Biblical Decision-Making

Introduction

There is a psychological phenomenon called ‘decision fatigue’ it occurs when a person becomes mentally exhausted after making too many decisions, leading to a decline in the quality of those decisions over time.

And once we dig into the psychological study of human behavour and CHOICE, we soon realize we don’t actually always make good choices, and there are quite alot of outside influence. Not even mentioning the subjectivity of your choices.

From some of my studies on branding and marketing you’ll probably be amazed at how many things we as modern people precieve as truth, that came from a marketing campaign.

I think one of the most well known is from Keloggs, that ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’

While breakfast can have benefits for some individuals, particularly in terms of providing energy and stabilizing blood sugar levels, the claim that it is categorically the "most important" meal isn't universally supported by science.

And as we are about to have a meeting, and as a church we are faced with making descisions, it’s important for us to know. How to make Biblical decisions.

I heard this at Shepherds Conference and today i’ll be guilty. (You should preach a topical sermon once a year, and there after repent) So today will be a topical study and not a expository sermon, i appologize before hand.

Probably also good to get your thinking caps ready.

Using a book by Joel James as a guideline

Given the season we are in. I believe we need to be reminded of making biblical decisions.

Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in Yahweh (The Lord) with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

Let’s Pray....

An outline if you want to follow along:

What are the two most common approaches to descision making (That is actually unbiblical)

The Pragmatic Approach

The Mystical Approach

What is the Biblical Approach

The Will of God

The Proverbial Wisdom to decision making.

The two common approaches

Unfortunately we have to start by highlighting the incorrect way’s that believers have adopted to descision making that is sadly unbilbical and at times dangerous.

The Purely Pragmatic Approach

This approach is what we can call the “rational approach”

For instance: When buying a car or a house this pragmatist will research, interest rates, prices, brand, feul consumption or running cost, etc. But won’t bother to research what the bible says about debt...

The pragmatist will look at job opportunities strickly from an income potential, rather than see what the Bible says: Joel in his book calls this group the Practical Athiest.

“A purely pragmatic approach to decision-making focuses on weighing pros and cons and considering practical factors, but often neglects what God says in the Bible. Pragmatists may claim to be Christians, but they make decisions like non-believers, living as "practical atheists" by ignoring biblical principles in daily life. For example, they might thoroughly research home buying or family matters but fail to consult Scripture on debt or family structure. Their decisions rely on worldly wisdom and "what works," rather than seeking God's guidance, believing the Bible is outdated or fearing it might demand uncomfortable changes. True biblical decision-making requires actively consulting God’s Word.”

I know many of you are at the crossroad of hard decisions, what to study, where to work, what vehicle to buy, where to send kids to school, and so on. Don’t be a practical athiest.

As a church we are faced with a collective share of choices. From our decisions to calling a pastor, to choosing deacons, even to who can lead certain ministries. And all these decisions we have to make can be analysied from a puerly pragmatic approach.

The Mystical Approach

That is why this second common approach has become so popular. In fact I’m fairly certain most of you have been guilty in on of the mystical approaches.

Joel writes:

We usually think of a mystic as a starry-eyed eccentric who wears long robes and meditates under a pyramid. Actually, a mystic is anyone who believes he has special, personal knowledge from God that others cannot know or evaluate. The terminology of your decision-making probably reveals if you have a mystical bent or not. "I just want to know God's will so I can make the right decision. I just want to do what God wants." Many Christians speak of decision-making in exactly that way. They assume their decisions are to be based on a special, personal, unverifiable, mystical knowledge from God. "I'm praying to know if it is God's will for me to take this new job…to marry Bill…to go to varsity."

The Lucky-Dip method

When facing a decision, the person using this method dips into his Bible at random until he finds a verse or phrase which spurs him to make one choice or another.

I remember being told this ‘story’ to explain why this is such a ‘stupid’ aproach

A man thinking of suicide thinks to himself, what does the bible say? So he opens the bible at random and places his finger on a verse believing this will be his answer and its falls on John 13:27 “Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.””

To be honest, any decision can be proclaimed as God's will if this method of arbitrarily selecting small phrases out of the Bible is used.

A younger brother who is angry at his sister for telling their parents he spray painted her cat purple could justify his revenge against his sister with, "Arise, kill!"—God's words to Peter in Acts 10. The modern sluggard could defend his refusal to get a job with Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing." The worrier could defend her sin with Philippians 4:6, "Be anxious." Ridiculous? Of course it is. But once you start ignoring the context of God's statements and arbitrarily snip out only the words you want to hear, then you really can make the Bible say anything.

Present yourself to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth [emphasis added]. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Looking for signs

If you rely on circumstances to determine God's will, you might say, "God opened all the doors for me to get this job, so it must be His will." This mindset assumes that if something is easy, it's the right decision. However, interpreting circumstances is arbitrary and based on personal feelings. For example, a missionary facing difficulties might think it's not God's will, but challenges could be a test of perseverance.

If my dad was to use ease of circumstances to determine God’s will. Would he have laid on a strecher and preach?

As Jay Adams warns, "Open doors can lead to elevator shafts." David’s adultery with Bathsheba was easy, but it was clearly not God's will. While God controls circumstances, using them alone to determine His will is speculative and unreliable.

This method of seeking God's will relies on interpreting special events or coincidences, assuming God reveals guidance through them. The issue is that sign-seeking is entirely subjective.

For example, if someone almost gets hit by a bus with a globe on it, they might think God is calling them to be a missionary. But why not a map-maker or bus driver instead?

The interpretation of signs is arbitrary and reflects what the person wants to see.

Moreover, there's no way to verify if an event is truly a sign from God or just coincidence. This practice can resemble divination, like reading omens. One common form of sign-seeking is "putting out a fleece," based on Gideon's request for miracles in Judges 6. However, Gideon's actions were driven by doubt, not faith, and aren’t meant to be a model for decision-making.

In fact, God discourages demanding signs. Jesus rebuked those who craved signs, calling it a mark of an "evil and adulterous generation" (Matt 12:38-39; 16:1-4). Deuteronomy 6:16 also warns against testing God, referencing Israel's demand for a miracle in Exodus 17. Ultimately, sign-seeking isn't a reliable or biblical way to discern God's will.

The Biblical Approach

The first thing we need to note about God’s will is that he wants us to Obey His Commandments! Obedience to Him is the only ‘Will’ of God. Not where I work, not who I marry, not what church I go to. But, do I work as unto the Lord, Do I marry ‘In the Lord” meaning a Christian wife!. And do I go to church, and serve as part of a BODY not a spectator.

The idea that we must "find God's will" before making decisions is common but unbiblical.

God's will can be divided into two categories: His revealed will and His unrevealed will.

His revealed will is knowable through Scripture and includes His commands, intentions for believers, and His plan for human history.

When Christians speak of finding God's will, they usually mean discerning His unrevealed will—specific decisions like career choices or relationships that aren't mentioned in the Bible.

However, the Bible never instructs us to seek out God's unrevealed will. While we plan, God directs our steps (Prov 16:9). The New Testament doesn’t encourage seeking signs, inner peace, or using mystical methods to uncover God's plan for future daily events. Paul, for instance, didn’t seek divine revelation about his travels but simply trusted, saying, "If the Lord wills" (Rom 1:9-10). Likewise, James taught that we cannot know the future, emphasizing, "If the Lord wills" (James 4:13-15).

The Bible makes it clear that God's unrevealed will is unknowable and hidden. We are called to obey what has been revealed in Scripture, not to seek out future specifics. Ultimately, attempts to find God's unrevealed will are man-made and unsupported by the New Testament. Instead, we should trust God with our plans and decisions, knowing that He guides us according to His will.

I would encourage you to please read this booklet.

Proverbial wisdom for decision-making

What I’d really like to get to this morning is how to make wise Biblical decisions. Especially as we are being faced with a time of difficult decisions that lies ahead.

One of my favourite verses. One that’s so dear to my heart that one day my sister bought us special mugs and this verse is on my mug.

The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. (Prov 16:9)

Proverbs is the decision-making book of the Bible. It shows us the normal way God's people are to make decisions.8 Its not-so-common, common sense is the key to biblical decision-making.

Let’s briefly look at 3 principals (Though in the booklet there are 5 being shared)

Principle 1: Pray for wisdom

Difficult decisions begin with prayer. We must ask for God's wisdom right from the start. Solomon

spoke of it in terms of committing your works to God.

All the ways of a man are pure in his own sight, But Yahweh (The Lord) weighs the motives. v2

Commit your works to Yahweh (The Lord) And your plans will be established.  (Prov 16:3)

Yahweh has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil. 

Commit = Commit. Lit. "roll upon" in the sense of both total trust (Pro_3:5-6) and submission to the will of God

literally, as in the margin, as a man transfers a burden from his own back to one stronger and better able to bear it.

According to verse 2 our self-judgment is untrustworthy. That is because we are always too ready to make excuses for our faulty, sinful ways. Moreover, our outer behavior often is in accord with Scriptural commands, but our motives and inner attitudes may be wrong. Yahweh weighs the spirit. Our scales are off the mark; sometimes we weigh the thumb along with the item and distort the weight of what we are up to. God’s scales are true; they always give an accurate and precise reading. Tell counselees that just because they think all is well, it may take some probing to discover whether or not the conclusion is correct. But never create problems where none exist (cf. 12:15; 14:12; 21:2; 24:12).

Verse 3 says what James made clear and what I wrote about in verse 2: one’s doings (works) should be rolled on Yahweh. Ask Him to finalize your plans and all your undertakings according to His sovereign will (cf. Psalm 37:5). In no other way can your plans succeed.

God made everything for some purpose that He had in view. God sovereignly works all that happens for His benevolent and holy ends (v. 4). It is comforting to know that fact.

Adams, J. E. (2020). Proverbs (pp. 125–126). Institute for Nouthetic Studies.

Here's the tricky question: what should we pray for? Don't pray for a supernatural sign—internal

peace or a dramatic coincidence. Pray for wisdom. Hoping God will make the decision for you by

means of a sign is just trying to avoid the hard work and responsibility of decision-making.

Therefore, don't pray for a sign. Pray for wisdom to make a wise decision, and then apply what

you asked for.

Gill makes a great remark on this thought:

when a man has, by faith and in prayer, committed himself, his case, his ways and works, to the Lord, his mind is made easy, his thoughts are composed and settled, and he quietly waits the issues of things; he says, the will of the Lord be done; he knows that he causes all things to work together for good; and whatever is for his good and God's glory shall be brought to pass; and this makes him calm, sedate, and easy; and he is in a fair way of having his designs, desires, and endeavours accomplished;

If you can recall in our study of James 1:5 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

The only way to do this is through fervant prayer. (But) just as we saw in James. When we pray for wisdom with doubting it means nothing. Pray, and ask God for wisdom then start to plan. Have unwavering faith that God will give the wisdom that we need.

Principle 2: Gather Information

Although the first principle of prayer is the ‘easiest’ we should understand that we are asking for wisdom, and guidance.

Wisdom is Applied Knowledge:

I came to the understanding that wisdom is applying the right knowledge at the right time

In Hebrew thought, wisdom is deeply practical, not just theoretical. It is knowledge applied to daily living. The book of Proverbs, for example, provides wisdom for all areas of life, including family, finances, speech, and justice. In Proverbs, wisdom is practical guidance for how to live a righteous, prosperous, and harmonious life.

Wisdom is: Biblical wisdom refers to practical skills associated with understanding and living a successful life.

That’s why it makes sense that Proverbs loves careful, thought-through, informed decision-making. Without information, you

can't know or weigh the options open to you.

Proverbs 13:16 “Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool spreads out folly.”

Proverbs 21:5 “The thoughts of the diligent lead surely to profit, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.”

Prov 13:16 Cautious persons are careful to be accurate about facts in order to regulate their acts.

The Hebrew text has “Every man of sense acts with knowledge.”

They want as much knowledge as possible before they move ahead. But, by plunging ahead without such knowledge, the stubborn fool (who seeks autonomy) quickly exposes his folly. He will obviously get into all sorts of trouble for his lack of caution (v. 16). Warn about hasty actions taken without adequate research about the facts involved in them

Good decisions are based on knowledge.

Where are knowledge to be found?

Well you might now say the Bible (Well not always.)

Proverbs 14:15 “The simple believes everything, But the prudent one discerns his steps.”

Knowledge can be found in many places. That is why we start our journey with prayer for wisdom.

Let me illustrate this through a personal experience.

A while back on a holiday resort (where we were working for the holiday) I stepped in one of those big white thorns. It went in extremely deep. and when i tried to grab it the skin popped over it and sealed almost instantly.

After several hours of working with the needle and tweezers, and trying to clean the small wound from bleeding, we realized its not coming out!

It was the weekend, and this happened friday afternoon. My brother, the paramedic, or I couldn’t remove it and eventually asked whats the next option. There was a doctor on the resort, and oom Ryno (our boss) connected me with her and she gave me some advise. (Mentioned from what she heard that it very deep probably touching the bone) Yes! it was very painful.

She mentioned that I will probably have to go to the hospital to get it removed ‘sort of surgically’. And that’s what i then comunicated with my parents (who were here in NN)

During the day a holiday goer (not medical expert at all) told me that on the farms they just take the green sunlight soap and flys and close the wound, and it will speed up the inflammatory response and it will come out.

I didn’t use flys. but i did apply the normal soap and on sunday afternoon my foot felt stiff, and as i streched it. this massive thorn just popped out.

This is what gathering knowledge means. Though the medical expert gave very good advise. We prayed about it and this guy gave me knowledge and explained to me the knowledge. I could have said that’s rubish. but since we prayed and the advise was discerned it saved me money, time, and alot of pain.

My family was probably tired of me saying, during this 5 years (to make wise descisions we need knowledge). My dad wasn’t someone that really enjoyed these tests. But we needed knowledge to make descisions.

Seek Counsel

One of the ways you can gather information is by seeking counsel. "Without consultation, plans

are frustrated, but with many counsellors they succeed" (Prov 15:22). Proverbs 12:15 says, "The

way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel." We all have

limited information or blind spots. Therefore, it's helpful to have someone else contribute some

thought to our decision as well.

Seeking counsel also helps when evaluating the information after we get it. We may have

forgotten or are unfamiliar with Bible verses that apply to our situation. We may have become

stuck in a rut, blindly pursuing one idea without considering other legitimate options. You know

what that's like. You've tried for hours to get your new computer to work. Finally, in defeat, you

call a friend and pour out your insurmountable problem. He says, "Did you try plugging it in?"

Principle 3: What does the Bible say?

Although lucky dipping your finger into the Bible to get an answer is unbiblical and just plain foolish. Consulting scripture is the most important thing to do!

The problem is sometimes the Bible speaks directly to my decision other times we need to understand principles.

Joel wrote “The pragmatist approaches decisions analytically. However, his puddle of "wisdom" is only as big

as his experience. He ignores the ocean of true, authoritative wisdom in God's word.”

When faced with a decision, they must ask the question: does God, in the Bible, speak directly to my decision?

God revealed a lot of DIRECT ‘answers’ to our descisions we’ll face. He also has a principle for each scenario that we can measure our decision against.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Do yourself a favour, and study the suffeciency of scripture. It’s amazing how much answers God has for us, If we only put in the work instead of lazily wait for the SIGN.

During the week i needed some counsel. So I consulted 2 pastors whom I trust, admire, and respect. Both solid Bible teachers. with high regard for God’s word.

Both gave me sound advice. But it was opposite. How then do I choose?

My descision (which I trust God is the correct one) is really not the one I favoure the most. But has the most Direct and Indirect proof in God’s word? And the pastor’s advice that I’ve taken was because he referred to scripture with each statement, the other pastor was more pragmatic. Not disregarding his admonishion for the Word, but in his advise at that moment he thought of only the pragmatic side.

It's easy when the Bible says, "Don't steal." That's a divine directive on whether to continue at a job where you are asked to cheat your customers. But situations in life are not always so clear cut. The Bible may not directly address your decision—"Should I make this difficult phone call now or tomorrow?" However, the Deuteronomy 29:29 ““The secret things belong to Yahweh our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” principle of seeking the revealed things still applies. God's word is still the lamp unto our feet, even when the path of life seems to have faded right out.

Whatever decision we face, it is certain that God has, at least indirectly, addressed it in His word. That is why I believe we all need to have our minds Filled with scripture. To make WISE descisions. Scripture really do have all the answers.

Allow me to borrow this illustration from the booklet

God's word doesn't directly say which car you should buy. But does that mean God's word doesn't have any input on that decision? Indirectly, it does in many ways. God's word doesn't say, "Buy this car or buy that car." But it does say a lot of grim things about debt ("The borrower becomes the lender's slave" Prov 22:7b). If you want to take out a Ferrarisized loan on your Ford-sized income, God has commented on your decision to buy a car.

God doesn't say, "Buy this car or buy that car," but He does say a lot about doing things to impress others. That might reshape your decision to buy a hot sports car to "Wow" the guys at the office. God doesn't say whether to buy a blue car or a red car. But what if your wife hates red? God did say, "Husbands, love your wives," and "Do nothing from selfishness." Indirectly, God might have said more about your car-buying decision than you think.

Conclusion

Let me conclude.

We are in times where as a church we need to make WISE descisions. Even as individuals you’ll need to make wise descisions.

First, pray humbly, asking for wisdom. Next, put the wisdom you asked for into action by gathering information. Then evaluate the options. Has God directly or indirectly commented on your decision in His revealed will, the Bible? After weighing the spiritual and practical implications—seeking counsel if necessary—do what is biblically right or wisest.

I have printed out the booklet for you. I’ve only touched on parts, and of course my own preparation is different, so don’t think because you heard the sermon that it’s the same as the book. Please take one and let’s be a church of wise decision makers.

Amen