We made lots of decisions every day. Should I eat pizza for lunch? Should I buy that new gadget? Many of the decisions are small, but other decisions can have a huge impact on our lives. Should I marry this person? Should I buy this house?
What does the Bible say about making decisions? A lot actually. Today at Watermark, Blake Holmes shared how to apply Biblical wisdom to decision making in Part I of his series “Should I”. Here are some quick take-aways. (NOTE: You can listen to the entire message HERE)
1) What biblical principals should inform my decision?
“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6″
a) What does the Bible say about that?
b) Who can help me better understand God’s word?
c) Make sure you’re not the only one who holds this opinion of what God’s word says.
2) Do I have all the facts?
“He who gives as answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him. Proverbs18:13″
a) Ask a lot of questions.
b) Don’t let your emotions get the best of you.
3) Is the pressure of time forcing me to make a premature decision?
“Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and he who makes haste with his feet errs. Proverbs 19:2″
a) Don’t let the fear of missing out drive you.
b) When in doubt, leave it out.
c) Have you made sure you have all the information?
4) What are the possible motives driving my decision?
“All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives. Proverbs 16:2″
a) Acknowledge that you have blind spots.
b) Honestly assess your motives both good and bad.
5) How should past experiences inform my decision?
“Like a dog that returns to it’s vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. Proverbs 26:11″
a) Look for patterns of behavior. Triggers.
b) Understand how your family background informs your thinking.
[…] the “Should I” series. You can see points one through five in last week’s post here. I’ve made many mistakes, and without good counsel, I’m prone to making many more. […]