HOW TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS


Making decisions is seldom easy, particularly when two seemingly
good opportunities present themselves. It gets confusing to know
what God is trying to tell you. You're responsible to Him to make
the best decision you can. The Bible puts a great deal of
emphasis on seeking out wise counsel and considering what you
hear. Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you
will be wise (Proverbs 19:20).

It may seem like a lot of effort to run all your decisions
through these three levels of counsel. If the decision is as
mundane as the choice between vanilla and chocolate ice cream,
such counsel-seeking is unnecessary. But if you are facing an
important decision, the three-level approach will help you reach
better decisions.

Seek out:

1 Biblical counsel. Many of the decisions you make have
spiritual implications. If you know people who are mighty in
the Scriptures and who know how to apply the Bible to life,
you ought to seek them out to discuss the spiritual
implications of your decisions.

2 Experienced counsel. Ask those who have gone through similar
experiences. This may mean listening to your parents or those
who have lived to a good age and have lived astutely. They
may have traveled a road similar to the road you are
traveling. Often they learned the hard way, but, by their
experience, can help you learn from their mistakes - not
yours. Caution: It's dangerous to rely on just one person's
experience. When you talk to people about experiences, you
will be wise to talk with a number of people who have faced
similar decisions and extract direction from their combined
counsel.

3 Best available counsel. Go to an expert in the field that you
are questioning. Find the person who knows the most about
what you need to know in order to make a good decision.

4 Example: You are trying to decide whether you should have
cosmetic surgery. The first level of counsel would be to
decide whether it is Biblical. Are there spiritual dimensions
to this surgery? Are you, perhaps, placing too much emphasis
on external appearances for happiness in your life? Second,
you can gain valuable information from people who have had
such surgery. Was great pain involved? How did they make
their choice of surgeons? Third, you may want to talk with a
good plastic surgeon about the proposed operation. The
surgeon may not be a Christian, but if he's qualified he
ought to know everything you need to know about the surgery
itself. Finally, heed the counsel you receive. When all is
said and done, you are still responsible for your own
decisions.


-----------
Haddon W. Robinson is a well-known speaker and a
featured teacher on the Discover the Word daily radio
program. He lectures and writes as Distinguished
Professor at Gordon-Conwell Seminary, and is the
author of Biblical Preaching, Biblical Sermons, and
What Jesus Said About Successful Living.


From Decision-Making by the Book by Haddon W.
Robinson, copyright (c) 1998. Used by permission of
Discovery House Publishers, affiliated with RBC
Ministries, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1-800-653-8333. All
rights reserved.