You go to a store to buy new clothes. You step into the dressing room because you want to try it on. You want to see if it’s going to fit.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just try all our decisions on before we make them? Sometimes you can’t do that, because we never fully know the outcome of a decision, but we can try some of it on for size.
Picture in your mind, what are the benefits if you make this decision?
After being honest with yourself and getting good input, what do you think it might look like in a week, two weeks, a year or five years from now?
Sort of project it out into the future. We don’t hold the future. God does. But it’s wise to try it on by taking that decision in your mind and building it out to see where it could end up. Think about:
- What are the consequences of this decision?
- What are some of the unintended consequences that could occur in a week, two weeks, a month or five months from now?
You’ve probably watched people who make decisions, and you could see the consequences coming. Maybe you shook your head, when you really wanted to shake them, because you knew where it was going to go. Perhaps they weren’t honest with themselves in asking about unintended consequences of their decision.
A trusted advisor can often help you focus on some of the unintended consequences.
- What are my most trusted advisors telling me?
- What am I hearing from God?
Have you asked God about the decision? Have you really sought Him before you acted?
Nehemiah, a godly man in the Old Testament, made a huge decision to approach the king and ask for permission to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of his city that had been destroyed. But, before he acted on that decision, he spent four months in fasting, in prayer and in mourning for his people. He really did his inside work.
If you’re making a decision that has serious consequences for your future and your faith, it’s vital to spend time seeking God in prayer. If you don’t do that, you violate the scripture that instructs us to figure out what pleases Christ (Ephesians 5:10).
So, how do you figure it out?
- You read scripture.
- You pray.
- And you seek godly advice before you act.
Check out Breaking Free from Indecision – Why Am I Indecisive to learn more about making godly decisions when indecision stands in your way.
