Making God-Centered Decisions

Hi Team C!

It's been a while, but hopefully this blog post finds you all still spiritually thriving and full of the joy of the Lord.

Just wanted to share a few things that I learned at YASC this past weekend in hope that they might be as helpful and edifying to you as they were to me. Really thank God I had the opportunity to attend and reflect on/build up my relationship with God during this church event. The theme was Making God-Centered Decisions which applies to day-to-day matters as well as major decisions in life. In a series of classes titled Principles in God-Centered Decision-Making, I learned:

Seek First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness

• usually the priority at the top is what your decision becomes
• our primary priority should always be God which will help both to alleviate worries and eliminate choices.
• Matt 6:25-34
• 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." ß this is our major priority
• to worry is foolish itself
• if you're facing a big decision, don't get too worked up
• Don't be considering your own worth less than that of birds or flowers which is what you are doing when you worry. Your worth is so much more. 
• to worry is futile
• it's not going to change anything
• worrying is being faithless
• you are doubting His goodness and providence
• giving tithe is a basic way to acknowledge God as the One who provides (Gen 14:18-20)
• put God first in your work
• When you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, some choices become non-choices. If it is against the commandments of God or will negatively influence your faith, just cross it out as an option entirely (ex: working on Saturday or marrying a non-TJC member). 
• when God is your priority, your choices follow naturally. 

Live by Faith
2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."
3 Pitfalls to Making/Assessing Decisions:

1. Don't seek for short-term solutions
• Rather, have a long-term faith-based vision
• Examples of short-term solutions:
• Gen 12:10 Abram going to Egypt to escape famine
• Gen 25:29-34 Esau and the red stew
• at the time what mattered most to him was his stomach
• Ruth 1:1 Elimelech and family moving to Moab during famine
• These short-term solutions ended of causing a lot of long-term problems instead. 
• think: how will your decision influence your faith in the future? (ex: a job)
2. Don't just trust your own intelligence, strategizing, or experience to make a decision
• 2 Sam 5:17-25 David fighting the Philistines twice. Same enemy, same geographical location. 
• a tempting situation for David to go without inquiring of God
• still did not rely on past experience
• to rely on past experiences is natural but sometimes not the best.
• Thinking "everything is lining up, I'm just going to go ahead and do it" is relying on your own intellect.
• In church matters, don't rely on your expertise or experience but rely on God. It is a spiritual battle. PRAY because you need God's abidance.
• often when we lack experience, intellect, and expertise we might rely on God more and God will work. 
3. Don't assess a decision by its initial result.
• Ex: Joseph fleeing from Potiphar's wife and being thrown in prison.
• don't just say things are going smoothly, it must be God's will. Things can be going really wrongly and be God's will. Down-times can be opportunities to learn something and mature. 
• Psalm 73- the wicked will still be judged by God even if things go smooth for them on earth
• see from a long-term point of view if something is right in God's eyes

Live to Glorify God

• when weighing decisions that are unclear  ("gray areas" such as coming late to church, going to weeknight service, doing certain activities with friends, modesty in clothing), consider:

1. Will this particular behavior or issue be helpful for me? (1 Cor 6:12, 20)
2. Will is dominate/control me?
3. Is it going to edify others or cause them to stumble? (1 Cor 10:23)
• don't just think about yourself. Think about others.
• Phil 2:4
• 1 Cor 10:24-27
• Rom 14:13, 19-21
4. Does it glorify God? (1 Cor 10:31-33)
1. not breaking His commandments, not causing others to stumble, not offending others
2. consider the whole

To God be the glory!

God bless,

Abigail