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I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; Deut.30:19
Difficult Choices
Are you standing at a junction in life or at cross roads with many options? Maybe your heart wants to take one direction and your mind tells you to go the other way. Sometimes the opportunities even appear equal in benefits which make it harder to discern between this way and that way.
God created us in His image and with that we received the ability to choose. Even though choices appear to have more or less equal benefits, one of them is filled with life and blessing.
Important to Choose
Not to choose is a choice already made.
“It’s choice - not chance - that determines your destiny.” Jean Nidetch
Our decisions do not only influence us but they impact those around us. Making the right choices advances opportunities and blessings for the people in our influence sphere.
3 Influencing Factors
There are three factors that mainly influence our decision making. Feeling, Faith and Facts. It is the order in which we apply them that determine this way, that way or the right way.
The Feeling Folks: They base their decisions mainly upon “it feels right” or “I have peace about it”. The danger lies in the fact that feelings can be deceiving.
The Faith Folks: They base their decision purely upon faith. Because they believe it, it has to be right. They say “I step out in faith” and when it crumbles “God has put me through a test”
The Fact Folks: They accumulate all the information and spend much time upon it before they make a decision. If the facts are equal in both directions they will at times offer it to someone else to help point out the direction.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death Pro. 14:23; 16:25
3 Guiding Lights
F.B. Meyer (1847-1929), a British preacher relayed the story of one of his travels at sea:
He was standing on the deck of the ship, wondering how the crew would safely steer it through the stormy waters into the harbour that night with such low visibility. He peered through the window and asked, “Captain, how do you know when to turn this ship into that narrow harbour?” “That’s and art,” replied the captain. “Do you see those three red lights on the shore? When they’re all in a straight line I go right in!”
God has given us the choice to eternal life with these three lights (influence factors) in the following order:
Facts - Faith - Feeling
First we are taught the facts about God, His love for us and the good news about His Son Jesus Christ through Whom we receive our salvation. Based upon that knowledge, we take a step in faith and choose to accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Being saved brings us those feelings of joy and peace and we usually cannot wait to share the good news with others.
We need to turn to God for His direction. When we have those three lights in a straight line, we can make the right choice.
3 Steps in Making the Right Choice
Step 1: Facts - Gather all the facts, so that you can eliminate those options that are not reasonable. The truth sets us free. There are circumstances and events that we need to take into consideration, some of them are not under our control but they do signal warnings or changes ahead for us.
Step 2: Faith - Go to the Lord with your options and facts and ask for His guidance. He promised to direct our footsteps, to teach and guide us and follow us every step of the way.
Lay your own desires before Him and ask for His will rather than your will. Do not fear that He will direct you in a direction that will not be good for you. He wants to bless you.
If you are not sure which direction He is pointing you to, you can ask Him to close those doors/opportunities which is not of Him, and to open the door/opportunity He wants you to take.
In faith know that He will not leave you in the dark but will shine His light for you in the direction you must go.
Step 3: Feeling - When we make the right choice, we experience that inner witness and peace that we receive from the Holy Spirit. This peace is a witness to what we know and the direction the Lord has pointed us.
If you have unrest in your spirit, go back to Lord and confirm the direction you need to take.
F.B. Meyer later said: “When we want to know God’s will, there are three things which always occur: the inward impulse, the Word of God, and the trend of circumstances….Never act until these three things agree.”
May you be blessed and choose well!
Wilhelmien
