A little while back I did a video on this subject, but I wanted to also write the revelation out for those of you who read my articles but don’t catch as many of the videos that I put out. The basic message here that I want to convey is to consider this important factor before making decisions that will affect you in the long term. Ask yourself this: can you live with your decision moving forward? Does this decision bring you peace? If it’s concerning a relationship, ask yourself, “Does it bring me closure?”.
Jesus told His disciples in (Lk.14:28), “Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it”. We often relate this to our call to follow Christ as Christians, because Jesus continues in these verses with this concept by calling His disciples to give up everything to follow Him (Lk.14:33). But originally Jesus was quoting a wisdom proverb from (Prov.24:27) when He was setting up his call for them to sacrificially follow him. “Count the cost” is not just a verse that applies to following Jesus. It can be applied the way it was originally inspired by the Holy Spirit to be used, as a word of wisdom for those who are needing to make important decisions. It is a planning and preparation proverb before making big decisions, such as building permanent structures.
(Prov.24:27)
“Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; and afterward build your house.”
In this series we will discuss the wisdom of considering what one is willing to live with moving forward before making decisions, but first we’ll go over some inspired “steps” to decision making for a Christian, which I feel I received from the Holy Ghost while talking out this revelation. I pray this is a blessing to you.
THREE STEPS TO DECISION MAKING
There are three steps to good decision making that I would like to draw your attention to here today. Here they are:
- What Does the Word Say?
- What Does the Spirit Say?
- What Does Wisdom Say?
Now wisdom is included in the Word, but sometimes the wisdom that God brings us into or reveals to us can be hard to put an exact scripture with, so I’ve chosen to include this as the last step, a step of its own, because there is an important aspect of decision making that goes beyond one’s knowledge of the Word. Wisdom makes you skillful in applying the Word. Foolishness and inexperience end up applying the Word in ways it was never meant to be applied which can bring great damage, all in the name of righteousness.
There are many people that have a scripture for why they’re doing what they’re doing, and they have an incline that they say is coming from the Spirit, but at the end of the day it’s just dumb and foolish. That’s why I’ve included the last step which focuses on wisdom. We are free to make biblical spiritual decisions that are wise. These things do not have to be mutually exclusive. Wise decision making, spiritual thinking, and staying true to the Word can all work together for the good in a believer’s life, if they’re willing to learn from their mistakes and continue growing in the Lord.
1. WHAT DOES THE WORD SAY?
In every situation, especially when it involves important life decisions, I would always advise you to have a one to three scriptures to establish a clear biblical doctrine for why you’re doing what you’re doing. Why one to three? Because the bible says let every word be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses (2 Cor.13:1). So it’s best to have two or three scriptures, but there have been moments where I was on a time limit and all I had was one scripture and the witness of the Spirit, and I was able to move forward in faith with just that. But it's best to have several.
Pretty much every situation involving major parts of our lives such as marriage, family, raising children, finances, or whatever else qualifies as a key area of our lives, the Word will usually always have multiple scriptures that speak into it. You just have to be willing to study your bible and pull it out of the text so you can apply it to your life. This is very important. You should know what God has to say about marriage. You should know what God has to say about managing finances. You should know what God’s Word has to say about conflict resolution, and knowing these things should lead you and guide you to a degree in every major decision you need to make in this life. I say “to a degree” because even after we have all the scriptures on a subject it can still be difficult to know exactly what to do from the reading of scripture. That’s why God gives us the other two steps.
2. WHAT DOES THE SPIRIT SAY?
This is absolutely crucial for making right, wise, and godly decisions in your life. You must know the Spirit of God. You must be in daily fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit. You must be in an intimate relationship with God through the Holy Spirit everyday!
The bible says that “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor.2:14). Everything in the bible, every verse and every God concept contained within the Word falls under the classification of “things of the Spirit of God” that (1 Cor.2:14) is talking about. That’s why atheists, people who are away from God, people that are disinterested with God can read the bible and get nothing out of it. People can read the bible and ultimately God’s ways and God’s thoughts which are beautifully revealed page to page have no meaning because at the end of the day they must be spiritually discerned. The Bible without the Spirit is incomplete. The Bible without the life of the Spirit becomes the dead letter (2 Cor.3:6). The Bible in the hands of religious demons has brought great destruction and great pain to mankind across many generations. Just look at what the Catholic Church did during the inquisition. You need the leadership, the guidance, and the teaching of the Holy Ghost when you open the Word, in order to truly ascertain the meaning of God’s words and to know how to properly apply them in your life. You need revelation.
Even beyond the Holy Spirit’s tutelage when it comes to true Bible comprehension from God’s perspective, you need the guidance of the Holy Ghost when it comes to making decisions in your life. As I’ve said before, sometimes it can be hard to identify a clear cut scripture that tells you exactly what to do in each life situation, and truthfully the Bible is not meant to be a step by step manual for everything. God has always wanted us to live a life like Him, a life in the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, living by the Spirit. Like Jesus did while on the earth in human form, God wants us to be intimately acquainted with the Spirit of God and to be led by the Spirit in and through every situation that this life presents us with! We are the sons and daughters of God! This is our royal inheritance in Christ!
(Rom.8:14)
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
We will continue to this discussion tomorrow with part two!
In His Service,
Stephen Powell
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