Three Key Steps to Making Godly Decisions

Does being a Christian change the way you make decisions? Let’s face it, whether you’re a Christian or not, life is full of choices. The list is endless – family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, home, church, work, school, etc. The decisions we make can have a direct effect on our lives and may even affect the lives of others. Decisions can have good or bad ramifications.

In this blog, I’ll share three key steps you can take to ensure you’re making wise decisions that please God.

Step 1 – Decide Who’s Really In Charge (You or God)

When you choose to become a Christian, you move from darkness to light and you’re filled with the Spirit of God (or the Holy Spirit) whose job is to guide you to holiness. Simply put, to be a Christian is to live a life pleasing to God.

However, at some point in your journey with God, He’ll bring you to a place where you must decide – will it be your way or God’s way?

I faced this decision in my mid-30s. I wanted to control my life and knew the direction of my life would be driven by some key decisions I had to make (once and for all), such as:

• Who would I marry (would he be a Christian or not)?
• Would I go to church?
• Would I obey God’s Word?
• Would I trust God?

In my case, I was finding it difficult to trust God. Why couldn’t I do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it? Why couldn’t God bless that?

One day, I stepped up to the first tee at a local golf course when it dawned on me that I had come to a fork in the road. It was time for me to decide. From this point forward, would it be my way or God’s way? Ding, ding, my own personal wrestling match with God began.

In my moment of decision, I took my three-wood out of my bag, walked to the tee box, stared at the pin 485 yards away, stuck my tee in the ground, and placed my ball on top of it. I positioned my feet, put my head down, and then, I whispered to God, “Okay, you win. I’ll do it your way,” and I hit the best drive of the year. Seriously, I crushed it!

Over time, I discovered that God’s ways are so much better than mine.

Step 2 – Avoid the Three Traps the Enemy Uses to Snare You

When a person decides to follow Jesus, God’s love begins to transform them (1 John 2:3-5). However, that doesn’t mean that they won’t struggle with the past, the things of this world, and sin.

When making decisions, it’s critical to be aware of the three temptations of sin, as follows:

1. Lust of the flesh (the desire for pleasure)
2. Lust of the eyes (the desire for possessions)
3. Pride of life (the desire for greatness or power)

Each temptation is a trap because it focuses on trying to satisfy oneself – “not” God. To overcome the temptations of sin, we must obey God’s Word and rely on the Holy Spirit.

Step 3 – Ensure that Your Heart is Fertile Ground

God instructs us through His living and active Word. Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) says:

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

As Jesus taught in the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-20), when God’s Word is spoken, it’s like a farmer scattering seeds and our hearts are like the soil.

• In “hard” soil (if we have a “hard” heart), the seeds (God’s message) will not take root.

• In “rocky” soil, plants may spring up quickly, but will soon be scorched by the sun and wither because they didn’t root in the shallow soil.

In other words, while God’s message is initially received and starts to grow, when trouble comes, it is quickly overcome and dies in the shallow soil of our heart.

• In “thorny” soil, when the thorns grow up, the plants will be choked and yield no crop as a result.

While God’s message is initially received and grows, the worries of life, the longing for worldly things, and the false promises of wealth crowd out His message and no fruit is produced.

• In “good” soil, the plants grow and produce an abundant crop (i.e., God’s message takes root and produces plentiful fruit).

As children of God, our choices are driven by the condition of our heart.

In addition to obeying God’s Word, it’s crucial to ask the Holy Spirit to prepare the soil of our hearts. Psalm 119:11 (NIV) says:

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Additionally, Hosea instructs us to:

Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12 (NIV)

I encourage you to obey God’s Word and trust Him.

It’s important to remember that He loves you, He knows your heart, and He wants the “best” for you.

How do you make decisions?

If you would like to learn more about making wise decisions that please God, check out my book Rediscovering the Divine: Seeing God in a Whole New Way.