The Gift of Free Will
By Pastor Jerry A. Burns
God has given mankind the ability to make choices. Every day, we make decisions about what we will believe, whom we will trust, and how we will live. Scripture repeatedly calls us to choose—to turn from sin, to seek God, and to follow Him.
Free will does not mean that we are completely independent from God. He is still sovereign, and He remains the Creator and Lord over all. Yet within His sovereignty, God calls people to respond to Him. He does not force us to love Him, obey Him, or follow Him.
The tragedy is that our natural inclination is often to choose what pleases ourselves rather than what pleases God. Our choices can lead us toward obedience or toward sin. That is why we need God’s grace and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.
Joshua challenged Israel to make a decision: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” The choice was before them, but Joshua had already settled his own decision: “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
We also face that choice every day. We may not be able to control everything that happens around us, but we can choose how we respond. We can choose faith over fear, obedience over compromise, forgiveness over bitterness, and God’s truth over our own feelings.
Our choices matter. But the wonderful truth is that God is not merely asking us to choose Him while leaving us to ourselves. He gives grace, guidance, wisdom, and strength to those who seek Him.
Today, choose to follow the Lord. Choose His Word. Choose obedience. Choose to trust Him even when you do not understand what He is doing.
You have a choice today. What will you choose?
Ask yourself: What choices am I making today that are drawing me closer to God, and what choices are pulling me away from Him? Surrender your decisions to the Lord and determine, like Joshua, that your desire is to serve Him.
"What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, In God I have put my trust; I will not fear What flesh can do unto me." — Psalm 56:3-4
Daily Scripture Reading
Join us as we read through the Bible in one year, growing together in God’s Word day by day. Click on any underlined verse to access Pastor Burns’ helpful study notes and deeper insights.
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This Week's Radio Program
Week Eighteen • May 3, 2026
Trusting God With Tomorrow (Pt. 3)
In this final part of the message, “Trusting God with Tomorrow,” we are brought face to face with a powerful truth from Scripture—while we often plan our days and assume the future, the Bible teaches us that life is fragile, uncertain, and completely in God’s hands. As James reminds us, our life is “even a vapour” that appears for a little time and then vanishes away . The issue is not planning, but planning without God—living as though we are in control of what only God knows.
This message walks through the heart of biblical trust: having a proper perspective of tomorrow, a humble posture before God today, and a surrendered plan that says, “If the Lord will.” Whether facing uncertainty, fear, or the illusion of control, we are called to draw near to God, rest in His care, and trust that His will is good, even when tomorrow is unknown. Because Christ has risen, our future is secure—not in our plans, but in His perfect hands.
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