Your destination five, ten, or even twenty years from now is often determined by the decisions you make today. Certainly decisions about college have long term effects, but I am also talking about what may seem like smaller decisions. Some of these might be decisions about who your friends are, whether or not you should play on the summer soccer league, what job you should take over the break, or whether or not you should go to camp this summer with your youth group. I am sure many of you are facing decisions right now; that’s why I wanted post this article that I hope will help you as you consider the decisions before you. The following questions are mostly common sense, but I thought maybe God could use them if they were right in front of you. So print them out, stick them in your Bible, and the next time you are faced with a decision, I hope they will help. Let me know if I can pray for you or help you in any way.
12 Questions to ask yourself when making a decision
1. Are you right with God, or are there issues of sin you need to deal with before making this decision?
2. Are you willing to do whatever God wants you to do and not just what you want to do?
3. What Biblical principles apply to the choices you have to make?
4. What are your possible choices and their results? Be sure to anticipate the long term effects of this decision as best you can and how each available choice coincides with God’s overall will for your life. Include positive and negative consequences as well as problems, questions, or other thoughts about each potential choice. It is best to grab a sheet of paper and map it all out.
5. Is the decision you have to make the result of another bad decision in the past that you simply need to correct so you can avoid it completely? Usually sin comes in steps – a series of bad decisions and the refusal to correct them. Maybe the decision you are facing could be avoided if you would just deal with some of the issues in your past.
6. Do you have any direct leading from the Holy Spirit? If so, be able to share this with individuals from whom you seek counsel. Consider your thoughts and leadings when you have prayed about this. Remember that the Spirit of God and the Word of God are always in harmony.
7. What decision do providential circumstances point toward? This is not always a sure sign, but it is certainly a factor to consider. God is in control of all things.
8. What do your parents, godly counselors, friends, and authorities think you should do? A definite trend of thoughts and advice from these people should begin to lead to a clear choice.
9. What have you observed about others who have faced this kind of decision and the way they made their choices? What were the results of those choices? Can you make any applications or learn from their failures or successes?
10. Are you using godly wisdom or the wisdom of human reasoning and selfishness?
11. How will your decision affect the lives of others?
12. Are you running from a problem, fear, or unfulfilled obligation; are you quitting something you need to finish?
Ps 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
Tags: Decision making, God's will