Making Decisions for God

167th Fraternal Gathering

Mountain Grove Ecclesia

Friday, October 19th, 2012

We are important to God

Matthew 20:29-31 (GWT), “29Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's permission. 30Every hair on your head has been counted. 31Don't be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows.”

Decisions, Decisions

• Stress-filled decisions are not easy

• Decisions sometimes have many layers

• As we grow older our decisions affect more and more people

• Most importantly, God’s plan and purpose comes first

Questions to consider

• How are we supposed to know what God wants us to do?

• What should we be aware of during our decision making process?

• What is wisdom and how can we apply this wisdom to our decision making?

• How can we remain content while making decisions?

Which way should we go?

• Knowing our end goal and how we want to get there is very important

Life altering decisions

• Some decisions will drastically change the course of our lives

• Where to go to College/University, course of study, choosing a mate, having a child, getting baptised, etc.

• Not to be taken lightly, cannot go back

Multiple factors in our decision making

• Value system

• Pros and Cons

• Support system

• Relevant and irrelevant factors

• Outside influence

• Emotions

• Deadlines

Content mindset

I Timothy 6:6-10 (GWT), “6A godly life brings huge profits to people who are content with what they have. 7We didn't bring anything into the world, and we can't take anything out of it. 8As long as we have food and clothes, we should be satisfied. 9But people who want to get rich keep falling into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires which drown them in destruction and ruin. 10

Certainly, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people who have set their hearts on getting rich have wandered away from the Christian faith and have caused themselves a lot of grief.”

We are blessed• Ephesians 1:3-10 (GWT), “3Praise the God and Father of our

Lord Jesus Christ! Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer. 4Before the creation of the world, he chose us through Christ to be holy and perfect in his presence. 5Because of his love he had already decided to adopt us through Jesus Christ. He freely chose to do this 6so that the kindness he had given us in his dear Son would be praised and given glory. 7Through the blood of his Son, we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness. 8He poured out his kindness by giving us every kind of wisdom and insight 9when he revealed the mystery of his plan to us. He had decided to do this through Christ. 10He planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth.”

Be in a positive mindset

• Count your blessings• Clear mind brings better decisions• Motivated by our love for God and His Son• Philippians 4:11-13 (GWT), “11I'm not saying this

because I'm in any need. I've learned to be content in whatever situation I'm in. 12I know how to live in poverty or prosperity. No matter what the situation, I've learned the secret of how to live when I'm full or when I'm hungry, when I have too much or when I have too little. 13I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.”

Wisdom

• Chokmah (Hebrew)

• Skill, experience, shrewdness, cleverness, cunning and prudence

• Our best source of wisdom is God through his Word of Truth

• Proverbs 2:2 (KJV), “2So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;”

Five steps to applying God’s wisdom

1. Acknowledge that God has the answer

2. Pray and ask for God’s wisdom

3. Believe that God will guide you

4. Get in motion

5. Check your decision against God’s Word

Acknowledge that God has the answer

• God is the answer• Proverbs 2:6-9 (GWT), “6The LORD gives wisdom.

From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7He has reserved priceless wisdom for decent people. He is a shield for those who walk in integrity 8in order to guard those on paths of justice and to watch over the way of his godly ones. 9Then you will understand what is right and just and fair- every good course [in life].”

Acknowledge that God has the answer

• Moral vs Non-moral decisions

• Both are difficult

• Biblical examples help us with the moral

• Biblical concepts help us with the non-moral

Pray and ask for God’s wisdom

• Prayer is committing to God• Strengthening our relationship• He has our best interests in mind• Jeremiah 29:11-14 (GWT), “11I know the plans that I have

for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. 12

Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13When you look for me, you will find me. When you wholeheartedly seek me, 14I will let you find me, declares the LORD. I will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I've scattered you, declares the LORD. I will bring you back from the place where you are being held captive.”

Pray and ask for God’s wisdom• Will God be there when we need Him most?• James 1:2-8 (GWT), “2My brothers and sisters, be very

happy when you are tested in different ways. 3You know that such testing of your faith produces endurance. 4Endure until your testing is over. Then you will be mature and complete, and you won't need anything. 5If any of you needs wisdom to know what you should do, you should ask God, and he will give it to you. God is generous to everyone and doesn't find fault with them. 6When you ask for something, don't have any doubts. A person who has doubts is like a wave that is blown by the wind and tossed by the sea. 7A person who has doubts shouldn't expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8A person who has doubts is thinking about two different things at the same time and can't make up his mind about anything.”

Believe that God will guide you

• Faith is crucial in accepting what God gives us

• On God’s time, be patient

• Time will tell, it will become clearer

• Proverbs 4:18 (GWT), “18But the path of righteous people is like the light of dawn that becomes brighter and brighter until it reaches midday.”

Get in motion

• Search out the answers that will help you make your decision

• Both practical and personal

• Read your Bible

• Gain insight from spiritually sound people

Get in motion

• Beware of improper counsel• I Kings 12:8-11 (GWT), “8But he (Rehoboam) ignored

the advice the older leaders gave him. He sought advice from the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. 9He asked them, "What is your advice? How should we respond to these people who are asking me to lighten the burden my father put on them?" 10The young men who had grown up with him answered, "This is what you should tell them: 'My little finger is heavier than my father's whole body. 11If my father put a heavy burden on you, I will add to it. If my father punished you with whips, I will punish you with scorpions.”

Get in motion

• A sensible biblical observation from someone trusting is profitable

• Proverbs 15:22 (GWT), “22Without advice plans go wrong, but with many advisers they succeed.”

• Proverbs 19:20 (NIV), “20Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.”

• Proverbs 28:2 (GWT), “26Whoever trusts his own heart is a fool. Whoever walks in wisdom will survive.”

Check your decision against God’s Word

• Open your Bible

• James 3:17 (GWT), “17However, the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure. Then it is peaceful, gentle, obedient, filled with mercy and good deeds, impartial, and sincere.”

• II Timothy 2:15 (KJV), “15Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Check your decision against God’s Word

• Strong leaders make good decisions• Our decisions expose what’s inside us

(values/intelligence)• God wants to help us, He is a God of comfort• II Corinthians 1:3-5 (GWT), “3Praise the God and

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father who is compassionate and the God who gives comfort. 4He comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we are able to comfort them by using the same comfort we have received from God. 5Because Christ suffered so much for us, we can receive so much comfort from him.”

Aaron and the Golden Calf

• Exodus 32:1-6 (GWT), “1When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. They said to him, "We don't know what has happened to this Moses, who led us out of Egypt. Make gods who will lead us." 2Aaron said to them, "Have your wives, sons, and daughters take off the gold earrings they are wearing, and bring them to me." 3So all the people took off their gold earrings and handed them to Aaron. 4After he had worked on the gold with a tool, he made it into a statue of a calf. Then they said, "Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt." 5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival in the LORD's honor." 6

Early the next day the people sacrificed burnt offerings and brought fellowship offerings. Afterward, they sat down to a feast, which turned into an orgy.”

Aaron and the Golden Calf

• God works in His time

• The Israelites forgot about what God had done for them in Egypt

• They coerced Aaron into creating them a god

• Impatience led to a poor decision

David and Bathsheba

• II Samuel 11:1-5 (NIV), “1In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. 2One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5

The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

David and Bathsheba

• David was successful in all things and a man after God’s heart

• Used his power to send for Bathsheba

• The original sin (adultery) led to another sin (murder)

• David acted on a weak moment instead of taking the time to consider the consequences

Ananias and Sapphira• Acts 5:1-11 (GWT), “1A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold

some property. 2They agreed to hold back some of the money [they had pledged] and turned only part of it over to the apostles. 3Peter asked, "Ananias, why did you let Satan fill you with the idea that you could deceive the Holy Spirit? You've held back some of the money you received for the land. 4While you had the land, it was your own. After it was sold, you could have done as you pleased with the money. So how could you do a thing like this? You didn't lie to people but to God!" 5

When Ananias heard Peter say this, he dropped dead. Everyone who heard about his death was terrified. 6Some young men got up, wrapped his body in a sheet, carried him outside, and buried him. 7About three hours later Ananias' wife arrived. She didn't know what had happened. 8So Peter asked her, "Tell me, did you sell the land for that price?" She answered, "Yes, that was the price." 9Then Peter said to her, "How could you and your husband agree to test the Lord's Spirit? Those who buried your husband are standing at the door, and they will carry you outside for burial." 10Immediately, she dropped dead in front of Peter. When the young men came back, they found Sapphira dead. So they carried her outside and buried her next to her husband. 11The whole church and everyone else who heard about what had happened were terrified.”

Ananias and Sapphira

• Had the right idea, selling their possessions

• Kept some of the money for themselves

• Shallow thinking for short term gain

• Both lied when confronted with their sin

Ruth and Naomi• Ruth 1:6-18 (GWT), “6Naomi and her daughters-in-law

started on the way back from the country of Moab. (While they were still in Moab she heard that the LORD had come to help his people and give them food. 7So she left the place where she had been living, and her two daughters-in-law went with her.) They began to walk back along the road to the territory of Judah. 8Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back! Each of you should go back to your mother's home. May the LORD be as kind to you as you were to me and to our loved ones who have died. 9May the LORD repay each of you so that you may find security in a home with a husband." When she kissed them goodbye, they began to cry loudly. 10They said to her, "We are going back with you to your people." 11But Naomi said, "Go back, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Do I have any more sons in my womb who could be your husbands?

Ruth and Naomi

• 12Go back, my daughters. Go, because I am too old to get married again. If I said that I still have hope.... And if I had a husband tonight.... And even if I gave birth to sons, 13would you wait until they grew up and stay single just for them? No, my daughters. My bitterness is much worse than yours because the LORD has sent me so much trouble." 14They began to cry loudly again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth held on to her tightly. 15Naomi said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Go back with your sister-in-law." 16But Ruth answered, "Don't force me to leave you. Don't make me turn back from following you. Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17Wherever you die, I will die, and I will be buried there with you. May the LORD strike me down if anything but death separates you and me!" 18When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she ended the conversation.”

Ruth and Naomi

• Naomi is bitter, but Ruth remains loyal

• Ruth gives up everything to be with her mother in law

• She put herself in an uncomfortable circumstance

• God took care of her blessing her with a family

The tribe of Issachar

• I Chronicles 12:32, (GWT)“32From Issachar's descendants there were 200 leaders who understood the times and knew what Israel should do. Their relatives were under their command.”

• The tribe of Issachar was very aware• Understanding the times means working towards

God’s will• Isaiah 33:5-6 (GWT), “5The LORD is honored

because he lives on high. He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. 6He will be the foundation of your future. The riches of salvation are wisdom and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is [your] treasure.”

The tribe of Issachar

• Knowing what to do is applying this understanding• Romans 13:11-14 (GWT), 11You know the times [in which we

are living]. It's time for you to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers. 12The night is almost over, and the day is near. So we should get rid of the things that belong to the dark and take up the weapons that belong to the light. 13We should live decently, as people who live in the light of day. Wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, rivalry, and jealousy cannot be part of our lives. 14Instead, live like the Lord Jesus Christ did, and forget about satisfying the desires of your sinful nature.”

• Recognizing all the variables and forming well thought out plan is key to good decision making

Nehemiah

• Nehemiah surveys the damage to the city (vs. 3)

• He mourns for all those who are troubled (vs. 4)

• He prays to God for forgiveness, guidance and wisdom (vs. 5-11)

• From this he developed a plan to repair the city and rebuild the wall

Summary• How are we supposed to know what God wants us to

do?

• Use God’s Word as our guide

• The Bible has many examples to help us

• Communicate with God through prayer

• He will give us the answer if we are aware and looking for it

Summary

• What should we be aware of during our decision making process?

• Take your time

• Keep your emotions in check

• Examine the positives and negatives

Summary

• What is wisdom, and how can we apply this wisdom to our decision making?

• True wisdom is from God

• God will give it to us if we just ask

• We gain wisdom through our personal experience, both positive and negative

Summary

• How can we remain content while making decisions?

• Ephesians 1

• Count your blessings

• Looking forward to God’s Kingdom

Summary

• Christ is our ultimate example• His decisions were well thought out• He took his time, kept his cool and

acknowledged his Heavenly Father as the source of all wisdom

• He prayed without ceasing and gathered all the pertinent information

• He used scripture to help him make solid decisions

Summary

• Where do we want to go?• Joshua 24:15 (KJV), “15And if it seem evil unto you

to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

• Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV), “5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”