Mission Venture Ministries

“A man can receive only what is given him from heaven” (John 3:27).

Many people and Christians have ruined their lives because of bad decisions made apart from God’s will.

We need to realize that the individual that trusts in his own understanding will make wrong decisions, because of man’s fallen nature. We must seek God and trust Him explicitly. We need to be aware that even though the believer has a new nature called the “new man,” the “old man” is still there and can still lead us astray.

We might say, “I am allowed to do anything,” but not everything is good for me. Again we say, “I am allowed to do anything,” but not everything is beneficial – 1 Corinthians 10:23. As we see by this passage the “old man” still shows up at times.

We need to seek God will for our life through prayer. Instead of trusting in our own understanding, we need to ask the Lord for wisdom and guidance in everything we do, and especially during a major decision. He has promised to lead His people, but we must seek His guidance, trust in Him and not rely on our own understanding – Proverbs 3:5-6.

Scripture tells us that we are not to worry about anything; instead, we are to pray about everything. We should tell God what we need, and thank Him for all He does. Once we do this, then we will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard our hearts and minds as we live a life that is pleasing to Him – Philippians 4:6-7.

We are to trust the Lord and not our own understanding, Proverbs 3:5; because those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom are kept safe, Proverbs 28:26.

When we have a decision that needs to be made and we seek God’s will, it is very important to avoid haste; because when we are rushed, it is easy to make the wrong decision. We must wait until we are certain that we know the mind of the Lord; and the way we know this, is through the joy and peace God gives us when we rely on Him. Paul told his readers: “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

When we seek God’s will, and faithfully wait on Him we gain a tranquil spirit as a result. When making any decisions we should ask ourselves are we growing in peace or is doubt increasing? If something is of God, peace will grow and faith will increase, but if not, there will be doubt and a lack of peace.

God’s will is worth waiting for because decisions have consequences that last throughout one’s lifetime, and if an individual makes wrong decisions, he will not only live to regret it but he will have to bear the consequences until he dies. Not waiting on the Lord for the mate He has already chosen for us is one of these decisions, and of course, there are many others.

At times we might need to seek the advice of wise and experienced believers; as even Paul and Barnabas did. People around us may give useful advice in their areas of expertise, and friends may try to tell us what to do, but the counsel of a true believer has a different level of advice, and shouldn’t be neglected.

God knows our emergencies, and he deeply cares for our needs. He will not leave us when we really need an answer. But He may make us wait patiently in order to allow our attitude time to change to be open and receptive to His answer.

Unfortunately we live in an age of instant gratification, and are not accustomed to wait patiently, but God’s answers are worth waiting for, so we need to be alert to the pressures the world and well intended family or friends might place on us.

We need to be persistent in prayer which is the greatest gift God has given us. How often we see Jesus take refuge in His quiet time with His Heavenly Father. If Jesus needed to pray to align His heart with God, how much more do we need to pray?

As we wait patiently in the Lord and immerse ourselves in the word of God, we must allow it to penetrate and exert influence in our life. Here are some questions we might want to ask ourselves when making decisions:

• How will this decision affect me spiritually?
• How will this affect my family? Will this draw us closer to God or further from God?
• Is this going to bring more peace or less peace to my life?
• Is now the best time for this decision? Would waiting be better?
• Am I willing to let God close this door if it is the wrong one for me?

An important element to making good decisions is to make sure that we are completely submitted to God’s ultimate plan for our life. Sometimes we get it into our heads that we want to do a certain thing, and then we struggle immensely when we begin to realize that God may not want us to move forward with that particular choice. The disaster however, comes when we place our desire above God’s plan because; it will never have a good outcome.

The best decision we can ever make is to submit our choices to God’s plan and be willing to give up an opportunity when we sense God does not want us to move forward with that decision; remembering that the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them – Romans 8:27-28.

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