Mission Venture Ministries

Our attitude toward making a decision must be the same as that of Jesus who affirmed to the Father, “Not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42) and He taught His disciples to pray, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). 

God reveals His will to us primarily in two ways.

• First, through His Spirit: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13).
• Second, God reveals His will through His Word: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). 

Therefore, making a solid decision needs to begin by discerning the will of God; because, God delights in revealing His will to those who are eager to follow His precepts, and who put their hope in His unfailing love (Psalm 33:18; Psalm 147:11).   

God sees the complete picture; the past, present, and future of our lives. He teaches and advises us by revealing Himself to us through His Word and by the Holy Spirit; if we are willing to listen and obey. God has made this promise to us: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8). 

The key to making solid decision is praying and knowing God’s word instead of following the desires of our own hearts because: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12), and another proverb tell us that: “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice” (Proverbs 12:15). 

God blesses decisions that He initiates and that line up with His Word: “I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness” (Proverbs 4:11). And the Lord blesses decisions that accomplish His purpose and depend on His strength because: “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). 

The Lord blesses decisions that reflect His character, that promote justice, kindness and humility: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). 

He blesses those decisions that come from faith in Him because: “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). And those decisions that are made that result in His glory: “… whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). 

God promises to give His children wisdom when they ask for it: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). However, the important thing is that, “let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6-7). 

Patience is also important, while waiting for God’s time, because decisions are an act of the will and are influenced by the mind, emotions or both. The decisions we make actually reflect the desires of our heart (Psalm 119:30). Therefore, a key question before making a decision is ‘do I choose to please myself, or do I choose to please the Lord?’ Joshua set the standard for us when he told the Israelites: “If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). 

Paul wrote: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2). 

If you are making any decisions, you should be looking to God’s Word for direction, and taking comfort in the peace which only He can provide, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Ask for wisdom, trust His promises, and He will guide your path: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

There will be times when God’s ways may seem undesirable or unpleasant, when our heart wants to follow our own desires instead of trusting God. But, when we finally learn that God’s will is always for our benefit; and when we place our trust in God, and not in ourselves, we will discover which decisions are pleasing to Him. Therefore, we should obey and exalt the Lord because He delights in the well-being of His servant (Psalm 35:27). 

Remember that part of being protected by God has to do with obeying Him and living in His will. When we don’t do either of those things, we come out from under His covering. We don’t hear His voice telling us which way to go when the Bible tells us that: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go” (Isaiah 48:17), and “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).  

There are also times when godly people try to warn others, as Paul did and they don’t listen and have to suffer the consequences as we read in Acts 27:10-11 and 20-25. 

Paul warned them, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.” 

The event tells us that they were caught up in a tremendous storm and for many days and the storm continued raging and they finally gave up all hope of being saved. Now, “after they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me. 

How many times might a person have been spared from something disastrous if they had only asked God to show them what to do and then obeyed Him? 

Do you need to make a decision? Have you gone to the Word and ask for His guidance through prayer? 

Remember Jesus never did anything before talking to the Father and waiting to hear from Him, because He did not seek to please Himself but the Father who sent Him (John 5:30). 

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.

Lamentations 3:25

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