Good decision-making is a process. It takes thought, humility, and biblical principles so we can do things to honor and please God. Before a decision is made, faithful Christians first look for God’s leadings through careful study of the Scriptures and watching and praying. Most importantly, our decisions need to be God-based.
There is a popular saying: “What would Jesus do?” This is a very good question to ask ourselves because Jesus made sure everything he did and said honored God, so we want to do the same. When faced with a choice, we can ask ourselves, “Would this choice be pleasing to God?”
We should be careful of peer pressure and not just make a quick decision in order to go along with the group. We should watch out for our personal desires – just deciding on something because “that’s what I want most.”
Consider involving others who have the same Christian values as you do, but with more wisdom and experience. Hearing another viewpoint before making an important decision can be valuable!
Finally, we shouldn’t make decisions in anger but try to keep our emotions under control – strong feelings can sometimes cloud our thinking and lead us to make an impulsive, wrong decision.
James gives us wise advice not just for our lives, but also for making decisions: (James 1:19?,20, NIV; 1:21?, International Standard Version; 1:22?, NLT) “…Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, rid yourselves of everything impure and every expression of wickedness, and with a gentle spirit welcome the word planted in you that can save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
So, how can we make good decisions? We first consider if our decision would be pleasing to God and Jesus. We can ask others with wisdom and experience for advice. We should be careful of peer pressure, personal desires or having strong emotions when making decisions. We must follow God’s word in all we say and do. This can help us make better decisions.
This video is from Christian Questions Podcast. For more information please go to https://christianquestions.com
