In the next few posts of this series, I will attempt to outline seven steps for godly decision-making in light of a biblical understanding of God’s will. Some may find these steps to be “unspiritual”, especially for those raised in classical Pentecost. I believe, however, that these steps follow a scriptural model for decision-making that balances submitting to God’s sovereignty and understanding our responsibility to make godly decisions. Dallas Willard expressed it this way:
"[God] calls us to responsible citizenship in His kingdom by -- in effect or reality -- saying, as often as possible: MY WILL FOR YOU IS FOR YOU TO DECIDE ON YOUR OWN."
~ Dallas Willard, Hearing God
I am not suggesting (nor is Willard) that God is unconcerned about our decisions or that we should ignore God entirely in our decision-making. I am simply saying that God does not desire to micro-manage our lives. He generally
* wants us to follow the guidance He has already given us in scripture, as the Holy Spirit enables us. Those guidelines are what I will attempt to outline.
Step 1: Evaluate the decision in light of God’s Moral Will.
This is the first and most critical step of the process. Our decisions must be ruled by God’s commands, first and foremost. When God’s Word speaks on a subject, the decision is made for us. This means it is vitally important for us to know God’s Word, just as David expressed in
Psalm 119:11. However, it is rarely possible to read the entire bible looking for guidance each time we make a decision. That is why it is also necessary to bathe this step in prayer to allow the Holy Spirit to help us remember and recognize the areas of scripture that apply to our decision.
Another key point is that when I refer to God’s Moral Will, I mean all of His revealed will in scripture. It is not limited to sin-related commands (the “do nots”), but also positive commandments. For example,
Romans 12:6-8 commands us to use the gifts we have been given for the benefit of the body of Christ. Whether or not you would consider it a sin to ignore this command (I would argue that it is), it is at least a moral imperative that must enter into our decision-making process. Likewise, it can be inferred that
John 6:12 teaches us to not be wasteful (
Proverbs 21:20 is more explicit), which I consider a part of God’s Moral Will.
Step 2: Examine your motives
Some would rightly consider this step to be part of step 1, and they would be right. Our motives are a moral issue before God, who knows our hearts. Jesus repeatedly condemned the Pharisees for doing the right things for the wrong reasons. (Ex.
Luke 11:42) We must be concerned about the same in our decision-making. The “why” component of our decisions is just as important as the “what” component of our decisions. Our motives are an issue of God’s Moral Will, but because of the importance of motives and our tendency to forget about motives, I like to separate this into its own decision-making step.
No godly decision can be made before these two steps are completed. They are always the starting point. In fact, many decisions can be made simply by evaluating these two criteria. In any case, we can move forward in the decision-making process only if our motives are pure and our possible choices do not violate God’s Moral Will. Quite often, however, we must move beyond these two steps to come to a decision. And we shall…in the next entry.
* I believe there are times when God will supernaturally intervene in our decision-making through the voice of the Holy Spirit, but he does that in His timing and for His purposes, not ours. More on this to follow.