Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! (Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT)
I once had a conversation with a young Believer who found herself perplexed over a sensitive matter. She was in a valley of decision and was conflicted with a need to make a choice that could have far-reaching implications on her Christian journey. She was at a crossroads. The young lady was confronted with the choice to fall back into an old mindset which could land her in a familiar, but imprisoning place of offense and defeat, or to surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit to help her overcome the hurdle that had been placed in her path to impede her journey toward intimacy with God.
Google defines crossroads as an intersection of two or more roads. A point at which a crucial decision must be made that will have far-reaching consequences.
Beyond the progression of our dialogue, I began to think about references to crossroads in scripture. Among the most outstanding references was that of Deuteronomy 30:19 when Moses was reiterating the covenant of God to those who had survived forty years in the wilderness. They literally found themselves at a crossroads as they were about to cross over Jordan to enter the land of promise. As they were, Moses presented them with the very same choices as their forefathers and admonished them to break off the chains of the past generation and choose life.
Crossroads are a regular occurrence in everyday life. Believers and non-believers alike are given the opportunity to make choices that will yield the fruit of life or lead us down a path of destruction. Just imagine, one choice could determine the outcome of an entire generation. Moses was used mightily by God to deliver the children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt so that they could worship God in freedom. Here they are, at a crossroad called obedience which would have enabled them to possess a land flowing with life and freedom; but instead, they made the choice to go the way of their own selfish desires which led to death in the wilderness.
When reading this account in the book of Exodus it is quite easy to observe the choices made at the crossroads by the children of Israel and shake our heads in dismay. After a miraculous deliverance by the hand of God, supernatural provision, and Divine protection in the wilderness, you would think – surely they would choose to live life God’s way, right? Unfortunately with them as it often is with some of us, when facing the crossroads of life we are engulfed in the emotion of the moment, thus rendering our teachings, instructions, and even God’s record of faithfulness to us in the past ineffective in our decision.
What then shall we do in critical moments at the crossroads?
STOP and refuse to be driven by the emotion of the moment. Quiet your thoughts and self-talk. The worse thing we can do when emotionally heightened is open our mouths in haste.
LOOK back at where God has brought you from and remind yourself of His great faithfulness to you in times past. Examine the results of choices you’ve made in similar circumstances to determine your most favorable course of action.
LISTEN to the quietness of the voice of God in the midst of the clamoring of the situation that is making a demand on you to choose speedily. Allow His voice to give you a sense of peace so that all of the instruction and wisdom you’ve gleaned over time can speak louder than the noise in that instance at the crossroads.
Loving Father who does all things well and makes all things beautiful in its time, all glory and honor be unto You. I pray O Lord, that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart will be pleasing and acceptable in your eyes. Grant that at every crossroad I face I will stop, look and listen so that you may be glorified in all I do. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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