YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO

I was heading to the supermarket on a Sunday afternoon and I saw a beggar along the road. I knew I had some money to give him, but I refused because of the laziness to reach deep down into my bag, get my purse and give him something. Even when I knew it was not right for me, I just ignored it all and went on as though nothing happened. The will of a person is the ability for you to do something without having to explain to anyone about it. It is actually stronger than the conscience because it is the will that decides to listen to the conscience; that makes it the most powerful tool and gift to man.  Someone’s decision to do something, whether for good or bad depends on the control of the will. The mind controls the will; before every action we take, it has been thought of and these thoughts occur in the mind which is put into effect in the will to act. The will of man is shown in the form of choice, where we have to decide between doing the right or wrong thing and that privilege is earned as maturity sets in. Decisions are made for children, young ones who cannot think for themselves, but as they grow, they unconsciously start making decisions based on their exposure and what they have learnt from their environment. The will is so strong that even God respects it. He never forces us to do what we do not want to do, but He advises us to make the right choice. It is so strong that we can decide to love others or hurt them, we can decide to give up or press on, we can decide to succeed or fail; our destiny lies in our hands and the will to make it, is in us.

The conscience is the faculty of man knowing right and wrong in connection with laws made known to him, which for us Christians is the Word of God, written upon our hearts by the Spirit of God at our new birth and implemented by God-called preachers and teachers, and our personal devotions. It is the voice that speaks to and corrects us when we are in error, but the will can suppress it over time if it is not listened to. People have made so many horrible decisions in life and blamed it on the devil. “I don’t know what came over me; it is the work of the devil". The funny this that while the action was taking place, they probably were spoken to by their conscience. But they chose not to listen, because the ‘will’ took control of them. But when the outcome is not what was they planned, they say it is the devil that pushed them to do it. If God has given us the ability to choose and cannot interfere with the choices we make, is it the devil that can do that? The devil has no power over the choices we make. The Bible says we will reap what we sow. it means whatever we choose to do in life, the result always shows, either negative or positive. An adage says “the way you make your bed, is how you will lie on it".