Think for a moment, what are the five best decisions you have made in your life? What are the five worst? Decisions determine the course of everyday life, small and big. We make many without even thinking. Yet, whether automatic or deliberate, we base them on something—an emotion, an event, our culture, our worldview, or our belief system. For believers, number one on their list of best decisions should be receiving Christ as Savior. But how did you arrive at that decision? Was it conviction by the Holy Spirit, a fiery evangelist who stirred your emotions, fear of death, desperation, or witness from a friend. Regardless of the how, at some point you made a decision, believed, and received the gift of salvation. After this, all believers must begin a process which continues throughout life, deciding what you believe. With over 40,000 denominations in the world, each with various doctrinal beliefs, not including local folk beliefs, new believers will encounter a lot of decisions in their future. Today with so many teachings through media, cable, radio, internet, podcasts, etc., how Christians decide becomes crucial.
Ask people why they believe certain doctrines, you get responses like: “That’s what my church believes.” “It is what my dad and mom taught me.” “My pastor teaches it and I trust him.” “I watch Dr., Rev., Bro., Sis., ‘so and so’ on cable TV. He/she makes me feel good. What he/she says must be true.” In third-world countries you might hear, “That’s what the tribal elders say we must believe.” What is missing from each of these—“this is what the Word of God says.” Unless you are a hermit isolated in a cave, most people live in a cooperate social group. In civil matters the majority make decisions. However, salvation is an individual commitment. Deciding what we believe can be helped or hindered by others, but ultimately it’s a personal decision. God holds us accountable as individuals for what we believe. Jesus warned about the teachings of the Pharisees, “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Mat 15:14).
Decisions bring about consequences. God gave us the ability to choose. He allowed Adam and Eve to make decisions, but they made the wrong decision. The world has suffered the consequences ever since. An excellent example of one who made correct decisions was Daniel. Immediately upon his arrival in Babylon, he faced a dilemma concerning the King’s choice of food which he required Daniel’s group to eat. First, the food violated the Jewish dietary laws and the King’s food had been offered to the Babylonian gods. And Daniel had come to the decision that he would not make himself unclean with the king’s food or wine (Dan. 1:8 BBC). The officials could have executed him, but Daniel decided based on God’s Law and the Lord honored that. When he made his request to the commander about what he ate, God granted Daniel favorand compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials (9).
A second life threatening decision Daniel made came when a decree went out from King Darius. Anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den (6:7). Daniel had already made his decision. Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously (v10). So, off to the lion’s den. After a sleepless night, Darius realized he had made the wrong decision and rushed to the lion’s den. He called out to Daniel asking if His God had delivered him. Daniel responded, My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me (v22). Daniel never made decisions based on emotions, peer pressure, or circumstances. He decided he would trust God even with the threat of death and grounded in his belief system in the Law of God.
Every day both teenagers and adults face moral decisions: have sex, everybody’s doing it; alcohol and drugs, it will make you feel good; pornography, it will excite you; lie, it will keep you out of trouble. Do you go along with the crowd or stand alone? Years ago, I prayed and prayed about my hot temper. I blamed it on my red hair. Then one day after losing my temper, I asked God for forgiveness, and to take it away. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart in such a way I knew it was God. But I did not like His answer, “You make a decision to lose your temper.” I was angry for a couple of weeks. Then I realized every sin including my uncontrolled anger was a decision, even though a quick one. After that correction, the Holy Spirit helped me make decisions to remain calm or just walk away.
An often referred to maxim says don’t make decisions based on temporary emotions or temporary conditions. A common excuse is “I just wasn’t thinking”. So, think; on what are you basing your decision, what motives are behind the decision, and what are the consequences of your decision? Make sure you don’t base your biblical belief system on what ‘so and so’ said but ground it on ‘this is what the Word of God says’.
Sustaining Word for the Week: The decisions are yours. Consider the facts, what the Bible says, and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.