Making Decisions Prov. 4:23 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Here are some considerations to help you when you are making decisions.  Remember that your heart makes your decisions; not your mind.  Your heart is revealed in your decisions.  So, you must keep your heart with all diligence.  The heart can be difficult to discern because men look on the outward appearance; God looks on the heart.  And the heart is deceitful.  Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.  So, men and women don’t often speak about decisions in their heart that may be contrary to sound judgment, parental approval or God’s will.

Here are the major considerations:

The fear of God should govern your decisions.  Prov 9:10 because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.  Prov 14:26 the fear of the Lord gives you confidence that you are making the right decisions.  Prov 16:20 wise decisions are good decisions.  The fear of the Lord should prevail over all other potential fears in making decisions [the fear of ridicule, the fear of rejection, the fear of man, etc.]. Approach the Lord like Esther approached King Ahasuerus.

The Bible should direct your decisions.  Ps 119:133 the Lord directs your steps in his words.  Ps 119:105 the word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.  Just be sure not to use the Bible to find a verse that you can use to prove to everybody else that what you’re deciding is of God.

Prayer should guide your decisions.  Prov 3:5-6 in prayer you acknowledge God.  Prov 16:9 a man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps [Rom 8:14].  1 Sam 23:1-4 David inquired of the Lord twice before he attacked the Philistines in Keilah.  Prayer aligns your thoughts with God’s thoughts.

Principles should limit your decisions.  Prov 4:1-4, 6:20-23 early principles are established at home.  Then they become your principles and convictions to limit you.

Counsel should establish your decisions.  Prov 24:6, 15:22 counsel shouldn’t confirm your bad decisions; it should establish your good decisions and refine your choices to make the best and most informed decisions.  Counsel engages your mind before the decision takes effect.

He are some considerations to watch out for:

Circumstances can control your decisions.  Circumstances make you reactionary rather than proactive.  You jump from one circumstance to the next.  The way to deal with this is to STOP.  Be still and know that I am God.  Get alone with God and settle down.  Let him lead you, rather than letting the circumstances lead.

Sin can skew your decisions.  Prov 5:22-23 sin will drag you into making bad decisions and bad decisions on top of bad decisions.  Sin can make you think you are doing right when you aren’t.  You won’t know how wrong you are until you get your fill of the consequences of your sins and the chastisement of God.  You might not know until you face God at the judgment seat of Christ.  The way to stop bad decisions is to stop the sin.

Emotions can complicate your decisions.  What you’re deciding might “feel” right and be dead wrong.  Also, when you are emotional you make bad decisions.  Decisions made in anger, for instance, are always bad decisions.  So are decisions made in fear.  To keep from making bad decisions when you are emotional, get with someone in your life who is strong and who understands your emotional tendencies. And then settle down with God.  When you are settled, you’ll know what to do.

Conclusion: The fear of God helps you to get God’s wisdom, the Bible helps you to discern God’s will, prayer helps you find God’s direction, principles take certain options off the table, and counsel helps you make the best decision possible.  Don’t be in a hurry when making decisions.  Be deliberate.  He that hasteth with is feet sinneth.