Deciding What Will Guide Me

“The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is.” Jeremiah 17:9 (GW)

One fundamental question in life stands above all others:

What will have the final authority in my life?

Will it be Spouse? Or my peers? Maybe my friends or my career? Perhaps the books I read? The people I follow on social media? What about the movies or shows I watch or the songs I listen to?

All of these sources will shape my values if I let them—and my values ultimately determine what has final authority in my life.

So, what will it be? God allows me to decide. He’s given me free will.

Most of my authority options fall into these three categories:

My opinions: I can depend on my gut to tell me what to do. But there’s a problem with that: Studies show my perceptions are more likely to be wrong than right. In fact, sometimes I even lie to myself. The Bible says, “The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is” (Jeremiah 17:9 GW).

The world: I could base my values on what others think—but people often value the wrong things. For instance, the world emphasizes beauty over character, tells me to pursue whatever feels good, and declares that whoever has the most possessions wins. I'm bombarded with these worldly values through all sorts of media, so much so that it’s easy to start thinking God put me on this planet to look good, feel good, and get stuff. But that couldn’t be further from the truth!

God’s Word: God’s Word is objective and truthful—unlike my own perceptions or the world’s opinions. God’s Word says, “If you continue in My word . . . you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 NASB).

The choice is clear. There’s only one authority that’s always reliable and will never lead me astray. So I need to decide today to allow God’s Word to shape my values by giving it the final authority in my life.

In summary:

Every person must decide what will have the final authority in their life—personal opinions, the world’s values, or God’s Word. Opinions can be deceiving, as our own minds often mislead us (Jeremiah 17:9), while the world promotes shallow priorities like beauty, pleasure, and possessions that distract from God’s true purpose. Only God’s Word is completely reliable, objective, and freeing, offering truth that never fails (John 8:31-32). Since values shape decisions and destiny, the wisest choice is to give God’s Word the final authority, allowing it to guide and transform every part of life.

Bottom LIne:

Only God’s Word is a trustworthy authority for life—my opinions and the world’s values will mislead me, but Scripture will always guide me into truth and freedom. I will make a deliberate decision to continue to give the Bible final authority in my life by aligning one daily choice—big or small—with what God’s Word says rather than my feelings or outside influences.