My experience of taking decisions as a Christian

Friends, let me ask you. What goes into your decision-making process? What do you consider? Do you have a tried and trusted formula that you find works for you? Is it the same every time or is it dependent on the matter you’re deciding on? When I first got saved, I suddenly found decision-making a bit of a challenge. I’ve always considered myself a fairly decisive person. I know my mind and I found making choices fairly easy. I could quickly choose what I wanted or what worked for me. When I didn’t know what I wanted, it would take me longer to decide. I usually just weighed my options and committed to the one that I thought was best for me and for the situation.

That is where the challenge came in. When I surrendered my life to Christ, I discovered that I wanted God to be in on my every decision. I surrendered my decision-making to him as it were. Whether it was a small decision on day-to-day stuff like what to have for lunch or what to wear or a bigger decision like where to live or what investment to make, I wanted to make that decision with the help of God. This was a good thing, I think, because I wanted to acknowledge God in everything. However, I found it difficult to navigate my new reality. I did not want to make a decision, one way or the other, if I did not hear God speak directly on it especially for the big decisions. Of course, if it was a smaller decision that wasn’t of consequence, I would just take the decision and move on.

I’ll give you an example of what this challenge looked like for me. There were many times that I was faced with someone needing some kind of help. “What can I do, Lord?” I would ask. The Bible is very clear about helping others. To help or not to help was usually not the question. The question was how to assist responsibly and effectively. Yet that question was met with silence from God on many occasions. When God was silent, I found myself feeling unsure of my decisions. I felt like I couldn’t take a step forward with anything before I heard from God which frustrated me. I began to feel like I was being indecisive or crippled in my decision-making.

I grew up hearing that God always responds and so I would delay in deciding until I was confident that I knew what God wanted me to do. For someone like me who knows her mind, I really struggled with that. On the one hand, I wanted to acknowledge God and put Him first even in my decision-making. On the other hand, I was used to looking at the facts, researching if I needed to, weighing available options, and then just taking the decision. I had to learn where God fit into my decision-making. Knowing now what I didn’t know then, I would give myself the following advice.

Pray

Don’t worry about anything; 
instead, pray about everything. 
Tell God what you need, 
and thank him for all he has done 
Philippians 4:6

Talk to God about your circumstances, your decisions, and your needs. God only wants what is good for you. God has many thoughts about you and many plans for you and all of them are intended to bring you prosperity, to give you hope, and to give you a future. With that knowledge and assurance in mind, consult God about your decisions as with everything else in your life then wait patiently on Him. The more you do this, the more sensitive you’ll become to the Holy Spirit prompting you and guiding you.

Rely on the Word

As with giving or helping others, the Bible has a lot to say about every issue that you could face. Spend time reading it and get to know what God thinks and says about issues. Through the Bible, God speaks about himself, about his church, about you specifically, about people in general, about governance and leadership, and about so many other subjects. Get to know what the Bible says so that in your hour of need or at decision-making time, you’re not scrambling to figure out what to do. If you know ahead of time how the Bible recommends handling something, you feel more confident and empowered in handling the situation if and when it arises.

When you read something that has a real-life application, take note of it. Memorise the verses if you can. Read the Bible at the time of decision-making as well. Friends, it has happened many times that I’ll pray about something then go to read my Bible and find scripture that speaks directly about what I was praying about that it may as well have been written specifically for me and for that specific situation. There is a wealth of knowledge and advice in the Bible that you can really depend on.

Act in Faith

Trust in God. Trust in his Word. Put all your hope in Him and act according to that hope and trust. Act in faith. One of the reasons I probably felt frustrated in my decision-making was because whilst I wanted to please God, I was also experiencing fear. I wasn’t even aware of it at the time. I was aware that decisions can be like a fork in the road. One decision can take you far down a path that God did not intend for you. I wanted to avoid that at all costs. I did not want to find myself in a situation that wasn’t ordained by God. The truth is I had a lot to learn about God’s grace, guidance, and provision. I had to learn that when God is silent, it’s okay to take the decision that I think is best as long as I’m acting in faith and in accordance with God’s Word. I had to accept in my heart that when I fail or make a mistake or less than ideal decision, God is not waiting in the wings to punish me for the misstep.

Friends, even when you find yourself in a place that God did not intend for you, He does not abandon you. He provides for you even then. He leads you and guides you even then. In Genesis 12:10-20, Abram left the land God had promised him and went to Egypt because of a famine in that land. He asked his wife Sarai to tell the Egyptians that she was his sister because she was very beautiful. He feared that he would get killed by those wanting to take his wife for themselves. Despite him travelling to Egypt even though God had not ordained it specifically and him lying to protect his life, God still watched over him and his family. In fact, God caused Abram to leave Egypt with many gifts from Pharaoh because he wanted to bless Abram. How awesome is God 😊?!

Love,