Have you ever
met someone who was super indecisive? Every single decision they made was overwhelming
for them. I mean I, myself, struggle
with the big decisions, but when it comes to simple things like where to eat
or what kind of ice cream flavor I want… it’s really no big deal!
Making decisions
can be hard at times. I get it! There’s really no special training when it
comes to decision making in life. We
learn as we go on the spot from our own bad choices or from those of
others. It’s a live and learn kind of
process.
When I was
little, I remember learning quickly that touching a hot pan on the stove top
hurts a lot and guess what? I didn’t do
it again after that. Well… not intentionally. I also
learned that walking barefoot through a bunch of dandelions in the yard could open
up the possibility of me stepping on a bee… which hurts too. Hmmm… it seems like a lot of my life lessons have
been gleaned from moments of pain.
Interesting?
The decisions we
make on a daily basis really do matter!
As a matter of fact, sometimes our bad choices (if we aren’t careful) can
turn in to life-long consequences that we have to live with forever!
As
believers, we should live differently when it comes to decision making. We should want God to be smack dab in the
center of our lives… at the core of who we are and everything we do. That includes asking Him to help guide us to
make “right” decisions.
Many
times we rush ahead making decisions about things on the spot never
even considering what God might think about it all! Friend, I don’t know if you realize it or
not, but God wants to be involved in our decision making process.
I know, for many
it seems a little crazy to ask God’s opinion about our decisions. I mean how can we really know what He is
thinking? How can we hear His voice or
even expect to know His will for our lives?
Is there a “Learning to hear God’s voice” book for dummies anywhere I
can buy?
I hear you
friend. I’ve been there too, but believe
it or not God really can actually speak to us personally. He’s done it for me time and time again. Rarely is it ever in an audible voice, but
there are lots of other ways God can speak to us and help direct our steps in
the right direction.
The first thing
we need to do if we really want God’s help in making better decisions is we
need to get to know Him better. We need
to recognize His voice above others. I
can say confidently after twenty three years of marriage that I can recognize
my husband’s voice in a crowded room. It
is a unique sound to me. We have talked
often and I have listened intently to Him…. So I am familiar his voice. (It helps that he is really loud and outgoing
making his voice all the more undeniable!)
Connecting with
God and growing a stronger relationship with Him takes time and effort. If you aren’t spending time with Him, I will
guarantee you that you won’t hear His voice or sense His leading when it comes
to the choices you make. “Come close to God, and God will come close to
you...” (James 4:8)
As we draw
closer to Him by reading His word (The Bible), praying (talking to Him like we
would a friend), and going to church (surrounding ourselves with others who
love God), we will begin to discern His nudges, sense His promptings, and follow
His leading in making right choices.
God speaks in
many ways. Here are a few He has used
with me….
The Bible: God
uses His word to speak truth to our hearts for our everyday lives as we read
it. I like to read the book of Proverbs several
times a year (one chapter a day over a month).
It’s a book of wisdom. God’s
words placed deep inside of us help us make wise decisions. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
(Psalm 119:11).
Memorizing scripture
helps us make wise decisions as well. Whenever
I have been struggling in the past, old scriptures I have memorized have always
come back to my mind to encourage me.
Prayer:
Whatever decision we are seeking guidance on, we need to involve God in
the process. Ask His opinion. Pray over all of the details involved for an
extended period of time. For major
decisions I might pray a week or a month before deciding. Don’t be in a hurry. Don’t allow your emotions to lead you. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. “…when He, the Spirit of truth, is
come, He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13a).
The goal at the
end of your focused prayer time should be a sense of God’s peace when you think
about your decision. If you feel
uneasiness it may be God directing you AWAY from that particular decision.
“The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of
righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever” (Isaiah 32:17).
Other People: God
uses other people as instruments to encourage us, speak wisdom into our lives,
and tell us the truth in love. It is
always good to have two or three people in our lives that we trust (that are
godly examples to us) to confide in and confer with when we need wisdom. “Plans fail without good advice, but they succeed
with the advice of many others.” (Proverbs 15:22).
As we are seeking God’s direction in a
particular area of our lives, we need to be open to asking those closest to us for wisdom
and direction. Don't just tell them what
you are thinking about doing and ask them to pray. Ask them the following question(s)…
1. As a friend or mentor
in my life, do you feel any hesitation or reservation in me doing this
particular thing? If so, why?
2. What wisdom do you
have to offer me in this particular situation?
3. What are your thoughts
about this area of my life?
Ask them to be completely honest with you. Be ready to receive,
open to correction/godly wisdom, and prepared to love them no matter what they
say.
In major
decisions involving transition, our goal should be 100% positive
responses. If you get a variety of responses that aren't
all positive, then you need to go back to your prayer room and seek God's face.
A sense of peace should be the outcome in the end.
Wisdom from
others should only confirm to us what God has already been directing us
to do. God’s direction should be our
primary goal.
Circumstances: Sometimes circumstances can help lead us to right
decisions. Let me give you an example….
Years ago my
husband and I were serving at a church as youth leaders while in college. We were heavily involved… practically the
unpaid assistant youth pastors. Before
we graduated we were offered a job as just that, but part-time. The only
stipulation was that we would have to work as janitors for the church as
well. They weren’t at a place to be able
to hire us full-time.
It was an
awesome church and we were up for the challenge, but we wanted God’s will. We decided to pray for a week seeking God
intently concerning all of this. We knew
even though it looked like an awesome opportunity, the right thing at the wrong
time was still the wrong thing.
We prayed separately
and determined to share our thoughts with one another on Sunday night. That morning at church as we glanced down at
the sermon title for the evening message, we were shocked at what it said… “When
God says GO!”
With that
message, plus our prayers, and the wisdom of others, God was beyond clear in
His direction for us. Even though it
didn’t make sense to us at the time in the natural, we were committed to follow
God’s leading.
As I look back
today, I can see His hand guiding us specifically to each place we went after
that and all the people we encountered. I am overwhelmed at God’s faithfulness.
Circumstances… I guess God likes to use this one a lot for
me. Maybe it’s because many times I’m
too busy DOING things for Him that I don’t take time enough to really LISTEN.
Lots of
instances come to mind of where circumstances were brought into play to get my
attention. You can check them out at the
links below…
Trusting God
with the details when the future looks unclear:
Waiting on God’s
direction can be scary at times:
Facing
difficulty head on in faith:
The decisions we make today can affect our future tomorrow! I have had Christian
friends who have made some horrible decisions. Their bad choices landed them in jail, led them
into affairs (that have destroyed their families), and gotten them wrapped up
into a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol. In
the end, they discovered (after all of the consequences of their actions) that
it’s not where they really wanted to be. When I think about it all, it baffles my mind.
How did they get
to that place when at one point they seemed so close to God? It’s not something that happens overnight, friend! It’s a slow process of us deafening our ears
to God day by day. It begins with us
choosing to allow other things to come before Him or replace
Him in our lives. The end result is our
hearts far from God and our lives centered on ourselves. That’s a dangerous place to be!
I challenge you
to draw close to God. Invite Him into
every area of your lives (nothing off limits).
Make the decision to keep Him first place in your lives today. Ask for His help to make “right”
decisions. The decisions we make really
do matter! Do you trust Him with the
details of your life? I dare you to try
a new way of living… “Making decisions with God in mind”. That is one decision you will never regret!
Living to leave
a legacy,
Julie
