I Will: The Freedom to Choose

I’m struck by how many times the phrase “I will” appears in scripture. There are good
“I wills” and bad “I wills”. Let’s look closer.

Bondage

Our natural condition is bondage, slavery. In the beginning, in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve were given freedom to choose, but they made a tragic wrong choice. They wanted more than God had given them.

The serpent in this story has an interesting background. Two passages, Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, prophesy about two kings, Babylon and Tyre. Most readers equate these kings as types of the devil. They were with God in Eden, the garden of God, and were evicted from heaven.

Isaiah 14:13-14 have the following statements by Lucifer: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly…; I will make myself like the Most High”. He was cast out of heaven because of his pride and rebellion and he enticed Adam and Eve to join him.

When we strive to exalt ourselves, to please ourselves, we are in bondage! Because we can never get to where Adam, Eve, and Lucifer wanted to go with our human efforts.

The result of the fall, then, is that humanity became enslaved to sin and subject to death.
Romans 3:10, there is no one righteous, not one…all have turned away.
God gave us over to our own bad choices. We no longer had the ability, as Adam and Eve had, to choose God.

Freedom

But, Jesus has set us free!
Gal.5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
2 Cor. 3:17 The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Freedom defined:
state of being at liberty rather than in confinement
power of determining one’s own actions
exemption from external control, regulations
release from ties, obligations
frankness of manner or speech
absence of ceremony or reserve
right of enjoying all privileges or rights of citizenship
right of frequenting, enjoying, or using at will
Opposite of freedom: restraint, oppression, bondage

God has restored our freedom, and our choices.

The purpose of our freedom: 2 Cor.5:15 He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again.
True freedom is escaping from the bondage of ourselves and living for Him!

But even after we come to know him, he leaves us choices. In our unredeemed lives, we could only choose ourselves, but even after we give our lives to him, he gives us daily, continuous choices of following Him or pleasing ourselves in every situation. Matthew 16:24, Jesus: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

I Will

The “I wills” of pleasing ourselves: I will be comfortable, I will protect myself, I will defend myself, and I will satisfy my desires.

The “I wills” of a heart set on God. These are a very small sample, you can find others throughout the scriptures:
Ps.7:17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.
Psalm 9:1-2 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
Hab.3:17,18 (paraphrased) Though everything looks bleak, and seems to be falling apart, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

We have a choice. We can choose the “I wills” of God, humbling ourselves before Him, or we can choose the old way of looking after ourselves, exalting ourselves, or succumbing to discouragement and the schemes of the enemy.

However, we can choose the “I wills” of God only by the Spirit of God. It’s by his grace alone that we can make the right choices. Jesus said, “apart from me, you can do nothing”.
Gal.5:16 Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Rom.8:6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

Ironically, now that we have the freedom to choose, our real freedom lies in surrender to God! By resisting Him, we put ourselves back into bondage, like the Israelites who wanted to go back to Egypt.

The Holy Spirit

He is a person, and He is God! He is God’s gentle voice to us. The most important choice we can make, in any situation, is to follow the Spirit, to be led by Him. He is helping us to make that choice, but he will never violate our freedom to choose. He doesn’t force His way with us. Yet he is always calling to us, like a lover calling to his beloved.

Hos.2:14 I am now going to allure her (Israel), I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. v.19, I will betroth you to me forever…

Life Examples

Parents/children: parents love their children, want them, will do anything and make any sacrifice for them. So does the Lord for us as his children.
Marriage: husband and wife choose each other, surrender to each other and in a good marriage, they desire one another above all others. Each is wanted by the other.

It is the same with the Holy Spirit; he desires and wants us, and puts that desire for him in our hearts. Remember the poster, “Uncle Sam Wants You!” The poster of the Lord would say, “The Holy Spirit Wants You!” But how desperately do we want Him?

He is delighted when we choose him. However, he can also be grieved, and quenched.
Eph.4:30, do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…
1 Thess. 5:19, do not quench the Spirit, or do not put out the Spirit’s fire.

Since he won’t force himself on us, he will quietly depart when we reject him. We may reject him many times in many situations every day. In the Ephesians 4 passage, many things are mentioned as grieving the Spirit, including unwholesome talk, bitterness, rage, anger, slander, and malice.

How often do we succumb to these things! How often do we choose to please only ourselves, to defend ourselves, to exalt ourselves, and in so doing, hurt others? Every time we do these things, we grieve the heart of the precious Spirit of God! Yet he still desires us, and wants to be with us. He will continue to call to us, in the “still small voice”.

Conclusion

Knowing how we are, what hope is there for really walking in the Spirit? We can be confident, because He is the one who calls us, keeps us, and ultimately brings us to Himself.

Eph.2:10 “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”.
Phil.2:13 “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, to will and to act according to his good purpose”
1 Thessalonians, 5:23,24 “may God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”

The Philippians passage above indicates that our transformation is a cooperative venture between us and God. We “work out our salvation…” for “it is God who works in us”.

Our part: Ask the Holy Spirit to help you choose the “I wills” of God, regardless of how you feel. Seek Him every day. Ephesians 5:18 says to “be (continually) filled with the Spirit! Surrender to Him. Pursue a relationship with Him. As a husband and wife are intimate with each other, the Holy Spirit wants an intimate relationship with you. Worship him, spend time with Him, fellowship with Him, read the word, invite Him, listen for his voice. If your heart desires him, he will be there! Don’t be passive, but pursue him with passion!
Luke 11:12, Jesus says, “the kingdom of heaven is forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it”.

His part: He draws us, He helps us choose Him, He fellowships with us, and He changes us in his presence!