Proverbs 3:5-6 (TPT)
Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go.
According to a recent broadcast on PBS, the average person makes 35,000 decisions each day. Isn’t that number staggering? Even if you don’t account for the eight hours each day that most people sleep, that means that you make 1,458 decisions every hour. To break that down even further, it means that you make about 24 decisions every minute.
Some of those decisions don’t mean much. When you walk out your door every morning, you choose the pair of shoes that you’re going to wear for the day. When you’re in line at the coffee shop, you choose what type of coffee you’re going to start your day with. You choose the place that you’re going to eat lunch at, and what you’re going to order. Those decisions don’t have any sort of significant impact on your life, and you’ll likely wake up the next day and make completely different decisions.
However, there are other decisions that have the power to completely shape your future. When you’re looking for employment, you may find that you receive multiple offers. The choice that you make about where you’re going to work dictates your income, the things that you can buy, your work-life balance, and much more. Decisions of that magnitude often bring about stress and anxiety. What happens if you make the wrong decision? Many of us lose sleep every night, going over every possible scenario that can happen if you make the wrong decision.
One of the greatest things about Christ being 100% human during his 33-plus years on this planet is that He was also faced with decision making. With that in mind, He can empathize with us when it comes to our fear of making major decisions.
One of the greatest benefits of being a child of God is the promise that God will help us when we have to make tough calls. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God will guide us into His truth so we can be sure that we’re making decisions that align with His will for our lives. Find out more about Godly decision making, and allow yourself to worry less when you have to make the tough calls.
Pursuing Wisdom
James 1:5 (TPT)
And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace.
It’s often been said that life doesn’t come with an instruction manual. That’s true to a certain degree. There isn’t a black and white booklet that you can pick up that will guide you through a step-by-step process of making decisions in your life. However, we have something pretty close to that with the Bible.
Obviously, since the Bible was written thousands of years ago, it doesn’t walk you through the process of choosing the right college to attend. You can’t open the Bible and get a detailed guide to choosing which company you should work for. However, you can learn more about God’s will through His Word, which allows you to apply those principles to the decision that you’re making. For instance, if you’re torn between two job offers, ask yourself if one of those offers is going to make it impossible for you to attend church. When we know what God’s Word says about the importance of attending church and connecting with other believers, it’s easy to apply those teachings to our decision making.
In addition to knowing God’s Word, James encourages us to ask God when we need wisdom. Good decision making is rooted in Godly wisdom. When you’re faced with a tough decision, how much easier would it be to simply be able to ask someone for the right answer? If you knew for a fact that the person you’re asking would give you the correct advice, you would take that offer immediately. When we ask God for wisdom, that’s exactly what we get to do.
A Light in the Darkness
Psalm 119:104-105 (TPT)
For your truth is the source of my understanding, not the falsehoods of those who don’t know you, which I despise. Truth’s shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of your Word makes my pathway clear.
Oftentimes, decision making feels like walking down a dark path where you don’t know what’s next. This can leave us paralyzed with fear, afraid to put one foot in front of the other. What happens if you take the next step, and it doesn’t work out as planned? What happens if the next step you take is a sharp drop that you may never recover from? If you had a light, you wouldn’t have to worry about that.
In the physical realm, you would use a light source if you were walking on a dark, mysterious path. In the spiritual, we can do the same thing. Unfortunately, we often treat our Source of light as a last resort. Instead of going to God first, consulting His Word, and asking for divine direction, we often try to figure things out on our own. When things don’t work out the way we want them to, we go to Him and ask Him why.
When you’re dealing with tough decisions, start by going to God. Doing so ensures that you’re taking an illuminated next step on the dark and scary path that is before you. Don’t wait until you get lost along the way to try to turn the light on. While God will certainly still be there for you, you can save yourself a lot of headache and heartache by going to Him first.
Don’t Let Culture Make Your Decisions
Romans 12:2 (TPT)
Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total transformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.
Most of us like to believe that we are independent thinkers. When you’re making a decision that is going to significantly impact your life, you probably like to think that you’re going to make that decision on your own. However, that’s not really the case. All of us are influenced by something or someone.
As Christians, it’s crucial that we don’t allow our thought patterns to be dictated by the world that we live in. Societal norms don’t align with God’s plans. That’s because the world (which means culture) is in opposition with God. Since Satan is called the “ruler of this world,” societal and cultural ideas often align with his ways instead of God’s ways.
When you’re making tough decisions, it is vital that you allow your thoughts to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. When your thought patterns are transformed into Godly thought patterns, you can rest assured that the decisions you make are correct. The Bible declares that we have been given the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16), which allows us to make decisions that align with His plans.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I find myself fearful about the decisions that I’m trying to make right now. Not only do I want what is best for myself, but I also want to choose what pleases You. I know that You want those same things. Help me to make the right decisions. In Christ’s name, Amen.