Do you struggle to make decisions? I’m not talking about moral decisions that have an obvious right or wrong answer but about arbitrary ones. And not unimportant ones like what’s for dinner, but big ones like which city to live in or which job to take. The kind of choices that will impact your life but God could be glorified either way. Decisions that you won’t find a specific answer in the Bible for, but instead will have to trust your own God-given wisdom to make. I struggle a lot with these choices because I don’t trust myself to make the “right” one!
I’ve gotten good at making pros and cons lists, seeking counsel from people I trust, and of course, praying … a lot. But I still get anxious because I fear I will make the “wrong” decision and end up wishing I had done something different. That kind of fear can be paralyzing and end up leaving you stuck in one spot, too afraid to make any big decisions.
I believe that there are three key things a child of God needs in order to wisely and boldly make life decisions:
First, we need the wisdom to consider the choices carefully. We need to gather all the relevant information. Write down the pros and cons. Seek counsel from people we trust. And most importantly, ask God to give us wisdom because He has promised that He will.
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. – James 1:5 NLT
We also need the courage to decide. We need to boldly make the best choice after careful consideration. We can’t allow the fear of making the wrong decision to keep us from making any decision. Once we’ve have asked God for wisdom and carefully considered our choices, we need to decide!
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. – 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
Finally, and most importantly, we need faith! We need to trust that God will open and close doors along the way and that He will be with us whichever way we go. If we remain in prayer about our decision, we can know that God hears and He will answer. If God leaves a door open and allows us to walk through it, He has a plan and a purpose for it. Nothing happens in the life of a child of God that He hasn’t authorized.
A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the Lord directs his steps and establishes them. – Proverbs 16:9 AMP
