Please read The Critical Choices You Must Make in 2019 Part 1 Here
Choose to be teachable. Choose to be humble. Jesus said in verse 39 to verse 40. He said “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?” Verse 40, He said a disciple is not above the teacher but everyone who is perfectly trained. Everyone that is perfectly trained not just trained but perfectly trained will be like his teacher” That means we all have teachers. In fact, the way God has structured the world, you can't be without a teacher. In fact, life is a teacher itself. Be teachable, be humble. Choose to learn, humble yourself, don’t ever think you have arrived.
We are all students, disciples of Jesus Christ, disciples of the Holy Spirit. Remain teachable under His hands in 2019, learn from Him, humble yourself. Have a teachable spirit. The bible said “humble yourself under the mighty hand of God”, humble yourself, learn of Him, learn of Jesus. Jesus said “learn of me for I am meek and lowly” because if you are perfectly trained in humility and teachability you will be like Jesus. Choose to be teachable, do not let pride hinder you from becoming like Him. Don't be puffed up unnecessarily when situations come at you. Don’t look at yourself as anything, humble yourself.
From verse 41 and 42 “you are a hypocrite if you haven't removed the plank in your eye in order remove a speck in the eye of your brother.” An unteachable person is a hypocrite. Jesus said “you should fix your own problem first, sit at the feet of Jesus and learn then you will see clearly to remove the speck on your brother’s eye.” Jesus didn't say “don't remove the speck on your brothers’ eye”. He said we should remove the one in our own eyes first. Be teachable, be humble. These are important choices we need to make in 2019.
Choose to be focused on God’s purpose for your life. Don't be distracted, focus on the major thing that God has set ahead of you. Don't be distracted by so many things. Don't be encumbered. Don’t be Martha. Jesus said to Martha, “you are too encumbered, you are too distracted, you are too busy but Mary has chosen the right part, she has chosen the right way and real thing and it will never be taken away from her.” Don't be busy with activities. You are here and there, you are everywhere. Focus in the place of prayer, in the place of meditation, in the place of preparation.
Listen to Podcast: The Critical Choices You Should Make in 2019
Focus on God’s purpose for your life. Verse 40 and 42 also amplifies this point for us. Deal with the plank in your own eyes first. Focus on your own purpose. Don't be like that man that his brothers gave him a vine yard to keep and his own vineyard, he has not kept. His brothers were even angry with him. If you let your own vineyard lie fallow, you are not making the right choice. God wants us to focus on His purpose for our lives. No wonder Apostle Paul said “this one thing I do daily, forgetting the things that are behind and pressing on forward” I focus on Gods purpose for my life. I don't count myself as one that has apprehended. My eye is fixed on the mark of the high calling. We must not be distracted and focused and that is the choice God wants us to make in 2019. Focus on Gods purpose for your life. Pray about it, study to show yourself approved, prepare, let God lead you.
Lastly, Choose to be a good ambassador of Christ. There is an acronym that goes around '' what will Jesus do?'' That’s being a good ambassador. In 2019, choose to be a good ambassador of Christ. Before you act or make that decision, ask yourself “what will Jesus do?” Be a good ambassador. Jesus said “a bad tree does not bear good fruit”. You can't be an ambassador of Christ and bear bad fruit you can't make wrong choices in 2019 and say you are an ambassador of Jesus.
In verse 43 to 45; 43 "For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Very important and very instructive, our choice in 2019 is to be a good ambassador of Jesus. 2019 is not a year to represent yourself. It is a year to represent Jesus. It is important for us to find out, what is my identity in Christ? When people see you, who do they see? Do they see Jesus?
Look at the story of the seven sons of Sceva that tried to exorcise a demon from a man in Ephesus. The demon-possessed man said to them “Jesus, I know. Over this issue, I respect Jesus. Over this circumstance, I respect him, I honor him. He has authority, he has power. Paul, I know, he has authority, he has power over this kind of situation, I respect him but who are you? What authority and power do you have? And see what happened to them. The bible says “then the man in whom the evil spirit was, leaped on them, overpowered them and prevailed against them so that they fled out of that house, naked and wounded. (Acts 19:11-20).
This will be the experience in 2019 of those who have not found their identity in Christ. When situations and circumstances come to challenge them, when they are faced with situations, challenges and circumstances of life, the question would be asked “Jesus I know but who are you? Jesus said “I have made you overcomers and more than conquerors.” You are not more than conqueror because you have biceps and six packs, you are more than conquerors and overcomers because you are in Christ. They must find your identity in Christ Jesus. In 2019 your identity must not be something you are not sure of. Am I in Christ? , am I still in Christ from January to December? Your stand in Christ must be solid and it must be clear because it is then that you would be able to face situations and challenges that will come in 2019. Jesus said “in the world you will have tribulations but be of good cheer I have overcome.” (John 16:33)
So, 2019 is not a year that challenges will not come, that our identities will not be tested or checked by the devil and his agents. They will check it out, they will come and examine. That is what happened to the sons of Sceva, they came to examine them. They said listen “who are you people? Jesus we know, Paul we know but who are you to exorcise us, to chase us out of our home? You don’t have that power, you don’t have that authority so the bible said “they overpowered them and prevailed against them”.
If situations and circumstances will not prevail against you, if challenges will not prevail and over power you, you must be found in Christ in 2019, you must be found in him. The bible said “they became naked and wounded”. For those that don’t want to be naked and wounded, they should be found in Christ. In there lies your authority over circumstance and situations. No wonder Jesus commanded the wind and they bowed. People were marveled. Who is this man that even the wind obey Him? (Matthew 8:24-27) and we know that the wind obeyed Jesus because He is a commander the things in our lives. They will also obey us not because we are powerful, it is because He that is in us is greater than He that is in the world.
These are the choices the Holy Spirit is bringing to our remembrance in 2019. Let’s not just go anyhow. Let’s be conscious of the choices that we will be making. When we are faced with circumstances and situations, what choice would we make? Would we choose to be boastful or humble? Would we choose to seek the word of God or our own principles or the principles of men? Would we choose to be merciful, not to condemn, not to judge but to forgive? Would we choose bitterness over love?
We must meditate on all these and make our choice as we journey through 2019. We must ask for grace to face 2019 and its attendant challenges. We must not be ignorant of the devices of the enemies. Don’t be ignorant. Ask God for the grace to make right choices in the year 2019.
