Tuesday, November 24, 2015

How to make good decisions

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

John paced the room like a caged animal looking at the lists he had made and pinned to the walls of his living room. For every good thing on the list, he saw a bad. Everyone told him that this job was the opportunity of a lifetime, but he was scared from head to toe that he was going to make a mistake. He found the promotion hung around his neck like a ball and chain weighing him down. He was losing sleep over it all because he felt his future and the future of his family could hinge on this decision. He wondered how he could make a good decision when his life seems to depend on it.

In such times there is
a need for prayer and an ability to judge opportunities by God’s word. No amount of human reasoning has the centuries of wisdom that is contained in the Bible. God’s wisdom has stood the test of time showing that the jewels contained in scripture will help us see through every situation that we find ourselves in. Our mistake is not in pondering life’s prospects, but in leaning on our own understanding and wisdom rather than opening ourselves up to God’s will for our lives. We judge by the wrong standards and often judge by pleasure to us instead of what will be a benefit to our family and the world around us. Our own wisdom can lead us down the wrong paths and into danger.

Such times also call for the courage to trust what you learn from the Lord in Bible study and prayer so that you follow the path without fear. If you have built your decision on the clear principles put forth in God’s word, you have set out on a path built strongly on truth. You will find that the Lord will continue to guide you as you make other decisions and will protect you along the way. Knowing that the Lord has led you this way gives you confidence because you know that the Lord can see what lies ahead of you in life.

Making good decisions begins with prayer and scripture. The lists of good and bad items will be based on the wisdom of God and not the pleasure or pain that the change brings. Through the lens of scripture, you see the opportunity as God does and can lean on His wisdom so you make the best decision.

His wisdom gives you the confidence to go forward without fear along the path that you have chosen based on His will.





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