another world for that and I'm glad that because of Jesus we are on our way, who trusted him as Savior and Lord. So let me begin the make.

The second point and then I'm going to take a quick break when you make a poor choice. You should own that fact all right now slightly essential to make choices is the first point, but the second one is when you make a poor choice. You have to that fact you would do well told us that it was said in this passage here in Genesis 4 it says and Cain was there and we angrily watch this and his countenance fail. Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell way way way look at the passage use all the choices that the two guys made.

His brother made a choice to make a big grateful statement to God. It was a choice able made campaign also made a choice and while he gave the method and the fact that it wasn't elaboration wasn't born of a heart of truly trying to make a statement. Lord I love you so much and I appreciate you so much and I want to lavish this on you is offering was casual it was regular. It was reach in your pocket whenever you pull out give it in the plate member back in the days you walk around often in church and you just drop some limited people going back to your seat. She chose to give that way. So the question is, so why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen when the only reason God been respected is because of the choice you made, so he got understand that when you make a poor choice. You should own that fact. We've all made bad choices from time to time, God will condemn you, so don't condemn yourself, instead make the next right choice. As CS Lewis said you can't go back and change your beginning but you can start now and make a new ending. If you need a little help in making that new ending. If you've made some bad choices and you feel helpless to reverse your decision, please reach out to us anytime and ask for prayer or ministry team will be happy to join you in praying for whatever needs you may have visited Pastor Paul.net use the contact us feature to share your request why you're there, be sure to ask your pastor pause monthly letter of encouragement. Yours, at no cost or obligation. And we have a great resource to share with you today. Pastor Paul Shepard's booklet you and God's army. Now in his letters. The apostle Paul describes the church in various ways. A flock of body and Army in this booklet.

Pastor Paul reminds us that we are continuously involved in spiritual warfare explains what it takes for us to become good soldiers.

That's your in God's army now booklet from Pastor Paul in our gift to you by request for your generous gift to Destin for victory today. Call 855-339-5500 or visit Pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538.

Again, the addresses Destin for victory.

Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 in God's kingdom. There is a hell available to those who are willing to confess their mistakes their sins their shortcomings in the kingdom of God. Failure doesn't have to be final. That's tomorrow in Pastor Paul Shepard's message examining the choices we make. But until then, remember he who began a good work and you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory