Making the Right Choices
How to Deal With Indecision
Today we are continuing our series Stressbusters. We are going through the 23rd Psalm and looking at seven ways we can relieve stress in our lives. We have already looked at how to deal worry, how to deal with busyness and how to deal with damaged emotions. Today we are going to looking at how to deal with indecision. Indecision can cause us stress. Let’s see what Psalm 23:3 says:
He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Psalms 23:3 (NKJV)
Making the right choices in life – determines how your life goes. In fact life is a series of choices. If you make dumb decisions you fail in life. The choices we make – make us. Every choice we make has a consequence. And because of that – making the right choices can be very stressful. Yet we have more choices now then ever before.
Today we can now buy everything we want on the internet. From fruit trees to furniture. From tea to tuxedos. We can now watch over 100 channels on our televisions sets. We can travel to any place in the world if we just have enough time or money. We can choose our political leaders or choose not to vote. You can choose from dozens of restaurants where to have lunch or dinner. You can choose from halibut to hamburgers. Choice is a part of our lives and its here to stay.
Making choices can be very stressful. Should I hold on or should I let go? Should I get in or should I get out? Should I stay or should I move? When you can’t make up your mind it’s like being bounced around like a pinball in a pinball machine. Listen to what James says about indecision:
6 …he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind….8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
James 1:6, 8 (NKJV)
The Greek word for unstable literally means “stagger like a drunk.” When you can’t make up your mind – you’re going to stagger through life. The antidote for indecision is to let God guide you. The Good Shepherd not only feeds – He leads. He not only provides – He guides. He not only protects – He directs. God is the one who will keep you on track in life. God is the one who will show you which way to go. Some of you are going to say, “Pastor Tom, I’ve tried to find God’s will for my life, but it just does not work.”
A big problem is that we don’t understand how God reveals His will.
Some people take a emotional approach to finding God’s will. They want to be swept off their feet by some emotion. They want a quiver in their liver. They want some type of goose bump experience so they can say, “I know what God’s will is for my life.”
Others take a logical approach to finding God’s will. They want some type of formula to figure things out. Nine steps to being nifty. Apply the recipe and life will turn out right.
Some what a magical approach to God’s will. God will give them some fantastic sign. He’ll write something in the sky – send me an e-mail.
All of these approaches lead to frustration because they cause us to miss God’s will. God’s will is not a feeling, or a formula, or something to get frustrated about.
So how do you find God’s will? You build a relationship with God. How do you build a relationship with God? The Bible says to do four things:
1. Approach God humbly.
2. Ask God in faith.
3. Listen for God’s response.
4. Trust God.
1. APPROACH God humbly.
This is not as easy as it sounds. Especially for men. How many of you when you are lost want to stop and ask for directions? No – we don’t want to ask for directions. It’s not in our nature to ask for help. So we stumble and get confused. Sheep, by nature, tend to wander. They have a tendency to get lost. Look at what Isaiah 53 says:
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost. We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on him, on him.
Isaiah 53:6 (MSG)
This is a real problem why you don’t know God’s will. We don’t want to ask for directions. We want to go our own way and we don’t see to well either. We have poor vision. Let me ask you how far can you see into the future? How many of you know just exactly what is going to happen tomorrow? We don’t even know what is going to happen this afternoon let alone what is going to happen tomorrow. The problem is because we don’t see that well into the future we tend to stumble. Proverbs 14 says:
There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV)
We have all made decisions that at the time seems right but come to find out – it wasn’t such a good decision after all. Some paths are dead ends. So the first thing we need to do is to admit that we need help.
He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. Psalms 25:9 (HCSB)
To be humble is to admit that you need a guide.
2. ASK God in faith.
Jesus said "… ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Luke 11:9 (NKJV)
God wants you to learn to ask. If you want to know God’s will for your life ask Him. He will gladly tell you. But you must ask in faith.
6 But 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. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:6-8 (NKJV)
Have you ever asked God for something and didn’t expect to get it? Sure you have. That’s why you didn’t get it. God works in our life according to faith. He wants you to believe that He will answer – because He will. Many times we ask God to guide us and then walk away not waiting for guidance. We just go our own direction anyway.
You have to ask in faith and wait on God to give you direction. And that brings us to point three.
3. LISTEN for God’s response.
Right now in this room, it’s filled with all kind of waves. There are television waves, radio waves, cell phone waves, just all kinds of waves. But we are not able to hear any of them because we are not tuned in. You need a receiver to put up the waves that are in this room. The same is true in order to hear God’s advice – to get God’s counsel.
Why don’t people hear God’s counsel – there are basically three reasons:
A. You have your receiver turned off.
B. You have it turned on but you’re not listening.
C. You have it tuned to the wrong channel.
God speaks all the time. Job 33:14 says:
For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. Job 33:14 (NKJV)
Why don’t people perceive it? Because their not tuned in.
What channels does God use? He uses the Bible, teachers, impressions, circumstances and pain. He doesn’t speak the same way all the time. The primary way that He speaks is through the Bible. A lot of direction you need in your life is already right here – in the Bible. The Bible is God’s guide book, it’s a road map but if you don’t read it you will get lost. You need to read the Bible every day. If you don’t you have just limited one the major ways God wants to speak to you. It’s like having a telephone at home – it rings – but you don’t ever pick it up. God has a message for you – but He needs to speak with you.
God also speaks through teachers. That can be your pastor, your Sunday school teacher, godly friends or your mentors. You know those people you go to whom you trust. Listen to what Proverbs says:
Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22 (HCSB)
God speaks through teachers.
God speaks through impressions. There are two extreme trains of thoughts here. One says that God never speaks through impressions and the other says that every impression is from God. I don’t think that every impression is from God – because I have thoughts that run through my mind that are not too godly. It might just be a bad burrito. On the other hand there have been times when God has me think about someone and say a little prayer for them. Test your impressions. Ask the question does this though bring glory to God. If it doesn’t it’s not from Him.
God uses circumstances and pain to speak to us. God whispers to us in our pleasure – He shouts at us in our pain. There are no atheists in fox holes. When your life is on the line – everybody believes in God.
The truth of the matter is that God is always speaking – the question is; are you listening – are you tuned in? Is the volume turned up?
4. TRUST God.
You are not God – you have to trust Him. An example of this is found in the Old Testament. Do you remember the story of how the children of Israel were finally set free from slavery after 400 years? The whole nation starts marching out to freedom and the first thing they come up against is the Red Sea. They hit a brick wall. There is no where to go. They are trapped. But we know better because we know the rest of the story. Look at what Psalm 77 says about what God did:
19 Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, And Your footsteps were not known. 20 You led Your people like a flock By the hand of Moses and Aaron. Psalms 77:19-20 (NKJV)
Some times you just have to trust God. He is faithful. In fact let’s look at Psalm 23 again.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Psalms 23:3 (NKJV)
Did you notice the last phrase there? In fact circle it. “For His name’s sake.” Have you ever noticed that phrase before? Do you know what that means? God’s reputation is on the line. God will always do what He has promised to do. That’s a fact – you can take it to the bank.
God will always lead you to where He will be glorified.
Some of you are facing dead ends right now – you may seem trapped. But that is not the rest of the story – is it?
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Psalms 23:1-3 (NKJV)
My problems may seem big – but you know what – I know someone bigger. And He always does what He says He will do. He is my Shepherd. He is the Lord.
