During the course of life everyone has to make hundreds and thousands of decisions whether you are a Christian or not. Some decisions are major that will have serious consequences while many others are minor that will have very little impact on life. For a non-Christian the motivating factor in making decisions is often his/her own pleasure and happiness, but for a Christian the motivating factor is not his/her own pleasure or comfort but to fulfill God’s plan in one’s life. God’s will is probably one of the most often discussed topics in most Christian camps and retreats, despite all that has been said and written it is sad that there are many Christians who struggle with decision making every day.
I am not trying to simplify the complexity of the issue of God’s will. Theologians, pastors and Christians all over the centuries tried to figure out how we can find God’s perfect will so that we will not need to live with this haunting fear or guilt that may be we have missed God’s plan for our lives. I am not trying to clear the age old fog and present some simple formulas to finding God’s will, all I am trying to do is discuss some important decision making principles that can guide us as we journey in life.
God’s will is probably one of the most often discussed topics in most Christian camps and retreats
Here are some important truths (premise) about God’s will that should be understood before we deal with our decision making. As a good shepherd God wants to reveal his will to us more than we are interested in discovering it. He is not trying to play hide and seek with us and he does not take any pleasure in confusing us. As a loving father he desires to lead us and as a sovereign God his methods of communication are perfect and flawless. As someone said “God’s ability to communicate his will is perfect, he never stutters”. The only problems we have are the problems of our imperfections (our finiteness and our sinfulness). Sadly neither of these problems can be fixed quickly; we will have to learn and grow to overcome these problems. So in a sense finding God’s will is something we all learn and grow as we follow the master intimately day by day. I personally believe that finding God’s will has more to do with our relationship with God than our ability to figure out directions of our journey. God does not give us a blue print of our life’s journey, he just expects us to walk with him day by day.
As a good shepherd God wants to reveal his will to us more than we are interested in discovering it.
Some helpful principles of decision making based on Gary Friesen’s book “Decision making and the will of God”: 1. In those areas specifically addressed in the Bible, the revealed commands and principles of God are to be obeyed. Often this covers God’s moral will. The Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount and the teachings in the epistles deal with a lot of specific moral issues. These are not decisions where we dialogue or debate, we are simply expected to obey because it is God’s will for us. Example: Can I lie? Can I murder? Can I worship other Gods…etc. 2. In those areas where the Bible gives no direct command or principle (often considered as gray areas where Christians differ from each other), the believer is free and responsible to choose his own course of action. However, we should see if any of the moral laws can guide us in making these choices and also examine our motives as to why we prefer one decision over the other. Example: Can I watch movies? Can I work on Sundays? Can I drink wine? Can I wear makeup? Can I use medicine?…etc. The Bible does not directly address such questions; therefore we need the counsel of Godly men in such matters.
In non-moral decisions, the objective of a Christian is to make wise decisions on the basis of experience and common sense. Non-moral decisions are decisions that have no right or wrong answers, they are often issues of taste and choice within the permissive will of God. Example: Which car should I buy a Honda, a Toyota or a BMW? What dress should I wear today? What food should I eat today? In many of these decisions we do not need to wait for God’s guidance. These are decisions where I believe God expects us to use our renewed mind and common sense. We are totally responsible for all our decisions made in this realm and often these decisions help us learn and grow no matter what the consequences are.
As a young Christian I thought making decisions would become easy once I become a Christian, because all I need to do is find God’s will and do it. But after following the Lord for the last twenty plus years I understood that God is more interested in transforming me into the likeness of His son through the decisions I make rather than simply making decisions for me. He wants us to walk with him rather than simply pointing his finger towards the direction we have to go. Uncertainty of the future is no longer a curse, because I am certain of his presence and loving guidance. Trusting God and not our own understanding is the key in making decisions. This does not mean that we will not make mistakes and miss out great opportunities, but this means that we totally trust in God’s sovereignty that can actually bring out the best possible result at the end despite our choices. As the old Hymn says: Trust and Obey, for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
God wants us to walk with him rather than simply pointing his finger towards the direction we have to go.
– – Author: Rev. Francis Burgula – –
