Making The Big Decision (Luke 5:28)

Levi was called by The Lord to follow him to which he did exactly what The Lord requested.  As to why he made such a radical decision so quickly without really knowing The Lord and whom he would be following is unknown.  It may have been the power of The Lord and his word or it could have been the culmination of dissatisfaction with his lifestyle coupled with a desire to change that brought about his response.  However one thing we can ascertain is that a decision was made.

The bible tells us this about Levi's decision: And he left all, rose up, and followed him. (Luke 5:28). Notice the progression.  He left all, then rose up and eventually followed The Lord.  An important question to ask is, "How did Levi leave all before rising up?  The answer is that before physically leaving all, he first made the decision in his heart.  The words used for "left all" carry the idea of abandoning.  Before Levi walked away and abandoned all, he first abandoned it all in his heart.  After making the decision in his heart, the action of walking away from his work and the prosperity and security that it offered was much easier.  

We must remember that it is impossible to follow The Lord with our lives if our hearts are still attached to something else.  When we trusted Christ as Savior, our calling out in prayer happened after we first made the decision in our hearts.  Our acts of walking away from temptation occur after we first walk away in our hearts.  This principle relates to every area of the Christian's life.

I remember years ago when I tried to quit smoke cigarettes.  I did twice.  On the first try, I was very unsuccessful, but my second attempt has set me free for the last few decades.  The difference between my two attempts was simple.  On the first try, I refrained from smoking, but constantly talked about needing or wanting a cigarette.  Needless to say, after a month of being smoke free, I fell back into the grips of my addiction.  On the second try, I kept from smoking and in my heart, the last thing that I wanted was to smoke again.  What was the difference?  The decision in my heart affected the actions that I did.

If you continually struggle with getting victory in your life, look at how you are trying to accomplish it.  Are you trying to break free from some sin because you want to escape the consequences, but all the while desire the thrill that your flesh experiences each time you engage in the act?  If so, pray to The Lord to help you make the heart decision necessary for you to get victory.  That pray, you know he will hear and begin to answer.

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