How to Make Decisions with More Confidence

Decisions, decisions, decisions…much of life is simply making decisions.  If you are like me, you wish someone would develop a fool-proof system for making the right decision every single time. You might even pay $19.99 plus shipping and handling for it, right?

Let’s be honest, that will never happen.  We can’t eliminate all the guess-work out of decision-making, but we can make decisions with more confidence.  In Genesis, the first book in the Bible, we read about a critical point of decision for Abraham and his nephew, Lot.  Bickering had begun between the farmhands of the two herders. Abraham approached Lot with a proposition.

He told Lot he would divide up his land between the two. The decisions made that day would define the legacy of both men.  Abraham’s name would become synonymous with integrity and faith, while Lot would become known as a disgrace.

Is it possible to have more confidence in our decision-making process?  I believe so.  Here are 5 solid steps to follow.

1. Understand that our decisions reveal our priorities.

Abram said to Lot, “If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right…Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt.  So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east” (Genesis 13: 9-11).

By all rights, Abraham could have made the first choice, but he gave the privilege to his nephew. What does that say about the heart of Abraham? Lot on the other hand was a different character. He must have been salivating as he looked over the land and quickly chose what appeared to be the best.  His decision was based on one thing…himself.   It appears Lot chose what he believed would give him the most return on his investment without much thought of anyone else.

2. Pray for guidance.

Lot’s decision would have grave consequences.  His poor decision-making would lead his family to compromise their convictions and live in wicked Sodom.  He would continue down the slippery slope until he lost his joy, his reputation and his children.  The Apostle Peter wrote that Lot’s soul was tormented day by day by the unrighteous deeds he saw and heard in Sodom (2 Peter 2:8).

Abraham’s decisions, however, were bathed in prayer.  The Scripture says, “There Abram called on the name of the LORD” (Gen. 13: 4).  He made a practice of having an altar before any major decision.  Abraham understood an important truth, our lives are not all about us; we are to live for God.  When we make decisions apart from prayer and seeking God’s will, we put ourselves on the throne.  We become our own idol.

Abram prayed and God answered.  He will do the same for us. The Psalmist declared, “Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live” (Psalm 116:2).

3. Look ahead to where the decision will lead.

Lot made the mistake of looking at the “now” and not at the “hear after.”  Someone once said, “Never judge a decision by where it is…but by where it is going.”  This past summer, my family and I vacationed in central Florida and spent a few days at Disney World.  The most fascinating part of the Disney experience for me is the light and firework shows they put on every night before the parks close.  I have read that when Epcot opened, a man standing beside Walt Disney’s widow remarked, “If only Walt could have seen this.”  “He did see it.” Mrs. Disney replied, “That’s why it is here.”  

4. Seek wise counsel.

Proverbs 11:4 says, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

My parents taught me a valuable lesson as a child; “When in the presence of your elders, listen more than you talk.”  No one knows everything about everything, but everybody knows something.

The Bible teaches us to seek wise counsel from…

• Other People
Proverbs 1:5, “A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,”

Proverbs 12: 15, “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.”

Proverbs 15:22, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”

• God’s Word
Psalm 119: 105, “Your word is a lamp for my feet,  a light on my path.”

Proverbs 3: 5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

5. Gather the facts.

On my desk I have this quote, “Most decision-making is simply gathering facts.”  How true that is.  I have a confession.  There have been many nights that I have lost sleep, fretted, worried, sweated, tossed and turned about a decision I needed to make only to find out it wasn’t nearly as stressful after I learned all the facts.

Decision-making can be stressful.  Yet, if follow the principles taught in Scripture; we can have more confidence in making them.

Faith that Works

Recently, in the Bible study group that my wife and I enjoy each week, our discussion on authentic Christianity turned to the topics of grace and works.  If you want to get a theological firestorm started, just get a debate going on the role grace and works play in one’s eternal salvation.  Personally, I am very thankful that the gift of Salvation is just that, a gift.  Forgiveness of sin, being made righteous before a holy God, and having the confidence of eternal life is nothing short of the undeserved favor (grace) that God pours upon the soul of a sinner who finally realizes his or her utter spiritual depravity and calls out to Jesus.  He alone can bring peace between sinful mankind and Holy God.

As the song writer penned, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.”

The Scriptures declare, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1: 13-14, NIV).

I know you will join me in giving praise to the Lord for His grace.  Yet, in our thanksgiving for God’s indescribable gift, we cannot forget that following grace must be a transformed life that declares through our actions that we have indeed received grace. In reading 1 Thessalonians, we get a glimpse of the power of the Gospel as it is displayed with both grace and works in the life of a believer.

“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 1: 3, NIV)

The writer, Paul, was moved by the genuineness of the faith in these Thessalonian believers.  They had received the message of redemption through Christ and that knowledge had traveled 18 inches south from their ears to their heart.  They did not simply hear the Gospel, it transformed them.  Paul remarks, “We remember your WORK, your LABOR, and your ENDURANCE.” 

A few verses later, Paul states that he did not even have to write about their works of faith because the whole community was talking about them.  He said, “For they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” (1 Thessalonians 1: 9-10, NIV)

The Apostle James writes, “as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2: 26, NIV).

Even Jesus taught, “…a tree is recognized by its fruit.” (Matthew 12:33, NIV).

Life Application:

Are you a follower of Jesus?  If so, have you stopped to give thanks to God today for the incredible grace He offers you through Jesus?  As you give Him praise, ask Him to empower you to live out your faith so that others will believe your testimony by your actions.  Show others through your life that change Jesus makes.

Give Yourself Permission to Smile

It is stated that the wisest man in history was the great King Solomon of Israel.  To this day, his wise proverbs inspire us, challenge us, help guide us down a road of self-improvement and draw us closer to God.  In addition to the book of Proverbs recorded in the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes is also attributed to him.  Written toward the end of his life, Ecclesiastes has a different feel than his Proverbs, but is no less beneficial to our  life and faith.

When you begin reading Ecclesiastes, you are struck with the author's dark, depressive tone.  Though a man given wisdom from above, like all of us, Solomon did not always yield to heavenly wisdom and made many mistakes.  In Ecclesiastes, he writes from a reflective point of view as if he is looking back over his life and asking the questions "Why did I do that?" "Was that important?" "Where did my focus get off track?"  Over and over again he repeats the words, "Everything is meaningless!" and "Chasing after the wind."

hen reading Ecclesiastes, It's tempting to close the book and open to a different section of the Bible. We are more comfortable with lighter, more uplifting texts of Scripture.  Truth is, some of

Backstage Christianity

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  – Matthew 6: 3-4

He was one of the toughest men I have ever met.  Still laying brick and block a decade past the age most men retire, he reveled in watching twenty-year-old brick-layers sitting exhausted on the sidelines while he continued working. The product of years of hard labor and a horrible accident as a toddler, his hands were like vice grips.  When he approached you for a handshake he would say, “Give me three fingers.”  I learned early on to only give him two fingers because if you gave him three, he would break the one in the middle.  Wow! He was strong.

He was dedicated to his tasks, dedicated to his family, and dedicated to his faith in God.  He was a man’s man. Yet, as I was driving through the Kentucky

GPS - God Positions your Steps

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.” – Psalm 37: 23

Like most men, my friend has a one–track mind when it comes to travel.  He likes to go from point A to point B, no detours, no alternate routes, minimal stops, just get in the car, put it into drive and get there.  One year, he and his wife were planning a trip to the Great Smokey Mountains of East Tennessee.  They had been there several times before and had their route memorized.  This particular year they decided to invite another couple to join them.  Shortly after leaving their home

You are a Piece of Art

He seemed almost erratic as he bounced from side to side on the stage splashing bright paints of various colors upon a large canvas.  Lisa and I had joined several thousand others at a Contemporary Christian concert and were caught in awe as the artist, dressed in a black robe, created his masterpiece before our eyes as the band filled the room with music and praise.

One minute passed, then two, then three and to be honest, we still couldn’t make out what the image was going to be.  Finally, the artist stepped back as to unveil to the crowd his work of art and it still made no sense at all.  Then he walked up to the canvas and turned it 180’ and what we beheld sent a hush over the entire crowd, it was an incredible portrait of the face of Jesus.

We have been blessed over the ages with some very talented artist whose works have often left us breathless.  Still yet, their creativity pales when compared to the true Master Artist – God.  On a