What Should I Do? (Part 1)

This two-part study is all about God-led decision making! We will walk through ten Biblical principles of a spiritual decision-making process. By the conclusion of this study, we will know how to better bring Him into every decision we make in life.

Study:

1. What the Bible says about decisions:

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (NKJV)

2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (NKJV)

Proverbs 22:7 “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” (NKJV)

• In order to hear from the Lord, we must pray and petition for his guidance, then listen for Him to speak.

• We must be careful what voices we allow into our decision-making process and be sure they are also believers, being led by God. Otherwise, we risk being led astray or not making the decision the Lord called us to. This could have spiritual and earthly consequences that may manifest immediately or later down the road of our journey. We may never know what we sacrificed by making a poor decision.

2. Ask yourself: Do I have all the facts?

Proverbs 18:13 “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.” (NKJV)

• It’s important that we gather all the data at our disposal. That may require that we ask a lot of questions, and we must remember that there are two sides to every story. After we have a sense of what all lies before us, we can make the wise decision.

3. Don’t allow “pressure” to force you into making a premature decision.

Proverbs 19:2 “Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge, and he sins who hastens with his feet.” (NKJV)

Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty. (NKJV)

• We must slow down and create the opportunity to assess if we have all the information we need, before moving forward. Beware of the ‘once in a lifetime’ deal and being driven by instant gratification. Don’t let the fear of missing out drive your decision. The Bible warns us that a diligent plan will be plentiful, but a hasty plan and execution will lead to poverty.

4. Gauge your motivations & what is driving your decision making.

Proverbs 16:2 “How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.” (NKJV)

• We all have blind spots! We need to acknowledge them. This is especially true when we look at what truly drives us. Is it money, wealth, a new car, a bigger house? Be honest with yourself about your motives, both good and bad. To navigate negative driving forces (internal and external), have other believers in your circle that can speak into your life and help hold you accountable to keeping your eye on the Lord and the purpose He has for your life.

5. Understand how past experiences inform your decisions.

Proverbs 26:11 “As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” (NKJV)

• What a mental image! Beware of patterns in your behavior. There is great value in taking time to self-assess: understand how your family background may affect your thinking; consider the mistakes you made in the past; determine what led to previous good outcomes; and other considerations. Learn from your mistakes and missteps.

Reflection:

Seek the guidance of our Lord and Savior and other wise counsel.

• What big decisions are on your horizon?

• How can you bring God into that decision making process this week?