Principles in Practice

Good Decision Making

From time to time we are all haunted by the prospect of making the wrong decision. You can avoid making a bad decision. And you can know that you have made the best possible decision. Here's how.

What is involved in making decisions? Essentially it is choosing a course of action. You can choose to act or to stand pat. If you decide to do nothing, in reality you have chosen to maintain the status quo until circumstances change. If you choose to act, you take the initiative, you do something.

There is also another aspect to decision making: timing. You can decide not to do something or you can decide to do it now or you can reserve your option to do it at a later time. You can make the right decision at the wrong time which can produce results just as bad as a wrong decision.

How many times, not knowing what to do, have you simply never made a decision at all? Did you realize that by not making a decision, you had made a decision after all? I think many of us do that more often than we realize.

Seek God's Guidance Before You Need It

It is extremely uncomfortable for a Christian to realize--after the fact--that he or she missed God. You can look back and see that if only you had done this or that, things would have turned out better. Sometimes you could have avoided pain; other times you missed a blessing. Or it may just be the sure knowledge that you did not do what God wanted you to do.

Can we really avoid, or at least minimize, these uncomfortable times? I believe we can. I believe if we routinely seek God's guidance we can have the assurance that we are making good decisions.

First, you must form the habit of asking Him--in advance--about those things that you are consciously aware of that need His direction. I have found that it is impossible to consistently remember to ask God for insight just before I am about to do something. And even if I could remember to ask Him, I have no time to listen to Him, because I am about to make my decision. I must carve out time to hear Him if He is trying to get through. That means remembering to ask Him before it is time to make a decision.

Certainly God can make Himself heard if He wants to. But look at it His way. If you are trying to tell a child something to help him, but he is just too busy to listen, chances are you will wait until he slows down long enough to hear you. In fact, if you really want to get his attention, you might even slow him down yourself. He might have to stand in the corner for a while, until he is willing to do it your way.

The only way to effectively hear God in advance on a regular, predictable basis is to slow down long enough to spend time listening to Him regularly. So we must carve out time for that purpose on a consistent basis.

When You Have Heard Nothing, Wait

Sometimes we get specific direction from God to do or not to do something, Most of us have had that experience. You just hear that quiet still inner voice saying what you should or should not do. Or you just know in your heart that a certain course of action is the right one to take. But most of us do not have that direction for our decision making as often as we would like. How then do we know that God does or does not want us to make a particular decision when we have heard absolutely nothing from Him? Actually, that is really when we most feel the need to know what His position is. We have spent time with Him, we have sought direction, and we have not heard a thing.

Here's how I handle that. First, I know that I have been available to hear, and I know that God has not spoken. That assurance grows out of the habit I have formed of spending at least an hour a day in Bible reading and prayer. Part of that prayer time is devoted to listening instead of just talking. I tell God that I need direction for a particular decision. Then I spend enough time waiting for an answer so that if I do not get one, I can rest in the knowledge that He was not trying to give me one that day.

Second, I have adopted the general rule that if I do not receive direction, I will not make a decision unless and until I must make one. I permit the status quo to be maintained. Very often it turns out that I did not have to make any decision after all. Circumstances and time take care of the matter without my having to decide anything or do anything.

Third, I take the position that God will direct my steps. If I have been available and heard nothing, and if the situation has developed to the point that I must take the initiative, I make the best decision I can. I do not decide any more than I need to decide to take care of the situation. However, rather than let my indecision become a decision, I take the initiative.

Finally, I await the results. It may be that one decision leads to another. But each time, I repeat the process. Over the years, I have learned to wait and to exercise patience. That combination of listening and waiting patiently has produced freedom from the anxiety that burdened me for so long.

Commit Yourself To Obey God

Of course, the real key to good decision making is obedience. We must approach our decisions from the perspective of receiving direction. God's got a plan, and our job is to understand what that plan is, or at least as much of it as He chooses to show us.

When we recognize an area of disobedience (which is, by definition, sin), we must confess it and ask His forgiveness. If we find ourselves unrepentant, we may need to ask God to give us a sorrowful heart. Then we need to change our conduct. We may need to ask God to enable us to become obedient. If we ask Him sincerely, He will give us the supernatural power to do what we cannot do otherwise.

Decide--And Trust God for the Results

Let's assume you have a big decision to make at work. You have wrestled with the problem for days, and now you must put your proposed solution in writing. You can delay no more, and you must be right. The future of the universe hangs in the balance.

Really? That's hardly likely. First, let's recognize that nothing is all that important! Adopt a more realistic perspective. In fact, the chances are the more critical a decision seems, the less critical it really is. The devil has a wonderful time helping us lose our perspective and that plays havoc with our decision making. Are you seeing mountains when there are only molehills? Spend time with the Lord and ask Him to help you see this problem for what it really is.

Once you have a reasonable view of the problem, reflect on the fact that you have spent time with God. You have asked Him for insight and direction, and you've not heard his answer. So what do you do? Maybe you can postpone the decision, get the deadline extended. But if not, then make the very best decision you can--and leave the results to God. Your job is to rely on God to assume responsibility for the problem. If He chooses to leave you up in the air, that is His business. The difference between peace and anxiety is whether you believe He has assumed responsibility for the answer.

By the way, if you cannot trust Him to guide you through this decision, then perhaps you are not spending sufficient time with Him regularly. Make that your next decision.

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