Making Godly Decisions

I probably need to do a better job of addressing the needs of our younger ones. They need to be guided as they are at the point in their lives where they have some of the most difficult decisions to make.

All of us, no matter the age, need to make godly decisions.

Now, this is amazing.

It has been said, and I do not know who did the count on this, that an average person from adolescence to adulthood make 33,000-35,000 decisions on a daily basis. Some of those decisions are automatic decisions, and some are choices that we make.

Our lives, and this is really sad when you think about it, are the sum choices of the decisions we make. Our decisions affect our lives. My life has been shaped by the decisions I made, and young people, I definitely do not want you to make the same bad decisions that I made.

The worst decision I ever made was the decisions not to fully commit myself to serving the Lord when I was younger.

Most of us do not take a godly approach to the decisions we make.

According to a survey, Christians said these are the reasons for the decisions they make:

The decision was based on whether or not it felt right to them

The decision was based on the emotions of the moment

The decision was made without all the facts

The decision was made without considering the consequences

Galatians 6:7–8 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

The decision was made without considering if the decision would glorify God

Every believer, regardless of age, should make decisions based upon God’s Word, prayer, and the Holy Spirit, but if you make snap decisions, you remove God from the equation.

I want you to consider this as we discuss why believers make decisions without biblical guidance and then look at how to make godly decisions.

Young people and old people alike, here is a quote that all of us need to remember:

“Our lives are a product of our last decision.”

1. Why do believers make unwise decisions?

A. We think we already know the decision we need to make.

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

The last independent decision you should ever make is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. After that decision is made, all other decisions should be made under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Let me give you an example.

2 Samuel 11:1b-2…. But David remained at Jerusalem. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.”

David made the decision to stay home and sleep in. To him, that seemed the right thing to do, and on the surface, staying hole and sleeping in seems like an innocent decisions, but God had something He expected David to be doing.

2 Samuel 11:1a “It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah….”

David stayed home and slept in when he should have been out fighting the enemies of God. BTW, young person, God does not want you to sleep your life away. I get amazed because I ask kids at Three Oaks what they like to do, and an overwhelming number of them tell me that they like to sleep on the weekend. Every opportunity they get they want to sleep.

Well, God does not want you to sleep your life away. He wants you to work and to be productive, and He has something that He needs you to do.

David made many bad choices and bad decisions, but the decision that started it all was deciding to stay home and sleep in. On the surface, there seems to be nothing wrong with that decision, but it was an ungodly decision because if David had been more receptive to what God wanted him to do, he would have been fighting the enemies of God.

B. Pride.

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Pride in the decision-making process is never good.

Pride makes us do what we want to do with no regard for what God or our parents or our teachers want us to do.

Pride, young person and old person alike, will lead to your destruction. Pride will lead you to not see the foolishness of a decision that you made.

Listen, especially you younger folks. God hates pride.

Proverbs 16:5 “Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.”

James 4:6 “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.””

If you make decisions in your pride, or if you approach God in pride, He will reject you, and it does not matter for what reason you were coming to the Lord. Pride has sunk many a ship.

C. Stubbornness.

Everyone will make bad decisions from time-to-time. Many times, however, we make bad decisions because we refuse to listen to godly wisdom being offered all around us.

Proverbs 11:14 “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

If Ali-Kate needs some advice to help her make a decision, it would be better for her to go Mitzie than it would be for her to go to Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn is a fine young lady, but she does not have the godly wisdom that Mitzie possesses.

As a matter of fact, the women in the church are to teach the younger ladies how to act.

Titus 2:3–5 “the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—

that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”

Do not be stubborn when it comes to making decisions. God has placed people in your life that can provide you with the godly wisdom to make good decisions. Listen to them.

Most bad decisions occur because we already have our minds made up as to what we want to do. Use the godly men and women in your life to help you make those decisions.

Listen very closely to this.

Attractive choices can lead to unattractive results.

The right choice is not always easy to make especially if you put yourself into a bad situation.

The choices you make can have long-term effects.

2. How do we make godly decisions?

No godly decisions can be made until you are first a child of God.

You do not become a child of God until you put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Making good decisions is hard enough for those of us who have been saved. I cannot imagine trying to make wise decisions in this world without God to lean on as my Father.

The wisest decision you will ever make is believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. He has made it possible for you to have a relationship with God the Father. He has made it possible for you to have eternal life, and this is what you have to do.

Romans 10:9–10 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

If you have done that, let me tell you how to make godly decisions. If you have not placed your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, we will give you an opportunity later in the service to do that.

A. Prayer.

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

If you want to make godly decisions, you must have an engaging prayer life.

If you pray over a decision you need to make, God will give you the wisdom to make the right choice, but you need to seek God’s wisdom when you pray for it. If you pray with the decision already settled in your mind, you have made a decision based upon your pride.

The wisdom of God makes it possible for us to make godly decisions. You do not have to wonder what God wants you to do. Pray about it, and God will give you the wisdom to make the right decision.

Young person, you need to pray for godly wisdom in deciding who to date, your career, and your friends. Those decisions if made without consulting with God usually cause the most trouble. Dating and choosing your boyfriend or girlfriend is one of the most important things to pray to God about. I honestly believe that God has a Mr. or Mrs. Right for everyone, and we need to pray about it.

The Bible tells God’s children what they must consider when choosing who to date or marry.

2 Corinthians 6:14 CSB

Do not be yoked together with those who do not believe. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

Parents, you should not even allow your children to become close friends with someone who obviously comes from an ungodly family, and Christian parents definitely should not allow their Christian sons and daughters to date an unsaved person of the opposite sex. That is not a wise decision.

Pray about it young people. God will provide you with the wisdom to make the godly decision.

B. The Word.

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

The Bible verse we have memorized since VBS days. God’s Word will light your path illuminating you to make the right decision.

Young person, establish in your life the habit of studying your Bible on a daily basis. The Bible is incredibly important to you if you want to make godly decisions. The Bible is more important to you than any other class that you are taking in school or that you will ever take.

If you combine prayer and the Word, you are on the way to making godly decisions. If you live by the principles established in God’s Word, you will not fall into the traps set by the Devil. If you live by the Word, the path God wants you to take will always be lit showing you the way.

C. Patience.

Proverbs 14:8 “The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But the foolishness of fools is deceit.”

2 Peter 3:8 “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.”

Did you know that Daniel had to pray for three straight weeks before he received his answer from God?

Did you know that Noah worked on the Ark for at least 120 years before the Flood came?

God works on His schedule and not yours. You need to wait for God’s green light. If someone will not be patient enough for you to receive your answer through prayer, they have effectively shown you God’s answer.

Be deliberate in your decision-making. Be deliberate about buying that new car and that new house because being enslaved by debt leads to many bad decisions. Pray about college and paying for it, and I guarantee you God will tell you that it is not His will that you take out $100,000 worth of student loans just to pay for a worthless degree.

When it comes to that boyfriend and girlfriend, be patient. Just because everyone else is dating at 10-years-old does not mean that is a wise decision, and actually, if parents allow that, they have made a bad decision. Do not make decisions led by your hormones because your hormones will get you into trouble. Just ask David from the Bible. If you are patient, God will lead you to what and who He wants you to have.

D. Trust God.

Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in 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.”

If you have prayed, if you have studied the Word, and if you have been patient, trust God for the results.

Dear young person, if you make godly decisions, nothing and no one can stop you including the Devil.

Joshua 1:5–6 “No one will be able to oppose you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not desert you nor abandon you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”

James 4:7–8 “Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Even the Devil will flee from you if you are making godly decisions.

Honor God in your life and you will have no regrets. You can be like the Apostle Paul who had absolutely no regrets at the end of his life.

2 Timothy 4:7–8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Making godly decisions will allow you to fight the good fight and to finish the course God has set before you.

I have worked around teenagers my entire adult life. I know the peer pressure you face, and social media has only magnified that pressure, but you can make godly decisions by doing what I talked to you about this morning.

Do not leave things to chance. Trust God and His plan for your life.