Do you struggle with decision making? For some of us, making any serious decisions brings high anxiety. If only our decisions were risk-free, guaranteeing us the best desired outcome. Decision making forces us to accept responsibility for the success or failure of our choices, and we get to experience first-hand how our decisions help or harm others.
God created us with the unique ability to choose our course, our path. He loved us so much that we are allowed to make our own choices. Of course our choices can either be good or bad decisions. Yikes! Is that a heavy responsibility or what?
Two great examples of wise decision makers were Noah and Abraham. They were confronted with making decisions that would ultimately impact all of humanity. At the time of their decisions, they didn’t know the magnitude of their choices or the impact they would have. Noah had to decide if he was going to build the Ark, and Abraham had to decide if he was going to leave his home to travel to a far off land not knowing what the future would hold. Each made their choices without a lot of detailed information, no guarantees were given. They made their decisions based on their trust and faith in God and their willingness to obey His direction, and as a result they received blessings from God.
Decision making based only on human instinct or intuition frequently produces serious consequences. When our selfish impulses influence choices, disaster soon follows. In the Bible, Abram (Abraham) offered his nephew, Lot, the choice of the whole land that rightfully belonged to Abram (Genesis 13:8-11). Lot made his decision without concern for Abram. Lot’s selfish desire for the most fertile, well-water plains caused him to settle near the wicked and sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abram, on the other hand, trusted in the promise of God (Genesis 12:1-3, 7) regardless of what Lot had decided. Decision making based on God’s promises and commands always provides us with a sense of well being and peace.
When we exclude God from our decision making, we intentionally ignore God’s instructions. “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word. But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their sins, are cursed . . . I will send great troubles against them—all the things they feared . . . When I spoke, they did not listen. They deliberately sinned—before my very eyes—and chose to do what they know I despise” (Isaiah 66:2-4).
Our pride and selfishness usually prevails in our decisions... “I’ll take this course of action. If God doesn’t stop me, then it must be okay.” Instead, God’s direction and wisdom must be sought before we make any decision. There are three parts to every decision we make: Your Mind in the matter and the potential for bad results from impetuous choices (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). Almost always there is some form of Peer Pressure, and that always produces confusion and usually failure (Jeremiah 7:24). Then there’s God’s Mind, do you listen to His word or do you try and wiggle around it? God, by His Word gives us a supernatural like wisdom, clarity, focus, a sharpness in our thoughts as we merge our minds with His through His Word as we contemplate our choices. (Proverbs 2:3-8).
Decision Making should always be a humbling experience. One of the most difficult factors in decision making is humbling oneself, admitting that you don’t know it all or that you’ve failed many times before and will likely fail again. King David experienced first hand how his decision resulted in Israel being punished. Following David’s disobedience, God gave him three choices of punishment -- famine, destruction by his enemies, or plague (1 Chronicles 21:7–15). David based his decision on God’s mercy. David understood that submitting to God’s commands was the right choice, even when it was painful.
We all make costly mistakes, decisions that we wish we never made. Moses ignored God’s instructions (Numbers 20:8-12), Samson surrendered his strength (Judges 16:17-21), and Peter repeatedly denied knowing Jesus Christ (John 18:25-27). Each of these mighty men humbled themselves by asking for God’s forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
The journey in any decision making may be a difficult and lengthy one. By trusting in God’s plans for our lives, we experience peace in the storms of life. The choices we make don’t make the path before us in this life any easier or less bumpy, but when we work with God in our decision making, we gain the security and comfort of knowing we’re not going alone... God is with us.
Remember, any decision that draws us closer in our relationship with God is going to be assured success (Jeremiah 29:11-13). When we surrender our will (our pride and selfish motives) to the supremacy of God’s will in our lives, He gives us the desires of our heart (Psalm 27:3-5). You can take that guarantee to the bank!
