Every day life presents to you choices, and in each you have the opportunity to choose life (abundant life, blessings), or you can choose death (destruction, despair).

Therefore doth my father love me because I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. 
(John 10:17-18)

In these verses of Scripture, Jesus is telling us that no man, and no devil in hell, could take His life. He and He alone had the power to lay down His life and the power to take it back up again. Today, as a child of God, that same power, that same authority, resides in you. No man can take your life from you; no demon in hell can take your life from you, lest you lay it down. You have control over your life, and either you lay your life down, or it doesn’t get laid down.

This powerful truth doesn’t just apply to your physical body; it applies to every realm of life. No man can take your peace, lest you lay it down. No man can steal your joy, lest you lay it down. Poverty cannot overtake you, unless you lay your promise of prosperity down. No other man can have your spouse, lest you lay down your marriage. Drugs and alcohol can’t take your kids, lest you lay your kids down. You and you alone lay down your life.

This doesn’t mean that attacks won’t come. Just look at the life of Jesus. People were out to kill Him. Even Satan himself tried to kill Him in the wilderness, but Jesus chose not to lay His life down. He exercised His authority, and no man could take His life from Him; no man could run all over Him; and no attack could steal His peace.  In the same way, when sickness and disease try to attach to your life, you have to exercise your authority and choose not to lay your healing down. When the enemy tries to steal your kids, you have to exercise your authority and choose not to lay your kids down.

Notice what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:19-24,

For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.  According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing shall I be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour:  yet what I shall choose I wot not.  For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

Paul, a child of God just like you and me, understood that he had the authority and the power to lay his life down. Multiple times throughout the Scriptures, we see where he was left for dead, yet he chose to take up his life.

It’s Your Choice
In Deuteronomy 30:19 God says, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” God is telling us that—for the record—life and death or blessing and cursing are our choice. Don’t expect to go to Heaven and try to say, “God, YOU allowed all of this destruction to take place in my life while everyone else was blessed”; “God, YOU didn’t heal me, but you healed everyone else besides me.”

No, God called upon Heaven and earth to record this very fact—He has set before you a choice, life or death. And the record will show that God not only gives you the choice, He gives you the answer—choose life!

Every day life presents to you choices, and in each you have the opportunity to choose life (abundant life, blessings), or you can choose death (destruction, despair). For example, temptation presents to you a choice. You can choose to entertain the temptation and gratify your flesh, or you can choose to deal with that temptation as God instructs in His Word.

When you choose to act opposite of the Word of God, you lay your life down. It’s like lowering the drawbridge on a castle. What was once so protected is now vulnerable to the enemy. Over time, the enemy will continue to gain access through that opening, and you could stand to lose the whole fortress.

Choose Life
Would you like to know how to continually choose life? God tells us how in Proverbs 18:20-21:

A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and Life are in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

The only way we make the choice to choose life is to say something. In the midst of a temptation, you have to say, “I choose life.” You have to say what the Word says. When you do, there is a power that is released, and all of Heaven’s resources come rushing to your side to help you fulfill the choice you just made. 

You have the authority and the power over what happens in your life…you! The devil can attack, but he can’t have! When sickness tries to attach to your body, you choose whether or not you lay your health down. So, don’t lay down your health! Choose life!

Use your authority and serve notice on the devil, “Sickness, you can’t have my body. I choose not to lay it down, and the Bible says that if I choose not to, you can’t do a thing about it. You can’t override my choice. You don’t have any right!”

If anything has been attacking your body, your mind, your kids, your finances, it can change today if you’ll choose life! It doesn’t matter how desperate your situation may seem to you; it can change today. You may have laid yourself, your marriage, your kids, your peace, your joy, or your prosperity down, but you have the authority and the power to pick it back up.

All it takes to repair it is to say from your heart, “Father, forgive me—that was a mistake. I chose death and cursing. Wash me in the blood, and the next time that is presented to me, I will choose life and blessing.” See, you chose to lay it down, but you can just as easily choose to pick it back up again. The devil can’t keep you down! That’s a picture of resurrection power! Jesus gave His life, and the power of God brought Him back up again. That same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in you! 

I call Heaven and earth to record today that God has placed before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Today–choose life and blessing.