We've all made our share of impulsive decisions--some wise and some foolish. Life sometimes
gives us little time to make up our minds and so there are times when the potential reward outweighs
the potential risk. But while we may choose to be impulsive at times, this should certainly not be
true of major decisions in our life. At such times, the path of wisdom is the path of careful
consideration.
Every day, we're called on to make decisions. They come in all shapes and sizes--big, small, momentous, or insignificant. Every decision has an impact whether we realize it or not.
Which is why our ability to make good decisions is so crucial. Making good decisions is part of doing the will of God.
Our focus in making decisions should be on the signs of a "good" or
"bad" decision-making process. There are 4 components to good decision-making: Godly counsel, prudence,
objectivity, and prayer.
Godly Counsel
Godly counsel is a key aspect to making wise decisions where there is no clear biblical
mandate. Its importance cannot be underestimated. Where most people fail in decision-making isn't in seeking the counsel of others but in
how they seek it and
what they do
with the advice they are given.
It's important to understand that more often than not we will receive the kind of counsel we
want to hear, and not
necessarily the kind of counsel we
need to hear. It's not that we intend to seek out such advice, but it should naturally be
expected. Why? Because when we seek advice, we often turn to friends and family who will generally agree with whatever
we say and will be hesitant to bring up an opposing view for fear of upsetting us.
When we do seek advice from more
impartial individuals, our natural tendency is to describe our situation in such a way that there is only one rational
response--to agree! We tell others how things appear from our perspective, and that is
exactly the problem! Our reason for
seeking Godly counsel should not be to merely validate our own inclinations, but rather, to hear the
opposite perspective of
our own. When we fail to seek out an opposing view, we fail in our decision-making process.
We can't make a balanced decision without having heard convincing arguments for both sides.
Of course, having heard arguments for both sides doesn't do much good without taking time to think about
which advice is best. We have to choose carefully who we allow to advise us, and even more carefully what we do
with the advice we are given.
Prudence
It's interesting that the Hebrew word translated "prudent" in the creation story is used elsewhere in the Bible to mean "crafty" or
"cunning." Prudence and cunning are both result of wisdom, and can be used for either good or evil. In the
hands of the unrighteous, prudence degenerates to become shrewd, scheming, and manipulative--as in the case of the
serpent. But in the hands of the righteous, prudence uses the same skills to ferret out evil and exercise
discernment, as when Jesus sent out the disciples instructing them to be "shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
(Matthew 10:16)
So how do we exercise prudence when it comes to decision-making? First of all, we must slow
down! The lack of a clear biblical mandate is not a license to impetuous decision-making.
Important decisions require time and careful consideration and necessitate taking a methodical
approach to the decision-making process. It means refusing to be satisfied with anything less than
all of the facts before reaching a decision. This often goes against our own inclinations because
doing so generally makes decisions more difficult than they would otherwise be. (And it prolongs our anxiety!)
A friend of mine told me of a wealthy woman he knew who had recently purchased a sport-utility
vehicle. When asked why she decided on the particular make and model, she replied, "I liked the
color." How strange to think that someone could make a decision of such magnitude based on so
little information. But are we really any different? We are all prone to the same kind of
impulsiveness that leads us to make decisions and judgements based on inadequate or inaccurate
information.
Decisions are always easier to make when made out of ignorance--but they can also be the
most costly. This is true of many things, but especially when it comes to our interactions
with people. We are quick to label others and are easily satisfied by our own cursory assessment
of their character and motives. In so doing we can make big mistakes.
Objectivity
Difficult decisions are often fraught with emotion. To urge that one should "not be emotional,"
when it comes to such situations is to oversimplify the problem. One might as well advise a person
not to blink for the next hour. Our emotions are an integral part of our character that can't just be "turned off."
The problem, of course, is that our emotions can be easily fooled. A loss of as little as two
hours of sleep per night is enough to make most people feel ill at ease over just about
any decision
they might face. The Bible offers really doesn't give any assurance that we will feel good
(or to use the catch-phrase, "be at peace,") with every decision we make.
Sometimes God calls us
into situations that may be very uncomfortable for us. When this happens, our emotions can easily
be manipulated by our adversary. This is why relying on the so-called "gut" feeling can be so
dangerous. It is our adversary's time honored tradition to stir up doubt in our minds and hearts.
Why? Because it is both easy and effective.
The serpent's first words to Eve began with the words
"Did God really say . . ." (Genesis 3:1). After the serpent had planted the seeds of doubt in Eve,
both she and Adam became vulnerable to deception. But it's not just negative emotions that we
need be wary of. Our emotions can be manipulated by pride as well as doubt. At the height of his
power and prestige, King David did evil in the eyes of the Lord, first with Bathsheba (2 Samuel
11-12) and later by commissioning a census (2 Samuel 24:1-15). This latter sin would prove very
costly, as some 70,000 Israelites lost their lives to the plague that followed.
Solomon reminds us that the prerequisite for understanding is an "even temper." This is more than just being able to control
your anger--it has to do with our character in both prosperity and adversity. Remaining objective in either case can be
difficult.
It's not that we should be without emotion, but rather, that we should not allow our emotions to run roughshod
over our decision-making process. The goal should not be to squelch our feelings, but to understand them. When we
understand how our emotions can be manipulated we are then in a position to compensate for them as part of our
decision-making process.
Nowhere is this more true than when it comes to a decision that involves a major life change of
some kind. When we are faced with a decision of this sort, we will naturally feel a strong
inclination to take as little risk as possible--to stick with the "status quo." In such situations, we
often lack the perspective and objectivity to make good decisions.
There are few emotions more
deceptive and powerfully effective in crippling our objectivity than the fear of change and the fear
of the unknown. This is why we must be especially careful to question any decision we make in
favor of the status quo and get good advice from objective counselors.
Prayer
I know a man who used to counsel college-aged students many years back. "Back then," he told
me, "people would ask me for advice about some major decision in their life and I would tell them
to 'just pray about it.'" Having lived through many long and difficult decisions since then, he
confessed, "I don't say that anymore."
We have the freedom in Christ to
present God with all of our troubles and worries, but we abuse this freedom when
we impose on God our own agenda. So where do we draw the line between a test and a request?
A "request" is a plea for God's help and intervention. A "request" becomes a "test" when it places
God in the position where He
must intervene--either to cause us, or to keep us, from some action
on our part. The Bible encourages us to request, but it warns us not to test.
We should never neglect to pray about our needs and worries. But in the end, our prayers should
always be that God's will be done. This is what it means to pray "in Jesus' name." Our hope and expectation should be that God will accomplish what He
has set out to do, period. No strings attached.
There's no secret to making good decisions. When we utilize good decision-making skills we tend
to make good decisions; when we exercise a bad decision-making strategy, we tend to make bad
decisions.
Making good decisions has more to do with discipline than it does with intellect. Seeking
Godly counsel, exercising prudence, remaining objective, and utilizing prayer are key to a healthy
decision-making process.
