AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS SERMON
When you’re trying to decide something, there are some truths in the Bible that you must follow. We’ve said many times that your decisions must line up with the Bible, with good counsel, with prayer, and with the unfolding of circumstances (lastly). These truths about which we preach today are practical principles that will help you to not get off track when you’re making decisions.
Be still – Ps 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God.” You cannot make wise and good decisions when you are emotional. You have to get calm and be still. Whether you are overjoyed and excited, or you are afraid and depressed, or whether you are angry and ready to fight, you are in no mood to make a good decision. You have to get to that place where you are in your normal, settled, peaceful place with God. In 2 Chr 20:3 Jehoshaphat feared when the children of Moab, Ammon, and mount Seir came to battle. In 2 Chr 20:12, Jehoshaphat had to settle down in prayer and get his eyes on the Lord. In 2 Chr 20:15-17 the Lord told him to not be afraid and to be still.
Keep your quiet time – Dan 6:10 – Daniel “kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” It’s very important that you don’t let anything you’re facing pull you out of your Bible and prayer. Keep your priorities everyday. When anything weighs on you and interferes with your time with the Lord, you’re going to get in trouble with your decisions. In Mk 1:35, Jesus spent time alone with his Father in prayer, despite being so busy with the ministry.
Wait on the Lord – Ps 27:14 – “Wait on the Lord… wait, I say, on the Lord.” Is 40:31 “they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” “Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he hasteth with his feet sinneth,” Prov 19:2. Don’t be in a rush. Most people panic when they are facing decisions, particularly if there are two or three things coming at them at once. Take your time. If you want to have the courage and strength to follow through with the decisions the Lord leads you to make, you must wait on God.
Seek God’s will – Mk 14:36 “not what I will, but what thou wilt.” This is the way to pray. Jesus wanted God to take the cup away from him. Yet, he wanted God’s will, not his own. Too often, we have already decided on something that we want, and we pray to get it. What you and I want is not important when making the right decision. What God wants is what matters.
Decide; don’t choose – 1 Sam 23:9-13 – David didn’t ask God if he should stay or go. That would have been a choice between two alternatives. Instead, he asked the Lord whether the rumor about Saul was true. And then he asked whether the men of Keilah would deliver him up to Saul. When the Lord answered, David decided. He and his men left Keilah. When you pray, ask God to give you light to decide. Decide; don’t try to choose.
Conclusion: these simple practical truths should become guiding principles in your life from now on to help you when you’re making decisions. Be still, keep your quiet time, wait on the Lord, seek God’s will, and then decide, don’t try to choose.