“ Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” – Proverbs 3:5-6.
One of the problems with giving a sermon on making decisions is that people assume the pastor is good at making decisions. They assume the pastor has the answers. The truth is, it takes me as long to pick what toothpaste I want to use as it does you. We are all shaped by our decisions. I have been confronted with the question at times, “How can I know how to make the right decision?” And so today, I would like to leave you with some wisdom that I believe is sound and supported by Scripture when it comes to making godly decisions.
Some decisions have life-or-death consequences, while others, like 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 less bad decisions and more good decisions?
In order to “not depend on our understanding” and instead fully trust in the Lord, we must be intentional in every decisions we make. We must be faithful in all of our patterns and everyday decisions: how we deal with our relationships, money, and work environments as well as how we take risks and step out in faith. Trust involves a humble reliance in and an active pursuit of God.
When we make decisions, it can be so easy to follow our own inclinations and seek our own desires apart from God. We can get so consumed with what we are doing or where we are going, that we forget our true identity: who we are in Christ.
No matter how big or how small the decision is that you have to make, you can always call on the Lord for wisdom and receive it through prayer, godly counsel, and the Word of God.
The beauty of leaning on God for all of your decisions is that it puts the direction for your life in the right hands; God’s hands. God is faithful and wants the very best for you. If you think about it, God knows the beginning from the end. Who better to put your trust in regarding your decisions than God?
Just make the choice that what you want ultimately is the grace and wisdom to do what God created you to do.
Discussion questions:
- What are some of the tough decisions that you had to make? What are some of the consequences you have seen from others’ decisions?
- Do you struggle with trusting God instead of the world or yourself when you’re making difficult decisions (or even in the easy ones)?