Making Good Choices
Deuteronomy 30:19 - "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."
Take a look at the first two words in this verse -"this day." This is your day to make good decisions. This is your day to create change. It starts today and it starts now! Did you know that good decisions move you forward? And bad decisions move you backwards? No decision keeps you where you are. Today is Sunday. To those of you who have chosen to attend church today - you've already made a good choice. Now you can choose your level of participation. Choose your level of worship. Choose how to listen. Choose how you're going to receive the message. Choose how you're going to give in the offering. Choose how you're going to respond to God. Choose to make new friends.
Say these good confessions today:
- Today I choose to live a blessed life!
- Today I choose to have a successful marriage!
- Today I choose to be happy and to be a blessing!
- Today I choose to put God in first place in my life!
- Today I choose to be a tither (Like how I snuck that one in there?)
- Today I choose to be quick to forgive others and myself.
- Today I choose wisdom in every situation.
Here are some SIMPLE decision making steps:
S - SUBMIT - Submit to God's will. Submit to the Bible. Ask yourself this question, "The decision I'm about to make - does it violate the Bible?". One might be thinking, "I'm about to have an affair; I'm about to rob a bank; I'm about to punch someone in the face". Well we all know - these are all BAD choices! Another question to ask is this: "Will my decision honor God?" "Will this decision cause another Christian to stumble?". Remember to submit your decision to God, to your spouse, to your parents or to anyone who is in authority over you.
I - INTELLIGENCE - God gave you a brain - use it! Walking by faith does not mean checking your brain in at the door. If there are areas or subjects that the Bible does not cover, remember that God gave you a brain, and you can rely on the leadership of the Holy Spirit. This is why it's important to keep your mind renewed to the Word of God. When my mind is renewed to God's Word, then I have supernatural wisdom. Wisdom is God thinking through you. Proverbs 1:9 says, "For wisdom shall be an ornament of grace to your head and chains about your neck." Wisdom is like a chain around your neck; not a ball and chain and not like a dog collar, but like a very expensive piece of jewelry. Romans 12:2 says that we are to "renew our minds." When you renew your mind to God's word, you are creating a new normal for yourself.
M - MERCY - When you make decisions, do everything you can to fall on the side of MERCY. In other words, be a person of mercy.
P - PRAY - You can't make good decisions without prayer. Time after time in the New Testament, we see Jesus spending significant time in prayer before He makes decisions. How often do you pray about the decisions or choices in your life? God wants you to include Him in the decision making process.
L - LOOK FORWARD - "Whoever puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God." Once you make a decision - act on it. No looking back and no regrets.
E - EXPERIENCE PEACE - Philippians 4:7 says, "And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." When you have taken these steps, you can experience the "Peace of God" for your situation. Inner peace overrides outward problems. In making choices, sometimes our circumstances cause our imaginations to run wild. John 14:27 says, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled and neither let it be afraid."
FIVE CHOICES FOR A GREAT LIFE
CHOOSE CHRIST - "If a man gains the whole world but looses his own soul, what was the purpose of his life?" Real success must come first in the spirit. It's time to start living in the light of eternity - this simply means we need to let eternity shape our thinking and our choices.
CHOOSE YOUR RACE - If you don't have a purpose and a reason for being, then you will waste your life choosing things that will never matter or make a difference. Ephesians 5:15 says, "Live life purposefully, worthily and accurately. Not as the unwise and witless, but as sensible and intelligent people." Choose to be doing things that make a difference in peoples lives.
CHOOSE TO BE AN OVERCOMER - Giving up and giving in are two of the worst decisions you could ever make. Proverbs 24:16 says "For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes." I personally love this statement because it's so "right on" for everyone: The Devil is fighting you not because of where you are, but because of where you are going. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 says, "We are troubled on every side, yet we don't stress out, we are puzzled and perplexed but we won't despair, persecuted but not abandoned, cast down, but not destroyed."
CHOOSE WORDS - Proverbs 18:21 says, "The power of life and death are in the tongue." If you want to win in life, you have to stop whining. You can continue to talk about how bad your situation is, about how many problems you have and how no one has it as bad as you, OR you can begin to declare that today is a new beginning! Here are a few Bible principles that have the potential to change your life forever:
- You will never grow beyond your confession.
- Your future is in your mouth.
- Your mouth is the steering wheel of your life.
Start talking about where you want to go in life, what you want to be and what you want to do!
CHOOSE RIGHT PEOPLE - There is no such thing as a self-made man or woman in life. No one succeeds unless others are involved in your life. We need to learn to recognize the power of partners.
- If any two of you shall agree in prayer.
- A 3 strand cord is not easily broken.
- If 1 can put 1,000 to flight, then 2 can put 10,000 to flight!
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