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Giving God Control Of Your Decisions
Living for Christ requires having the kind of faith in God that gives Him control over every aspect of your life (Proverbs 3:5-7). One element of giving God control of your life is giving Him control over your decisions. This lesson will focus on some basics about what this should look like.
Luke 6:46-49
There are many decisions you will make. In the scope of their impact, some are bigger decisions (e.g. who to marry, what kind of work you will do, where to live, how to raise your children) and some are smaller decisions (e.g. what to eat, what to wear, what kind of car to buy). However, though there are some life-altering decisions, your life is the sum of every decision you make (whether big or small)! The most important decision of all, though, will be the decision about the foundation for your life (like building a house). For, many will build their lives on the faulty foundations of earthly things that do not last (e.g. wealth, pleasures, possessions, relationships, knowledge, etc.). However, the child of God must dig deep to eliminate these faulty foundations and build on hearing and obeying Jesus’s words. Any other foundation for your life will fail you (Luke 12:16-21; Matthew 25:31-46)! Building on the foundation of hearing and obeying Jesus’s words will cause you to evaluate every decision you make (no matter how big or small) based on whether it is in agreement with and obedience to what Jesus teaches (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3). Therefore, you must carefully search God’s word for commands and principles to direct you in every decision (Acts 17:11)!
Luke 14:25-33
While Jesus teaches the importance of deciding to follow Him, He also urges people to count the cost of their discipleship to ensure they are willing to follow Him wherever He leads. Following Jesus is not a small decision that has little/no impact on how you live; but one that impacts everything else about your life! So, whenever you make any decision, you must prioritize His kingdom and righteousness above everything (Matthew 6:33)! What Jesus wants from your life must be more important than your family, your life, ease of living, possessions, etc. Whenever you work through making a decision (e.g. who to marry, what job to work, what clothes to wear, what church to be part of, how to spend your money, etc.), you must do so in a way that priorities Jesus and what He wants from your life so that your decision is about honoring Him rather than anything or anyone else, as you evaluate the outcome of each decision (Luke 9:57-62; 10:38-42; 14:15-24)!
Proverbs 21:5
God demonstrates that foresight is important for your life. Although no human can see into the future, God does provide people with the opportunity to have wisdom (Proverbs 2:1-11). Therefore, whenever you make plans, you must not make them hastily as if you have no way to reasonably anticipate how certain decisions will lead to different outcomes (Proverbs 19:2). While some decisions require quicker responses than others, it is important to be as diligent as possible in working to reach decisions. Then, it is important to store up God’s word in your heart in advance so you are properly equipped to make immediate decisions whenever they are needed (Psalm 119:9-11; Genesis 39:1-20).
James 1:5-8
Both knowledge (knowing what God wants) and wisdom (being able to properly apply that knowledge to the circumstances of your life) are critical for making decisions that please God. This passage focuses on gaining wisdom from God by asking Him for such. You must believe that God desires for you to have wisdom so that you will rightly apply the knowledge He gives you through His inspired word to your life and decisions. Some decisions you make will be clear matters of right versus wrong as you seek out God’s answers in Scripture and apply those to your situation. However, other situations will involve trying to distinguish between what is questionable versus what is right. Still others will involve trying to distinguish between what is good, better, and best. All these decisions will require using wisdom from God. Therefore, both when you are faced with difficult decisions and always, you should pray with the expectation that God will give you the wisdom you need!
Proverbs 24:5-6
One of the useful resources God provides to help you make wise decisions (apart from His word and your experiences) is obtaining wise counsel. The value of listening to the wise counsel and instruction from others is often emphasized throughout Proverbs (Proverbs 1:8-9; 11:14; 12:15; 13:10, 20; 15:22; 19:20; 20:18). There are many things people may treat as being more valuable in making decisions than godly wisdom – personal desires, physical strength, knowledge, skills, relationships, etc. However, none of these things will result in decisions that please and honor God. So, you are taught to value having many counselors in your life who can help guide you as you make decisions. But, you must be careful to make sure that you are receiving counsel from wise people who know how to use the true knowledge from God in their own lives rather than counsel from people who do not know God’s truth, how to properly apply it, and are not obedient to it (Psalm 1:1-6). One thing you should look for is a proven track record in the one you receive counsel from (e.g. years of faithful service to Christ; 1 Kings 12:1-19; Titus 2:1-8)!
Conclusion
Giving God control of your decisions will impact every decision you make, no matter how big or small it seems. While many decisions must be made during life, letting God mold your decisions will cause you to make sure each decision is according to the teachings of Scripture and pleasing to God. Therefore, you must humble yourself to accept and obey these and all of God’s instructions about your decisions.
