05.10.2015 Practical Biblical Ideas for Making Decisions in God's Will

May 10, 2015 - God's Will pt. 3 from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

Lord, thank You for Moms – just as you honor them, we want to honor them. Thank You for this church family – even as Matt and Casey mourn the death of Casey’s father, may Your grace and mercy be shed on their lives and may they be filled with Your presence at this time – and may we support them in whatever way we can.
As we close down this series on discerning Your will – may we honor You and learn to choose wisely.
God’s will and Making Wise Decisions.
I have set the foundation for this – and today I will give you 20-30 practical ideas to make good decisions. Decisions determine the outcomes of our lives. There are two times in making decisions when we don’t have a choice – first, when there is a direct command in Scripture – we must obey God – if you are thinking – should I steal that car – the answer is no.
The other time, is when God speaks directly to us and gives us guidance. And in doing this, we have to be very cautious to make sure that it is God speaking and not something else.
All of the other decisions we make require wisdom – discernment.
Proverbs 8 describes wisdom:
Proverbs 8
8 Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 At the highest point along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3 beside the gate leading into the city,
at the entrance, she cries aloud:
4 “To you, O people, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.

I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.
13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have insight, I have power.
15 By me kings reign
and rulers issue decrees that are just;
16 by me princes govern,
and nobles—all who rule on earth.
17 I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.
Wisdom is available – it cries out – here I am! We don’t have to make decisions in the dark! It is available to all of us.
Wisdom is the most valuable commodity on earth.
More precious than gold – nothing you desire can compare! She has such a powerful impact upon everything we do. We need to desire wisdom more than anything else.
Wisdom is to be used by those who lead and have any form of responsibility. Even if it is the smallest responsibility, we are to fulfill it with wisdom – seeking it and using it.
It must be sought diligently. It does not hide, but it must be sought. It will not just come by wishing, we have to go after it.
Wisdom is practical and helps with big and small decisions. We think of it as an obscure thing – like you have to ask the guru – or like Hitchhikers’ Guide – to ask this great computer!
It can be in big or small stuff. Getting married, gaining friends – buying a car – whatever! It can be acquired if we look deep enough. Like gold and silver, you keep digging until you hit the mother lode.
Making wise choices involves understanding different perspectives. A narrow, one way only person – usually chooses poorly. It is learning to be broad in understanding that we learn to make wise decisions – there is not just one wise choice. What tree shall you eat of in the garden? Any one. But one.
Buying a car – but this can relate to anything in decision making. – I’ll use this as an example because we all have to do this wretched experience at some point.
List the things – price, options – maybe it is brand loyalty – or reliability. But I have brand loyalty when it comes to shaving cream and pens – there is a reason. My dad worked for Papermate! They put food on my table. My dad, when finding a Bic pen – would break them! And then give the owner Papermates! Shaving cream – the parent company of Papermate was Gillette – and even though Barbasol is 40 cents cheaper, I get Gillette – sensitive skin – foamy – maybe I’m taking this too far.
When first getting started – Price is the priority. If you start to have children – Safety becomes the priority. If you have a lot of children – SIZE becomes the priority – and as you get older – it is comfort!
What is most important to you? It is just using our minds - thinking – there are two foundations.
Prov. 9:10 –
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom – and the knowledge of the holy One is understanding.
Living a life that fears God gains wisdom. Wisdom is not found in the moment of crisis. You can’t expect to live a life however you want and acquire wisdom when you really need it and the pressure is on. Daily looking to God for guidance and wisdom is important.
Second – humility – when pried comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom – proverbs 11:2
Know-it-all-choose poorly.
Ecc. 10:10 If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength – Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.
Wisdom is gathering information and applying it.
Wisdom requires preparation and planning.
If you fail to plan you are planning to fail.
The impulsive person chooses poorly.
There is a difference between being impulsive and decisive. Decisive people use information and make a decision. Impulsive people act on emotion.
The ability to delay gratification is important in making wise decisions. Young people have a hard time delaying gratification. As we age – we learn to delay gratification.
Proverbs 2:2-5
Wisdom comes from diligence, perseverance, and tenacity. We need to deve3lop a lifestyle of seeking wisdom – it needs to be part of the fabric of who we are. It is not just a passing fancy.
James 1:5
All wisdom comes from God – therefore ask.
The prayerless life is a life that chooses poorly.
Once again, it not just asking when the crisis comes – it is asking all the time – seeking God’s guidance all the time – daily – hour by hour.
Getting advice is a must if we are to choose wisely.
Counsel – Prov. 11:14
Prov. 15:22
Prov. 20:18
Four points on counsel.
1) It is not a command of God. Good advice is not commands of scripture. A person giving you advice is not God. We must make our own decisions, taking responsibility – otherwise, we will blame others for the outcome – and when we do that – it causes a flood of poor decisions – and they just multiply. God wants us to learn to choose.
It is so important to God that we learn to choose – He will not tell us everything – He wants us to make decisions.
2) Get counsel in abundance – not just from one person. Do not read the ONE book on raising children – read all the others too! Talk to others too! If you zero it down to one – you will choose poorly.
4) Begin getting counsel in the early stages of a decision. Don’t wait until Sept. 1 to choose a school that starts Sept. 2.
In closing – circumstances – what role do they play in the decision making process? They are a factor, but not the primary factor. The primary factor is Scripture – the voice of God – wisdom. And after that – circumstances can act to confirm (or not) the others!
Wisdom can act as a road block – when the road is closed and the bridge is out, you have to continue on! No, you take the detour. God’s will is not like Google directions – it is a destination and there are many ways to get there.
Circumstances can act as open doors or opportunities – God can open doors through circumstances. About Open Doors : You should not walk through every open door. Like Proverbs 8 – you don’t walk through the door of the prostitute –
Oftentimes, the open door is not the easy path – especially if it is the one God is opening.
Open doors do not always lead to successful fruitful circumstance. Sometimes God’s choices don’t lead to that – they can lead to difficulty – Dave Brenner gave me this one – it is easier to steer a moving ship than one that is sitting still – sometimes we just need to get going and then correct course as we go.
Then we need to learn to develop a tolerance for failure in decision making – learn to live with failure – that might not sound like positive thinking – but it will give you the right perspective. To accomplish anything will require failure. You often have to learn what doesn’t work.
Every one of us has made a decision that we thought was God’s will but wasn’t.
We need to learn from our mistakes. Some of our greatest lessons come from those.
Back when I was a young Christian – with long hair – sitting on the floor – I had some teaching on the second coming of Christ that was not wisdom – and it caused me to make some financial decisions that weren’t the best – but in that, I committed myself to learning what the Bible teaches in every area. We need to ‘own it’ – not just the good things, but the bad – and through that – God teaches us really important lessons.
John 7:17
If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.
When God tells us to do something – we have to be wiling. If we already have our mind made up – just do it, but don’t ask God. Because you have to be willing to do what He asks us to do.
This verse is not about guilt and fear – it is not telling you to do the one thing you don’t want to do! If you are trying to decide on a career – and you hate math – it is NOT God’s will for you to be an accountant. That might sound silly – but we do that in so many ways.
The most important thing in making decisions is having a proper view of who God is.
The man with one talent – I KNEW you were an exacting man – so I hid it! He had a wrong view of God – and it led to wrong decisions.
You may eat of all the trees – but the one. It is all for you – just choose! I love you and want you to be happy – I want you to experience My abundant love – and understanding God is the most important thing in the decision making process.
Lord, thank You – I ask You to help us – we are in Your hands – and sometimes things are cloudy and gray and hard to see – so open our eyes, that we might see You and to be in a position where You can guide us through the difficult decisions. In Your Name we pray.