DOUBTFUL AND STRESSED ABOUT DECISIONS

Do you get stressed-out about making decisions? Are you preoccupied with making the right decisions for the Lord? Often, we get obsessed about the “enough questions”:

·       Am I praying enough?

·       Giving enough?

·       Ministering enough?

·       Studying the Bible enough?

Because the Bible doesn’t provide us with precise answers to our various questions, we can drive ourselves crazy with our fears and doubts.

However, I think that the Bible does give us the guidance we require. First of all, as Jesus had taught, it is essential that we have devoted ourselves to both Him and His wisdom, above all else:

·       “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6 (ESV); 6:33; John 7:17)

When we trust in the Lord, we will put His concerns above every other concern. However, if there is a sin we have reserved for ourselves, it is an area where we have decided to trust in ourselves above the Word of God. It becomes a cancer that corrupts everything else. Paul had warned that “A little leaven [sin] leavens [corrupts] the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9).

How does this happen? This leaven or yeast has the power of affecting everything else. It deceives us and corrupts our thinking (Romans 7:11; Hebrews 3:13). When we sin, we are convicted and feel guilty. If we don’t confess it to our Savior, we feel compelled to justify or suppress it, where it festers. Consequently, we build a wall against the Spirit’s convicting influence. However, God offers us a way to be restored to sanity and to the Spirit’s guidance:

·       Do not be conformed to this world [and its temptations], but be transformed by the renewal of your mind [through the Word], that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

Discerning God’s will is largely a matter of rejecting the temptations of the world and the flesh. We also must confess our sins:

·       If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

As often as we sincerely do this, we are not only forgiven but also cleansed and restored to a state of holiness. This enables us to escape from the blinding power of sin. We don’t have to first pay atonement for our sins through good deeds and even suffering. Instead, it is the good pleasure of our God to restore us immediately through the once-and-for-all atonement of the Cross. Any attempt to pay the price ourselves is a denial of the great sacrifice of love that the Lord has provided through His death.

Once we have rejected our sinful double-mindedness, He gladly promises us the wisdom that we need:

·       If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5-8)

However, we must seek this wisdom above our on comforts and pleasures:

·       yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. (Proverbs 2:3-8)

You might still be asking, “Where is His promised wisdom? I am still groping for answers.” I have been so comforted by His promise that if we are missing something and are going in the wrong direction, He will show us:

·       Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. (Philippians 3:15-16)

I am no longer tormented by the questions, “Am I praying enough or doing enough?” Instead, I trust that God is leading me in the right direction and will show me when I am not, even though it might seem that I am passing through the “Valley of the Shadow of Death.” Even there, I am assured:

·       He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:3-4)

Nevertheless, I am sure that I don’t pray enough. I jump ahead and make decisions without first asking for the Lord’s guidance. However, the Lord hears my request for help in this area, and I’m committed to go wherever He might lead, as I trust in His guidance, even as I continue to fall far short in this area.