Decision Making

Be decisive 

"A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." James 1:8 KJV 

If you’re afraid to make a decision in case it’s wrong, read this Scripture: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally... and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (vv. 5-8 NKJV). 

President Reagan enjoyed telling the story of how he learned to make firm decisions. When he was a boy, his aunt sent him to a cobbler to have a new pair of shoes made for him. When the shoemaker asked, "Do you want a square toe or a round one?" he hemmed and hawed, so the cobbler said, "Come back in a day or two and tell me what you want." Later the cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked what he had decided about the shoes. "I haven’t made up my mind yet," he answered. "Very well," the cobbler said, "your shoes will be ready tomorrow." When Reagan got the shoes, one had a round toe and the other a square toe! Reagan said, "Looking at those shoes every day taught me a lesson. If you don’t make your own decisions, somebody else will make them for you." Worst case: if you get it wrong, you’ll learn what not to do next time. Bottom line: to succeed in life you must pray for wisdom, and then make a decision. 

Prayer point: 

Lord, help me to think carefully about the actions I need to take, with Your help, so that once I have reached a decision, I can stick to it with confidence, knowing that I have thought it through properly. Sometimes I’m reluctant to make decisions in case I get it wrong, or I allow myself to be swayed by the opinions of others so that there is someone else to blame. Lord, help me to listen to others but give me courage to make my own decisions, knowing that You can use even the mistakes I make for my good. 

Acknowledgements: God’s Little Devotional Book For Leaders (Colorado Springs, CO: Honor Books, 1997), 223 

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