Campus Ambassadors @ UAlbany » Talks

Making Tough Decisions

Chris Tsai — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:26:35 +0000

When I was preparing for my talk on “What’s God’s Will For My Life?” I realized that I was focusing more on the theological aspect of knowing God’s will, and less practical advice. While that (hopefully) should give some insight on how we view God and hence live our lives, I didn’t have the time to go over more concrete advice for making tough decisions (which is what most people really mean when they say they want to know God’s will).

Some Tips

Here are some things to consider when making a tough decision:

Pray – Scripture tells us that we can pray for wisdom and it will be given to us (James 1:5). Of course, wisdom is not about just knowing the answer, but more about learning to exercise good judgment, so don’t be let down if your answer doesn’t just magically come to you.
Study the Bible – Take a look at Proverbs 16:3, notice the order, first we commit our work to the Lord, then our plans will be established. In other words, knowing God more will help us learn to make wiser, more “Godly” decisions. Our will conforms to His.
Seek Counsel – Have the humility to listen to and consider the advice of those you trust (Proverbs 12:15, 15:22). It’s also good to get the advice of older, more experienced people, in addition to your peers.
Practice Discernment – Not all the advice you get will be good advice, make sure it stacks up well against scripture (1 John 4:1). Be especially careful of signs and audible answers. He certainly CAN answer prayer this way, but it’s not wise to rely only on that.
Don’t Test God – We are explicitly told not to “put the Lord your God to the test” (Matthew 4:7). So, you shouldn’t pray things like “God, if this is your will, then “. Likewise, don’t bargain with God (see Judges 11:29-40 for an example of what can go wrong).
Consider Fasting – In scripture, people will often fast before making major decisions (Acts 14:23). However, (like with prayer above), be careful to not set improper expectations, and make the goal of fasting be growing closer to God.
Trust in God – In the end, after prayerful considerations, just make a decision. Don’t grow anxious over the decision because God’s has it under control (Matthew 6:25-34). And even if you make a “wrong” decision, God can, and will use it for good (Romans 8:28).