Pleasing God Podcast
Pleasing God Podcast
Guided by Scripture: Making Decisions with Faith and Wisdom
This episode focuses on integrating Scripture into everyday decision-making, highlighting the necessity of biblical guidance for clarity and peace. Listeners are introduced to five practical principles that help align choices with God’s will while promoting faithfulness in daily life.
• Exploring the role of scripture in decision-making
• The necessity of seeking biblical principles instead of direct answers
• Considering God's character when making choices
• Studying biblical examples of sound decision-making
• The importance of prayer in discerning choices
• Seeking counsel from the local church for wisdom
Stock Music provided by wolfgangwoehrle, from Pond5
Hi and welcome back to the Pleasing God podcast, a show focused on helping Christians to think biblically, engage practically and live faithfully for the glory of God. I'm your host, jonathan Soul, and on this episode I want to talk about the role of scripture in everyday decision-making. A reality that we all face in life is that we have to make decisions, and we make decisions on a daily basis, sometimes hour by hour, even maybe minute by minute. We do it so often that we might at times just kind of it's reflex and we might even take for granted the process of decision-making. Do we have a method for how to make decisions? Do we think carefully only about big decisions in life? What do we do and how do we approach decision-making as Christians, and what does the Bible teach us? How can we live faithfully, you know, and think about this practically in the realm of decision-making. As Christians, we recognize that the choices we make are crucial, the crucial part of everyday life, and sometimes Christians can struggle when making decisions. Maybe there's almost at times and some of you might be able to relate this kind of analysis paralysis at times, where even on small decisions, we might struggle to make one because we're wanting to discern what is God's will for this, or how do I go about doing this? Am I making the right decision? Is God pleased with this decision? Is this what I'm supposed to be doing? And we can almost kind of question our own decision making, and it's a challenge that we can face. But I want to focus on the importance of biblical foundations for our choices. What does the Bible teach us? How should we approach the scriptures when it comes to decision-making? And the first thing I want us to understand is that the scriptures must be our guide for the decision-making process.
Speaker 1:Think about what the psalmist says in Psalm 119, 105. He says your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Well, what he's saying there is God's revealed word. God's holy scriptures illuminate for him where he's going. This is a lamp to his feet that he might see, step by step, what he's supposed to do, and a light to his path that shows him where he's going. And so when we think about the scriptures, we need to recognize that they are our guide in this life, but even more than just simply a guide. Think about what Paul says in 2 Timothy 3, verse 16, where this is the passage where he says all scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable. This is where Paul says all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness. That the man of God may be equipped, complete equipped for every good work. So in this passage, what we see is the sufficiency of Scripture for all of life, for wisdom, for guidance in the decision-making process, making process. And as we think about, you know, the scriptures need to be our guide.
Speaker 1:It helps us to combat the danger of relying solely upon our feelings, upon our circumstances, on what may be the easy way or the easiest decision to make, because sometimes the easiest decision to make, because sometimes the easiest decision is not the best decision or the right decision, not just based off of well, I feel this way. Therefore, I'm going to do this thing. That's not necessarily a good starting point for making biblically based decisions, nor basing it off of circumstances or popular opinion. I'm going to make this choice because, well, maybe more people will like me or won't rock the boat so much, or it just seems to be. This is what popular opinion wants me to do.
Speaker 1:And when we think that way and we're basing on feeling circumstances or popular opinion, we're actually undermining the Bible as our guide. Our feeling circumstances and popular opinion become our guide, and that can lead us into a world of trouble. If we're people that are naturally prone to being people pleasers, well, we can be paralyzed in our decision making because, well, this decision might not please people and we might not do it, and so those are just traps that we should watch out for and recognize that the Scriptures are to be our supreme guide for making decisions in this life. Well, we know that decisions are a crucial part of daily life. We know that the Scriptures are to be our guide. It's a way to think biblically, but practically speaking. Then, how do we use the scriptures in the decision-making process? I'm going to give you five points, or five principles for using the Scripture in the decision-making process, and the first thing in the use of Scripture is to seek biblical principles, not simply direct answers, because, to be honest, as we use the Bible as our guide and our source of guidance and direction, not every question that we might have, specific to our own lives and context, will be answered directly by the Bible.
Speaker 1:Let me give you an example a career choice. If you're at a point in your life where you're thinking about you know, what am I supposed to do with my life? Should I become an engineer? Should I do a career change? And you go into the Bible asking the question what career am I supposed to have? You might not find anywhere I know you won't find anywhere that the Bible says you need to go become a writer or you need to go become an engineer, or go build bridges or go work in the humanities or go study this. No, it's not going to tell you necessarily what job to take. But the scriptures do give us principles concerning work, ethic, integrity, calling. In the letter to the Colossians in chapter 3, verse 23, paul says whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. There's a principle there about whatever you do, let all that you do be done to the glory of God. So seek biblical principles, and it's not applying simply to career choices, but about other life decisions that are important to make. Maybe a question to ask would be does this choice violate any commands or principles in Scripture? And if you come to that point and you realize that, hey, by doing this or not doing this thing, there might be a command or a principle that is violated in Scripture. Well then, you pretty much know the decision that you need to make, but seek biblical principles concerning decisions.
Speaker 1:Second, consider the character of God. Think about who God is and how that would play a role in decision-making process. Let's say you got an invitation to meet up with some old friends. No, you're not at all living an old lifestyle that maybe you once did, but your friends do and you don't want to lose these relationships. They might be redemptive in time and they're going out to a place where you know is probably not a good thing to do. It's probably not going to be a night that is at all honoring to God and you have a decision to make. Do I go because I want to be a faithful witness, or do I say do I refuse because the company that I'd keep and the activities I might be involved in, even if I'm not doing those things that might be guilty by association? Do you make that choice? Well, think about the character of God when you're in the process of making decisions such as that. Think about God's attributes, think about the holiness of God, think about the goodness of God, think about what it means to be holy. That's a biblical principle, but it's also the character of God. Could I compromise my Christian witness by doing this thing? Well, if that's the answer, then maybe, and the answer is yes, then maybe you do have an answer to that decision. But you want to align your decisions with who God is, decisions that promote holiness, wisdom, love, goodness, justice of God. And another aspect too when we think about considering the character of God, we want to mimic that character.
Speaker 1:There's a decision that we often all face in this life how do we respond to someone who hurts us? Sometimes that's a knee-jerk reaction. Sometimes that decision is a little more thought out. But how would we respond to someone who hurts us, considering and aligning our decisions with God's attributes? Well, romans, chapter 12, verses 17 through 21, give us the example. Paul says is written vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink, for by doing so, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Again, this is how we would respond to an offense, someone who sins against us, someone who would be considered our enemy. This aligns with the attributes of God and how we would respond as faithful Christians in a scenario like that.
Speaker 1:Third principle look at biblical examples for decision-making. Look at Jesus, I mean ultimately, look to Jesus for a source of guidance, truth, wisdom. How did Jesus make decisions? Well, how often do we read that he went alone to a desolate place to pray? Jesus prayed through his decisions. Think about the garden of Gethsemane Jesus is wrestling with in his humanity, wrestling with the agony of Calvary that is coming before him, that he's going to go before the cross. He's going to bear the sins of his people. He's going to die under the wrath of God and he is going to be punished and treated in such a heinous way that he might secure forgiveness for his people. And in his agony, as he drops to the ground, he says nevertheless, not what I will, but your will be done.
Speaker 1:And we see submission to the will of the Father in Jesus' decision-making to go to the cross, to continue in the work that the Father had given him to do so prayer, submission, reliance on scripture. He's being tempted in Matthew, chapter 4, by Satan, and Satan's, you know, appealing to. He's hungry. You know he hasn't eaten. Jesus hasn't eaten in 40 days. And so satan comes and said command these stones to be turned to bread. He's tempting jesus. And jesus responds. It is written jesus relies upon the scriptures even in his decision making. Man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. And so Jesus shows scripture reliance in his decision-making.
Speaker 1:You can also think about the apostles. If you look at Jesus and some people just kind of say, well, he's God, he's going to always make the right decision, yes, but even in his humanity we must recognize that he left us an example to follow. This is what Peter tells us in chapter 2 of his letter. But think about the apostles how they sought wisdom through prayer, through the community of the saints, by the Holy Spirit. These are biblical examples of decision making. And you can also think of some negative examples.
Speaker 1:I'm reminded of Joshua in Joshua, chapter nine, which is the Gibeonite deception. This was when the Gibeonites, who were to be conquered by Israel in the conquest, came and they came up with a story and pretended like they had been traveling from far away and they were seeking to be the servants and make peace with Israel. And Joshua and the elders listened to the men. And we read in chapter 9, verse 14,. So the men took some of their provisions but did not ask counsel from the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them. Here's an example of poor decision-making, hasty decision-making, and Joshua is at fault here. He did not seek counsel from the Lord. He made a quick decision when he should have stopped and prayed. There's a biblical example there.
Speaker 1:Fourth principle pray with scripture. When we are looking to make a decision or we are seeking wisdom from the Lord on what we are supposed to do in a situation, pray the scriptures. It is so valuable. Again, james 1.5,. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all, without reproach, and it will be given to him. So there's this praying for wisdom from the scriptures. Praying for wisdom from the scriptures. Meditate on passages of scripture that might speak somewhat specific to a situation that you're in, but again, pray the scriptures as a principle.
Speaker 1:Fifth principle seek counsel from the local church. I cannot overemphasize the importance of this principle. We were told in Proverbs 15, verse 22,. Without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisors, they succeed. Don't be an isolated decision maker. Seek counsel. Do you have a community? Do you have people in your church that you can go to when you're unsure of a direction that you might need to go in, that you can get their wisdom, their counsel and you'll listen to it? This is so important.
Speaker 1:The role of the local church and mature believers is so vital to the decision-making process. We should not just kind of live in our own bubble or make decisions in a vacuum, but to talk through with trusted brothers and sisters, godly men and women who have gone before us that have wrestled with some of the same things we might be wrestling with, but they have wisdom. Talk to elders and seasoned saints and foster that dialogue for the good of the decision-making process. So these are the five principles or ways that I would just propose to you that can help in making decisions. Seek biblical principles, consider the character of God, look at examples of decision-making in the Bible, pray the scriptures and seek counsel from the local church. I hope, as you think through these five principles of decision-making, it helps you at least have some categories and a framework for approaching a decision or the decision-making promise. But as you think about it.
Speaker 1:I want to just kind of close with reminding us all of a very popular verse in Proverbs, chapter three, verses verse five and six says trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. I hope this is helpful as you think through and navigate just everyday life. I want to thank you for listening to the Pleasing God podcast. If you have any questions, I would love to hear from you. You can reach out at questions at pleasinggodpodcastorg. And remember 1 Thessalonians 4.3,. This is the will of God, your sanctification.
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