Tag Archives: decision making

August 17, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Making Better Decisions

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. If life is full of anything, it’s full of decisions we all have to make. Every decision we make has a consequence for good or for bad. If you’ve made some bad decisions in your life and have suffered the consequences, it can make it hard to make future decisions. There are tough questions we have to answer in life. Which college to attend, what to become in life, who to marry, whether or not to apply for a promotion, which church to attend, should we move, and so many more. Each has its own consequence and we want to make the right decision, but how can we know?

There are two things I do each time. The first is to pray for wisdom to know what to do. James 1:5 says, “But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all” (GNT). Often, wisdom comes at the expense of failure and suffering consequences, but God can give it out when we ask for it. It may take some time in prayer, but in the right moment, God often speaks heavenly wisdom through someone or makes the best choice clear in our minds.

Another thing you can do is ask God to give you peace in helping to guide you into making the decision. Colossians 3:15 says, “The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make.” I often pray, “God, if this is what I’m to do, then give me peace. If not, bring unrest to my heart and mind.” God gives a peace that is beyond understanding especially when there are life altering decisions to be made. Praying for this and experiencing it will guide you through some of life’s toughest decisions. God has a plan and a purpose for each of us, and He’s given us tools to guide in our decisions us as we go. We just need to use them.

Photo by Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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April 26, 2022 · 5:40 AM

Seeking God’s Advice

Several years ago W.W.J.D. took over pop culture. If you didn’t have a bracelet, shirt or hat with it on it, you were not with it. Everyone was asking what would Jesus do to help guide them. That was great, but how often do we ask Him what we should do? I’m pretty good at asking him for direction on big decisions, but not so good at asking Him about smaller ones. Also, I tend to make my own decisions when the answer looks obvious to me, but truthfully, we should be seeking His advice and direction in all aspects of our life, even the ones that seem obvious.

In Joshua 9, the word about Israel defeating Jericho was spreading. Some kings who lived nearby knew that Israel was going to take over the whole land, so they devised a plan to trick them. They sent a group of people with dry, moldy bread, wine skins that had burst and worn out clothes to seek a peace agreement. Verse 14 says, “So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord” (NLT). The answer seemed obvious so they didn’t seek God for direction. They agreed to the treaty only to find out a few days later that they lived in the Promised Land. They entered a peace treaty with someone they were told to destroy all because they relied on their own understanding instead of God’s.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “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” (TPT). When we rely on our own understanding, we’re not seeing the whole picture. It may seem obvious to us, but we need to rely on God to guide us, especially in seemingly small decisions. When you make the right decisions in small things, you prevent big problems down the road. God is available to guide us in every area of our life and in every decision we make. It’s up to us to take the time to seek His advice on what we should do.

Thanks to Soroush Karimi @soroushkarimi for making this photo available freely on Unsplash

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September 2, 2019 · 5:38 AM

Seeking Godly Guidance

When you’re in over your head, who do you seek guidance from? I’ve made a few of these calls, and I get a few of these calls from time to time. Each time I’m talking with someone who is asking for guidance, I immediately start praying, “God, give me wisdom. Give me the right words that will help them make the right choices. Give them the courage to make the hard choices necessary. Amen.” I know that my wisdom is flawed, but God’s wisdom is perfect. He sees the whole picture and knows what they need to do. Too often we seek His guidance, or other godly guidance late in our journey rather than at the beginning.

In the books of Chronicles and Kings, you can read about many of the early kings of Israel and Judah. In almost every case, the writer quickly tells you whether they were a godly King or whether they did things that were evil in God’s sight. There were a couple Kings who took the throne when they were kids. In at least two of the cases, they were heavily influenced by godly people. They were taught and encouraged to lead with godly principles. They also continued to seek God’s will and direction for their nation as they ruled. Because they followed God’s plan, they prospered during their reign.

2 Chronicles 26:5 says, “And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success” (NLT). That’s an important lesson for us to learn. If you and I will seek God’s guidance and wisdom, He will give us success in the things we do. God loves to give us wisdom, but it’s our choice whether to follow it or not. The path God gives is rarely the easy path and requires us to make tough decisions. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to us, but remember, He’s not looking at what you see now. He’s looking ahead to the parts of the road you can’t see. The guidance He gives is based on His plan for you, and we know He has good plans for each of us. No matter where you are in your journey, there’s still time to start seeking God’s guidance.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

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