How Do I Decide?

Isaiah 30:21b – Right behind you a voice will say, "This is the way you should go," whether to the right or to the left. (NLT)

A diversity of choices can make us ask, "How do I decide?"

My wife is the queen of slow when deciding what to wear. Very conscientious of how she looks, she spends more time in a closet in one morning looking at clothes than I do in an entire week. She carefully takes the pieces of her prospective outfit down from the rack and hangs them together to see how they look. This process may go on several times before deciding on an outfit that she likes. Occasionally, she will ask, "How do you think this looks together?" My opinion doesn't matter, but I suppose that it makes her feel better to ask.

The ancient nation of Israel had a bad habit of listening to the wrong voices when making decisions. This habit cost them numerous defeats at the hands of their enemies, as well as other forms of discipline from God. Isaiah the prophet reminded them that there was a better way to make decisions — one that still works today.

As believers, the first question that we must consider when faced with a decision is whether or not it's sinful. There is never a time when it's acceptable for us to decide to do something that will lead us down a sinful path. When those times come, we don't even have to pray about what God would want us to do. He always wants us to say "No."

Making decisions based on feelings is not ordinarily wise either. Sinful choices — as well as other choices — can feel right but be very wrong. Sin often feels right. This is how Satan designs it. If it felt wrong, no one would sin — or at least not as often. We must learn to trump feelings with fact and truth.

I've been known to ask others' opinions when faced with life-changing decisions. Consulting others is acceptable as long as we can trust them individually and as long as their views are based on scriptural truth.

Faith makes the best decisions. When we exercise faith, we base our decisions on what God's Word says. The truth of God's Word trumps our feelings and the opinions of others and will never lead us down a sinful course.

On what basis are you making your decisions?

Prayer: Father, thank You for the guiding power of Your Spirit when the time comes for us to make decisions. Amen.

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