We round out our midweek countdown with #3’s Seeking God’s Will in Decision Making. In this post, readers look closely at God’s will and the essential elements of wise decision-making.

We are inundated with daily decision-making, with more options than ever in history. Whether simple decisions like which brand of mustard at the grocery store or complex, more severe choices like purchasing a home or medical procedures, we get distracted.

In this post, we consider wise decision-making, the phrase “God’s will,” thinking biblically, sheepish thinking, not rushing the process, God’s plan and our actions, and biblical decision-making.

From what I have learned, our personal decision-making becomes the battleground on which the vast majority of spiritual warfare is fought.

Biblical decision-making requires biblical thinking. If we prayerfully address our weak tendencies in decision-making, it prepares us to stand firm. What we believe about God and what He reveals in our lives determines our decisions. Decision-making still requires a process, especially when there is no clear right or wrong answer.

In a previous post, Do You Listen Wisely? We considered the discernment and importance of life influencers who impact our daily decisions. We are confused in decision-making because we fail to focus on the overarching agenda of our lives.

God’s primary concern in our personal decision-making is our character. We will look at wise decision-making, examine the phrase “God’s will,” scrutinize our thinking, and lay out the process of biblical decision-making.

Wise Decision-Making

Wise decision-making must begin with our eyes fixed firmly on the goal. How do we ensure that life’s decisions draw us closer to God instead of creating distance? Greater intentionality could alleviate unpleasant outcomes, but it’s hard to determine what decision-making level warrants a process. We don’t always have the time for extensive research and study, but as Christians, we are responsible for making decisions that consider God’s will.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. – Deut 29:29

One of the primary responsibilities in decision-making is dividing the moral from the non-moral. Failing to make this distinction, we can unmistakably attribute God’s leading. Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung makes an interesting observation:

I’m convinced that previous generations did not struggle like we do trying to discover God’s will because they didn’t have as many choices. In many ways, our preoccupation with the will of God is a Western, middle-class phenomenon of the last fifty years.

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. – Prov 16:3

The phrase “God’s Will”

It is essential to clearly understand the three uses of the phrase “God’s will.” Professor Brad Hambrick, from the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, explains, “God’s sovereign will is what we refer to when we say ‘God is the author of history’ or ‘Nothing happens without God’s permission.’ There is nothing in our decisions that can interrupt God’s sovereign will. We are never out of God’s sovereign will. God does not make a Plan B for anyone’s life. God’s moral will refers to God’s commandments and God’s character. God’s moral will is the ideal that defines how things should be on earth and how they will be in heaven. God’s individual will is what most people want to know when they ask questions about God’s will. This arena of God’s will seeks to answer the questions, ‘What does God want me to do through the experiences, passions, and talents he has given me?”

DeYoung’s book, Just Do Something, approaches our perplexity: “The will of God is one of the most confusing phrases in the Christian vocabulary. Sometimes we speak of all things happening according to God’s will. Other times we talk about being obedient and doing the will of God. And still other times we talk about finding the will of God. The confusion is due to our using the phrase ‘the will of God’ in at least three different ways, typified in the previous three sentences…One the first side is God’s will of decree…The other side of the coin is God’s will of desire.“

Thinking Biblically

We made daily decisions before we began thinking biblically. Decision-making reveals a personality that continues to have an effect. If we lean toward analytical, we look at principles. If we are experiential, we rely on feelings. The different elements of personality are apt to guide our decisions, even when we consult Scripture.

The precedence of how we made decisions (before becoming a Christian) mainly affects our snap judgments. Our decision-making is influenced by anger over the past and anxiety for the future.

Misinterpretation of the present can easily be caused by past hurts and future fears. We are wise to weigh motives and past experiences that warrant caution in most snap decision-making.

Emotions inform our decisions as much as decisions inform our emotions.

Big decisions are fed by little decisions with a cumulative effect. For example, we rarely think of time and energy as commodities we must steward. We can say “yes” to so many little things, affecting our availability to say “yes” to the big stuff. The decisions we struggle with are when saying “yes” to one good desire means saying “no” to another; our desires compete with each other.

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; – Ps 37:23

Sheepish Thinking

John MacArthur explains that God’s personal guidance is for the believer. 

“…in the sense that the Apostle Paul meant when he told the pagan Athenians that it is ‘in Him we live, and move, and have our being.’ Christ is the sustainer of the entire universe, and nobody would be where he is today without Him. But as to God personally leading those who have not received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, there is not a line of Scripture to indicate that this ordinarily happens. Instead we read, ‘And when He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice.’ Without Christ, man is a stranger to God. He is a rebel against God, a foreigner to God’s universe.” 

When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. – Jn 10:4

Consult the Word

Trial and error is the most basic form of learning good decision-making. Feelings and impressions are not trustworthy. A superstitious approach to decision-making is not helpful.

We tend to entertain hypothetical questions to which we can never know the answer: The “What-ifs.” God’s Word is nourishment for the soul, sustaining us in the day-to-day. It is always best to follow the Bible, which speaks to our decisions.

Cumulatively, our time in the Bible provides wisdom for daily decision-making. There are over 600 commands in the Bible. Scripture’s warnings of consequences and promises of reward become apparent as we obey Christ’s orders, but not before. Ask yourself if your decision-making will bring glory to God. 

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. – Jas 1:5-6

Don’t Rush the Process

In biblical decision-making, what does the revealed will of God say? The will of God that belongs to us is found in the Scriptures, and we are to obey. Determining God’s will includes seeking the advice of mature believers.

 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. - Col 3:15-16

Dr. James Petty, a counselor and former Pastor, writes, When we need guidance; it usually involves a situation in which the basic alternatives are all legitimate – legally and biblically…In other words, in this area [Christian liberty] God has revealed no preference about our choices between this and that, but he is not indifferent to our motives about which one we choose…Our motives for everything we do are always deeply and spiritually relevant to our relationship to God.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, - Rom 8:14-16

God’s Plan and Our Actions

How do we know that our decisions will fit with God’s plan? It’s best said that God’s plan and our actions work in concert. “We tend to think that while God has a best plan for our life, he also has some other, cheaper plans for people who miss the best. We remember certain foolish or sinful decisions we’ve made and, because of the consequences, see ourselves on a permanent Plan B regarding God’s will for our lives. Each time we make another bad decision, we drop down a notch to Plan C, Plan D, and – being the sinners that we are – we soon run out of letters in the alphabet. We think of what could have been if we hadn’t married so-and-so, hadn’t gotten pregnant before marriage, had not turned down the job that would have made our career, or had not blown up at our teenage son,” explains Petty. With all the decisions we face, and despite our mistakes, God works in all things for the good, transforming us into the image of Christ.

Jesus’ teaching did not establish an abstract principle to apply in any direction we could imagine. He gave principles to minister to fear, death, and suffering. Providence is never used to discourage prayer or human effort but rather the opposite.

God can intervene – We should pray and work. “But for those who are in Christ, there is only one plan, Plan A. This plan holds despite all our stupid mistakes and sins. It reveals the wonder of God’s shepherding care, the detail of his love through his decreed plan for our lives. It is a truth that is awe-inspiring, deeply comforting, and yet sometimes intimidating for us, God’s proud creatures,” concludes Petty. But does God control all circumstances, in all situations?

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, - Mt 10:29-31

We gravitate toward decisions warranting no risk. We think making decisions within God’s will should be safe. I have witnessed that our failures can become avenues for Him to work. Yet, repentance becomes necessary if our decisions are sinful.

“God does have a specific plan for our lives, but it is not one that He expects us to figure out before we make a decision…What I am saying is that we should stop thinking of God’s will like a corn maze, or a tight-rope, or a bull’s eye, or a choose-your-own-adventure novel…Many of us fear we’ll take the wrong job, or buy the wrong house, or declare the wrong major, or marry the wrong person, and suddenly our lives will blow up. We’ll be out of God’s will, doomed to spiritual, relational, and physical failure.”Kevin DeYoung

Word-focused and gospel-centered decision-making honors God. His goal for our decision-making is to refine our character to become more like Christ. Choosing not to sin is always the will of God.

Mature faith makes informed decisions in real moments.

Positive outcomes are not the only verification of wisdom. When executed poorly, good decisions can wind up looking bad. Many good choices get derailed by poor follow-through. Is hardship evidence of poor decision-making? Sometimes. God does not promise to protect us from life’s trials. Godly decision-making should not be viewed as assurance against hardships.

Biblical Decision-Making

When posed with a decision, we should first consider the facts. Next, apply the biblical principles that inform the decision. Counselor and adjunct Professor of Biblical Counseling at The Master’s University, Dr. Wayne Mack, advises that 

“Circumstances are not an infallible guide in determining the will of God for your particular situation. However, circumstances may be used to buttress the inward persuasion of the Holy Spirit and to solidify the specific biblical principles relating to the situation…While it is true that God providentially arranges circumstances in our lives in order to direct us according to His will, circumstances may be misinterpreted. That is why it is of utmost importance to wait upon God and have biblical confirmation of your course of action. God has given us His Word as an authoritative guide to evaluate circumstantial evidence.” 

Three standard questions in biblical decision-making would be:

1) What does the Bible say about this decision?

2) Who can help me better understand what God’s Word says about this decision?

3) How does my decision impact God’s Kingdom? 

In serious matters, avoid snap decision-making. Reference the above three questions as you write down the decisions you must make and evaluate them with Scripture. Implement the following:

• Spend some time fasting, praying, and in biblical meditation.
• Pray for wisdom and discernment.
• Enlist friends who will counsel and pray for you.
• Take time, and do not rush while waiting on God.
• Seek to trust God in each of these small steps.

Further Thought and Study

Read Joshua and review the previous post here. Additional Scripture reading:

Genesis 13-14, 18-19; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5; Ephesians 5:15-17; 2 Timothy 2:22; Psalm 40:8, 34:4-5; Proverbs 2:6; 3:5-6; 18:13, 16:2; Jeremiah 6:16, 4:13-15; James 4:13-15; Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Timothy 5:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:31

Recommended Resources

• Just Do Something – A Liberating Approach To Finding God’s Will by Kevin Deyoung
• Biblical Decision Making by Stuart Scott
• Step by Step: Divine Guidance for Ordinary Christians by James Petty
• Found: God’s Will by John MacArthur
• God’s Guidance: A Slow and Certain Light by Elizabeth Elli