How Do You Make Good Decisions

“Self-leadership begins with this discouraging realization: you have participated in every bad decision you have made.” – Andy Stanley.

Have you ever thought about the process of making decisions, specifically what ultimately makes the decision? Is it your knowledge? Intuition? Your experience? Is it important people in your life? Is it contemporary culture? Is it a church, or a popular spiritual leader?

There’s no doubt about it. Today we’re faced with more decisions than ever before. We live in a multiple-choice culture. Some decisions have life-or-death consequences, while others, like choosing a toothpaste, are not really all that important. There are people who are good at making decisions. But even those people make bad decisions here and there. How can we as Christians make fewer bad decisions and more good decisions?

The Bible gives perfect principles we need to know in order to make the best decisions–those that are pleasing to God. We need to ask ourselves two questions.

The first question is this: Will this decision draw me closer to God or further away from Him? As you think and pray through a major decision, evaluate how it will impact your relationship with God. Will this decision draw you closer to Him? Is there a different decision that will draw you even closer? Or will this decision move you away from God? You probably will not make the decision that draws you closer to Him every time. I won’t tell you that you always have to pick the choice that draws you the nearest to Him. When you make a bad decision remember that God is still sovereign.

The second question is this: Will this choice make me more dependent on God or less? We all desire to be self-sufficient. This is especially true for business leaders and business owners. This quality is what makes them successful in business. That concept is inverted when it comes to spiritual matters: last is first and first is last. What works for us in the business world can work against us in our Christian journey. Our independence is exactly what God does not want from us in our relationship with Him. As we are making decisions in life, we need to be mindful of whether we are seeking independence from God or dependence on Him. Decision-making is a huge part of dependent living. God the Father wants you to use your mind and heart to evaluate the options and then remove the decisions that are not lined up with His way of doing life. Once you have done that, ask Him to show you which good option to choose.

Trusting God in making decisions always leads to the best outcome. “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God!” (Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG)

Discussion Questions:

What seemingly insignificant decision in your life has ended up being like a small hinge that swung open a giant door?
Think of one particular decision you need to make. Spend some time looking through God’s Word and see what He has to say about it.