DIVINE DIRECTION IN LIFE DECISIONS
STUDY TEXT: PROVERBS 3:5–6
INTRODUCTION:
- Life is filled with choices that can either make or break you. At different stages of life, you're presented with different choices, and to make such decisions without error, you need proper guidance which only God can provide.
- Many people have spoiled their Christian lives because of wrong decisions made outside God's Will. Such as wrong job, wrong marriage partner, mistakes in pursuit of education, mistakes made moving to other places. And it is not only young people who make unwise decisions; many older and even elderly people have committed this grave mistake.
- You are confronted with the need to make decisions each day of your life. Some of these will only be matters of personal preference that will not impact your life in any significant way: matters such as “What clothes will I wear today?” or “What will I eat for lunch?” or “Which movie would be appropriate to watch?”
- However, other decisions have long-term ramifications that will affect your happiness and overall well-being. For example, What career path should you pursue? What kind of person do you want to marry? Where will you live?
- Because these and other decisions we face can affect us for the rest of our lives, they require proper consideration and seeking divine direction.
- What is God's Plan for My Life? How do I know God's Will for My Life? How Do I Make Wise Decisions? These are all very important questions that need to be answered.
1. Why Do We Need Divine Direction:
- Life requires that we make wise decisions, to ensure that our lives are happier and that we can have peace of mind. But making the right decisions is not a matter of luck or chance. It’s not a coin toss. Remember, you may have to live with the effects of a wrong decision for a long time, and in some cases, a life time.
- When making decisions, there are situations in life where morality is not enough and we need the wisdom of God
- Wisdom is not a substance, but rather a person named Jesus. When God calls everyone to pursue wisdom, it’s a call to know Him through the Lord Jesus. He is the wisdom of God.
- How are you wise in making decisions? When you have multiple options in front of you, how do you determine which is the best choice that honours God? How do you avoid not making a bad choice?
- We could not be in more desperate need for Divine direction in decision making than now, both as a society and as a church. We’re in an unprecedented time where we have more options than ever.
- When you look at anything in our lives, there are multiple choices. The more choices you have the more difficult it is to know you’re making the best choice. Am I missing out on something? Did I remember that rightly? Is that really the best option? You make a choice, but you’re dissatisfied and regretful.
- Some of the reasons we need divine directions as follows:
i. Choosing wisely and correctly is a very important prerequisite for entering God’s Kingdom and remaining a member of the Kingdom. Romans 8:14.
ii. Choosing wisely is a very important part of a Godly way of life. Psalm 1:1
iii. God desires us to choose and to do so wisely. Joshua 1:8
iv. The Church is called out of the world, so our decision-making must be from a different perspective; from the Tree of Life. 2 Corinthians 5:17
- Over all of our decisions is a God who is working all things for our good. He is a God who is moving all things according to His plan and purpose. He is in complete control over every situation in our lives.
v. We represent a different way of life; God’s way of life. It’s our foundation. It’s our basis for everything we think, say, do and, of course, everything we choose.
vi. Every Godly choice, a choice that is in keeping with God’s teachings, leads to life. Any other choice leads to sin and death.
- So why would we choose anything else but life? And yet we do when we decide on our own, using our own criteria.
vii. As busy as we all are, this life can overwhelm our thought processes. This requires daily examination and balance. Romans 8:7
- It tells us that a carnal mind is hostile to God, so it’s difficult on our own to choose the Godly way of life, thus we need divine help, and we need God’s intervention.
- The carnal mind, as we know, is governed by human nature instead of by the Spirit of God. It lives in opposition to God’s law.
2. How Do We Recognize Divine Direction
- When it comes to making a wise and godly decision, ask yourself; these three questions:
i. Does it seek the Good of Others?
- 1 Corinthians 10:24: "Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbours." The world we live in has an unstated value and that is "do whatever is good for you." Jesus taught us that our very first concern should be for others rather than ourselves (Matthews 7:12)
ii. Does it Bring Glory to God?
- 1 Corinthians 10:31: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." In Christ we have freedom in so many areas of life. Thank God we live under a covenant that says our righteousness is found in what Christ has done rather than what you and I can do.
- However, in spite of that, we need to be aware that this truth does not absolve us from the responsibility or the consequences of our actions.
- With this in mind, we need to ask ourselves, "Is my attitude about exalting God or exalting myself?" Does this action reflect well on me or well on my Lord?
iii. Does it lead to People Coming to Know God?
- 1 Corinthians 10:33: "I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved."
- Ultimately, God cares that people come to know Him above all else. We have freedom to live as we see fit according to the revealed will of God, but this is an important consideration in a wise life.
- Is the message in my life preaching the truth of God's love and redemption? Am I declaring by my life the supremacy of Christ and His saving power, that others too might see the gospel as good news?
- The following principles can serve as guidelines:
i. If a choice appears to be either vague or confusing, or you’re not sure, then it’s very possible that sin has clouded the issue.
- God is not the author of confusion. And deception is Satan’s way of leading us astray and causing us to choose unwisely. Sin and deception are influences to be aware of.
ii. The pulls of this world can be exceptionally strong. This can also influence our decision-making.
- We may not choose so wisely because of the pulls of the world. We may want something so badly that we forget. We begin to think that it must be God’s will for us.
iii. There will be times when we will be challenged to choose God’s way over man’s way. We will then need to take a stand for God’s truth without compromising our beliefs.
iv. Be careful about always choosing the easy way because it may not be the best choice.
3. How Do We Receive Divine Direction
i. Make God your priority: Matthew 6:33
- Make your relationship with God your highest priority. It all trickles down from there. Wisdom starts with a proper relationship and knowing God.
- How does God feel about my decision? The best way to find out is on your knees. But take heart in the fact that God answers any and all prayers.
- If God is involved in the decision-making process, you will benefit from it. And that’s a promise.
ii. Watch who you associate with and choose your friends wisely. Proverbs 3: 31 – 32.
- Having close friends can be a wonderful blessing Proverbs 17:17. But the wrong friends can be a curse Proverbs 12:26; 1Corinthians 15:33.
- Avoid all forms of ungodly influences from your friends and close associates.
iii. Seek godly counsel. Don’t try to go it alone. Proverbs 1:5
- When you do receive Godly counsel, act on it! Rejecting or ignoring Godly counsel is not profitable to you. Always receive it and act on it.
- One of the greatest gifts God has given His people is His people. So often we neglect or ignore the collective wisdom God has given in this area. Proverbs 11:14
- When people speak into your life and decisions, there is safety. Proverbs 18:1-2. When you isolate yourself and don’t let people speak into your life, you break out against all sound judgment to your own harm.
- God distributes wisdom to His people in such a way that it typically comes through consulting other Christians. Whatever decision you have, you need to bring it before others who know and love Jesus. So when you think about godly counsel, there are three different spheres of people to think about.
1. Family and those around you most.
- These people have the most knowledge about you. They know you the best. They can tell you an honest perspective of yourself and let you know how your personality and tendencies are affecting your decision-making.
2. People in the church at large who have demonstrated godly virtues and character
- Go to people who have handled what you’re dealing with in a wise way. We have people in our lives that we love and want to bring our decisions before them, but sometimes those people have the least amount of wisdom in the area you’re struggling in.
- Ask somebody else, there are people in the church that have walked through the season you’re in that you can benefit from. Seek them out. Ask around for someone who has been wise and successful according to the will of God in parenting, investment, dating, and career. Benefit from the larger church.
3. Seek out your pastors and elders.
- Every pastor and elder in Church has been placed over the church to serve you. They love getting to be your pastors. It’s a privilege that you would entrust your souls to them and listen to the teachings of God from them.
- If you really want wisdom, you need to listen most carefully when the people in these spheres disagree with you on what you want to do. Listen when people give you truth that is hard for you to hear.
iv. Think through and analyse everything with the Word of God before deciding.
- Avoid snap judgments and spur-of-the-moment decisions. Right choices require spiritual maturity and careful consideration. Ephesians 4: 13 – 14
- This is where you take time to consider who God is, what has He said in His word, what has He said about Himself, about you, the circumstance, and our relationships, and His expectations on us.
- The Bible is very important because if it speaks to something, it is the best information you could have. What we know in the Word is that it is always true; it is breathed out by an infinite eternal God. It is going to be true to whatever it speaks to.
- First, you have to ask if what you’re considering is a sin? Does God’s Word forbid you to do the thing you’re thinking about doing? If the answer is yes, then this process is over.
v. Ask God to direct your paths. Proverbs 3:6
- Ask God to be involved in your life daily to give you guidance and to intervene in all your choices and decisions.
- After you have gone to God’s Word and His people then the question becomes what do you want to do? You want to take that job? Do you want to move? Do you want to marry that person? Do you want to invest there?
- If the answer is yes, then do it. If the answer is no, then don’t do it. It really can be that simple to follow Jesus in the very important areas of life.
- You can make a wise decision without a vision or sign from God. So many of us don’t want to make a decision until God tells us exactly what to do.
- You can go to God’s Word and people and still be completely paralyzed in making a decision, because you’re waiting for some mystical moment when God whispers in your ear what to do.
- You may have times in your life where God makes it abundantly clear which direction you need to go and if you don’t you’re not following Jesus. Moments like this happen, but it’s not the rule. It’s the exception. It’s unhelpful if you think God will show up in some powerful vision every time you need to make a decision.
- You have the freedom in Christ to prayerfully take a step after you’ve brought your decision under the authority of His word and people.
vi. Build up your faith in God
- You’ve made your decision. You’re going in a particular direction. Now you need faith to trust God, because you have no idea what’s going to happen.
- You can be the wisest person on the planet; you still don’t know the future. You can look at trajectories and trends, but no matter how confident someone may be, you don’t know what God is going to bring. He is directing our life. Proverbs 16:9.
- We need faith to trust Him no matter what He brings. When you don’t understand what is happening and you can’t see God’s hand that is when you need faith to trust Him.
vii. Maintain a pure and godly thoughts always.
- We are what we think and as we think, we do. It affects our decisions accordingly. So consider filling your mind with the right thoughts and influences.
- The following are some foundational Bible principles for making wise decisions in God's will:
i. Don't trust your own understanding; trust in the Lord. See Proverbs 3:5, 28:26; Jeremiah 17:9
- The individual that trust his own understanding will make wrong decisions, because of the fallen nature, we must seek God and Trust Him explicitly.
- 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 acknowledge God in all our ways through prayer. We acknowledge God in all our ways through consulting the Bible. If we want to make wise decisions, we must pursue the Bible, because it is through the Bible that we know God's mind (1 Corinthians 2:16)
ii. Walk in the light (1 John 1:5-10)
- To walk in sin is to walk in darkness, and it hinders spiritual living and thinking (1 Peter 2:1). If a person is disobedient to his parents according to the will of God, stubborn or critical or bitter towards authority, not honouring husband/wife, gossiping, lying, stealing, loving the evil things of the world, his prayers will be hindered and he will lack wisdom to make good choices.
iii. Delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4)
- The way to know God's will is to put Him at the centre of one's affection. He will put the right desires in your heart and then fulfill those desires.
iv. Do not make any decisions that is contrary to the Bible (John 8:31-32)
- Any decision that causes you to disobey the Bible is contrary to God's will. This is what it means to live by faith. Living by faith is simply to believe God and obey His Word.
- God's Words is the solution to every challenge. It is potent and efficacious. The more you're acquainted with the Word of God, through study and meditation, the more you realize that the Word is more than a book of instructions.
- The Word instructs us and guides us, but the Word is your life. The Word of God is the mirror of God that reflects your spiritual image.
