Answer: I recently asked a group of teens how they make decisions. Here’s what they came up with on the spot:Prayer
Talk with people
Friends
Compare with my morals
Very carefully
Flip a coin
Research it
Experience
I take the easy way
I don’t know of a place in the Bible that specifically says, “Decision-making: How to do it in 3 easy steps.” In fact, you may find some very different ways of making decisions recorded in the Bible, and some of them seem to be fine or even good as far as God is concerned. Check out these examples:
1. In Acts 1:15-26 you will find the story of selecting a twelfth disciple after Judas had committed suicide and Jesus had returned to heaven. There are several steps to this process. First of all Peter, one of the outspoken leaders, attributed the demise of Judas to an Old Testament prediction. Then he admonished the others to select a replacement based on experience—having been with the rest of the disciples from the baptism of Jesus until his ascension back to heaven. Nominations were made. (Sounds like a good democratic process, doesn’t it?) Then they prayed for God to show them the one He wanted. (very spiritual, don’t you think?) And then (you might find this hard to believe, but check Acts 1:26) THEY CAST LOTS! In other words, they just rolled the dice or drew a name out of the hat, and called that “The Will of God”!
2. The promise of Isaiah 30:21 sounds ideal for somebody who wants to follow God. Here’s how it reads in the New Living Translation, “You will hear a voice say, ‘This is the way; turn around and walk here.’” Wouldn’t it be great to have God tell you what decision to make? Most of us would say, “Yes!:” unless God’s instruction is different from what we want. If you read the rest of Isaiah 30, you’ll find that God’s people weren’t listening too well to what God had already told them. In Isaiah 30:10 you’ll find, “They [God’s people] tell the prophets, ‘Shut up! We don’t want any more of your reports.’ They say, ‘Don’t tell us the truth. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies.’” God warns them that they will get calamity and destruction as a result. But then God tells them that He will still come after His rebellious people, calling out to them, so they will hear a voice telling them what to do. That’s quite a picture, isn’t it?!
3. Here’s one more “Biblical example.” Check out the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:38-42. The religious leaders asked Jesus to give them a miraculous sign to show that He was from God. They claimed that their decision on whether or not to believe Jesus was based on a miraculous sign. Yet Jesus said they were part of an “evil, faithless generation” because they asked for a miraculous sign. Then he told them something about Jonah being in the belly of the great fish for three days in the same way that Jesus would be in the heart of the earth for three days. The religious leaders were left with a big blank.
Has this been helpful for you? Are you ready to try any of these “Biblical examples” for making decisions in your life?
Let me provide you with one key verse for making good decisions, and the opposite is the main reason people make bad decisions. Here’s the verse: “He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” Matthew 6:33 (NLT). You may be more familiar with it being stated, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
That’s it. When you want to make a good decision, ask yourself, “How can I make a decision that will do the most for God in this situation?” and then do it!
Here’s the opposite (the key to making bad decisions): ask yourself, “How can I make a decision that will do the most for ME in this situation?” and then do it! The root of bad decisions is ego (sometimes called “Me, Myself, and I”).
In case you didn’t catch it, let me give it to you again, from another verse. “If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.” Matthew 16:25 (NLT)
I should warn you that the majority of the people in this world are out for themselves, so they will give you all sorts of strategies to make decisions, like considering the consequences, weighing all options, getting advice from others, looking at your own goals, even praying about it. But the final decision they recommend is to do what you think is best (for you).
And I’m telling you to make every decision based on what you think would be best for God. Do everything you can for Him, and let Him do everything He will for you!
