10 Facts About Godly Decision Making

10 Facts About Decision Making – Finding God’s Will

1. Scripture is sufficient to equip us with the information we need to obey God. (2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Matt. 15:1-20; Heb. 1:1,2)

2. The Holy Spirit leads us to walk in conformity with God’s will/heart, which is revealed in Scripture. (Rom. 8:9-17; Gal. 5:16-18; Heb. 8:10)

3. We can and should pray that God would conform our wills to what his will-heart is as stated in the Bible. (Col. 1:9-12; Phil. 2:12, 13; Matt. 6:10; 1 John 5:14, 15)

4. The ideas of ‘feeling led’ or ‘feeling called’ or ‘feeling peace’ are not in the Scriptures. If Scripture is sufficient for every good work, then these are not only unbiblical means of making decisions, but anti-biblical. Feelings may be in line with what God has revealed in the Scriptures, through study and through fellowship and by being taught, but they may not.

5. The whole of the Scriptures are summed up in the command to love God – delighting in him and displaying him to every nation (nations supercede individuals). (Gen. 1:26, 27; Gen. 12:2, 3; Deut. 5:7, 6:5; Jer. 2:13; Matt 5:13-16; Matt. 28:18-20; Rom. 1:21; 1 Cor. 10:31; Phil. 2:15; etc.)

6. Every decision we make must therefore be weighed against that command. We should not ask, ‘can I do this for God’s glory,’ but rather, ‘do I want to do this because I want to glorify God?’

7. This applies to both ‘big’ choices and ‘small’ choices, since both reflect our desire or lack thereof to honor God. God’s will revealed to us is about our moral character and activity. (As a side, ‘big choices’ are rarely as big as we think – neither are they permanent – including marriage, vocation, etc. – nor are they as permanent as we think they are. However, recall that stewardship is an issue.)

8. The stain of sin still dwells in our thinking, feelings, and motives. We must weigh everything against Scripture and ‘kill’ what is not according to Scripture. (Rom. 8:13; Col. 2:8, 3:5)

9. You have been given particular abilities, unique to you, to serve the Church. Without significant ministry experience – really trying things out and serving – you’re not going to know what those are. Serve. As you discover your abilities in the context of fellowship and relationship to Church authorities, serve. (Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12, 1 Peter 4)

10. Ultimately, Jesus is building the Church, not you. You’re part of the building. The success of Jesus’ mission does not depend on the Church or its membership. Trust him to do so – and obey what he’s revealed – for his glory. (Matt. 16:18; John 10:16; John 6:44; Acts 2:39; Rom. 8:30)