Four Decisions That Determine Your Destiny

In review of James 1:7-8 it says, “If you are … unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord.”

Bottom Line:

Indecision and lack of faith for God to provide an answer is a sure sign that you won’t receive any direction from the Lord.

What this means to me:

If I don’t ask with faith, then every decision I make will be uncertain. I should not expect the Lord to give me a solid answer.

I’m reminded this morning of a Dr. Seuss’ poem, “The Zode in the Road,” in which a young Zode comes to a fork in the road and spends quite some time trying to decide which place to go to. He thinks about the possibility that one place may be too hot and the other too cool or one too high and the other too low. After scratching his head in indecision, the Zode finally decides to play it safe and “start off for both places at once!” And that meant the Zode got nowhere.

The key is to not be a Zode like this and waste my life. I should not live in mediocrity. I shouldn’t just exist! I need to move forward and make the decisions that will determine my destiny.

What I’m learning is that there are four life-changing decisions that every person has to make:

One, to commit your life to Christ and become a part of his family. Fortunately I had done this one.

Two, to commit to the habits that will help me grow spiritually. I shouldn’t be a wishy-washy, lukewarm, shallow Christian. Go head on and be all that God wants me to be. In this one I have developed some spiritual disciplines that have helped me in my daily walk with God.

Three, to use my talents, gifts, abilities, and experiences to serve God and others. I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus for while, however It’s time to get off the bench, and get back into the game.

Fourth, to share Jesus Christ with others. Now that I know the Good News, I’m to become a messenger so that others may hear it, as well.

Today’s verse reminds me, “If you are … unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:7-8 GNT). The decision is mine!

Its awesome that God lets us make our own decisions about our destinies. He’s never forceful, he let’s us make up our own minds, but implores us and shows us what our lives will be like if we follow him.

I have to admit that indecision and procrastination have been something I have struggled with in my own life. I’m sure I’ve missed out on some truly great things God had in store for me or others through what He would have done through me.

I believe a current decision that God is asking to me move forward with today is starting to plug into a church community. Now that we have moved, He has revealed one to my wife and I, however, I’ve been reserved in any real commitment wanting to fully check out all options. However I believe some of this is me trying to find what we had before when we were in Southern California. So, I believe I will move forward with taking the first steps in moving forward and getting together in a night time study with those in this community we have been investigating so that I can begin to build relationships.

Six Steps for Biblical Decision-making

In review of Proverbs 28:26 it says, “A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use God’s wisdom are safe.”

Bottom Line:

It’s foolish to trust yourself, those who use God’s wisdom are safe and will do all right.

What this means to me:

It’s foolish for me to rely on my own insight, instead I should be safe and follow the teachings of wiser people.

God gave Moses the dream of leading the children of Israel out of 400 years of slavery, but Moses had to make the decision to confront Pharaoh. God gave Noah the dream of saving the world from the flood, but Noah had to make the decision to build the ark. God gave Abraham the dream of building a new nation, but Abraham had to make the decision to leave everything he had and go out into the unknown.

Just like these men, I will never realize God’s dream for my life until I come to the stage of decision-making and step out in faith.

Whether it’s about my career, marriage, finances, health, or children, there is a simple, workable plan for making biblical decisions that will keep me on track toward pursuing God’s dream for my life.

Step 1 - Pray for guidance.

Before I do anything else, I should get God’s perspective on the issue. “A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use God’s wisdom are safe” (Proverbs 28:26 TLB).

Step 2 - Get the facts.

There is no contradiction between faith and fact. Find out everything I can before making a decision. Proverbs 13:16 says, “All who are prudent act with knowledge” (NIV).

Step 3 - Ask for advice.

Talk to somebody who’s made a similar decision and friends who know my weaknesses. “The more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win” (Proverbs 24:6b GNT).

Step 4 - Calculate the cost. Every decision has a price tag; it will cost time, money, energy, reputation, talents, and resources. Proverbs 20:25 says, “It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows” (NIV). When people pressure you to make a decision, it’s OK for me to say, “I’ll get back to you.” It’s more important to make a wise decision than a quick decision.

Step 5 - Prepare for problems.

In faith, expect the best. Expect God to work in your life. But also prepare for the problems that are part of every decision. Solomon said in Proverbs 22:3, “A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences” (TLB).

Step 6 - Face your fears.

Perfectionism paralyzes potential. God has always used imperfect people in imperfect situations to get his will done. Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.” I have to trust God and start moving in spite of my problems, fears, and doubts.

In retrospect, I think I’m hesitant at times to pray or ask God for direction because I’m afraid it may not always be what I personally wanted or how I wanted it to go. There are also times when I think my thing is not important enough to bother God with it. When it comes to getting counsel from others, often just the logistics of getting with someone and the timing of when you need to make a decision end up affecting the ability to do this. However, honestly I think this is also coupled with the fear that I may hear something I may not want.

Lately I believe the step that’s been most difficult for me is step 3, asking for advice. I just need to learn to be open to things I might now be willing to look at or accept. Also now that I have moved it will be more a little more difficult since I do not have a local base quite yet that I can draw on. If I run into a situation, I can always reach out and contact those I know from the past. I end my time this morning asking for God’s help in making me open to following these steps and taking them to heart.

Learning To Use and Not Waste My Shape

In review of Ephesians 2:10 it says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Bottom Line:

We are God’s own work, refined through our relationship in Christ to do the good works God had prepared in advance for us to do.

What this means to me:

God has made me who I am. I am his handiwork. With my life connected to Christ Jesus I am made new and predestined for a life which is created to do good deeds that will ultimately help others.

In order to know God’s will for my life, I’ve got to look at what I’m good at. Why would God give me certain gifts, abilities, and talents and not expect me to use them? That would be a waste.

God gave me Spiritual gifts, Heart/Passions, Abilities, a Personality, and Experiences (SHAPE) that make me unique, and when I take time to figure out how God has shaped me, it will give me direction for where I should go with my life. I can therefore ask myself, “What am I good at? What do I love to do? What is my passion? What turns me on, and what turns me off? What is it that people affirm in me? How can God use those abilities for his Kingdom?”

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (NIV). The word for God’s handiwork in Greek is the word poema, from which we get the word poem. I am God’s poem. I am a work of art. I am unique. There is nobody like me!

But there’s more to life than being unique. God wants me to be unique and effective. He designed me the way he did so that I could do good works. Even before I was born, God had predesigned a role for me in life. He said, “I’m going to make Mark and give him certain gifts, abilities, and talents, and I’m going to allow him to go through certain experiences; some good, some painful, and some educational. I’m going to bring all of these things together, because I want something done in the world that will take that kind of person to do it.”

Ultimately one day I’ll stand before God and he’ll ask, “What did you do with what I gave you?” If I don’t use my experiences and my shape for what God intended, I’ve missed the point.

I am saved to serve. It’s called having a ministry in which I use my talents and gifts to help others. Fulfillment means being who and what God meant for me to be.

The Bible says, “God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other” (1 Peter 4:10a TLB).

Today I will take some time and to think about my SHAPE. What are the Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences God has given me that make me uniquely me?  Then I’ll consider how I’d like to use them in a future ministry.

This morning as I think about the dream God has given me so far and my SHAPE, I see myself just being an example of a life lived in devotion to him. I also see myself helping to mentor others with what I have experienced and learned so far. I also enjoy leading fellowship discussions and helping others in their own relationships with God.

Learning to Be Still So That I Can Hear From God

In review of Job 37:14 it says, “Pause a moment, Job, and listen; consider the wonderful things God does.”

Bottom Line:

Pause and consider the wonder of God.

What this means to me:

I am to take the time to pause and carefully consider the many wonderful things God has done, and will continue to do.

One thing I’m learning is that I need to be quiet in order to hear God speak. To hear God’s vision, I’ll need to turn off the television. I can’t really listen to God and the TV (or anything else for that matter) at the same time!

One possible reason for not hearing God speak could be my lack of just being quiet with him. Something is always going on in my mind, so while God is trying to get through to me on the telephone of life, he gets a busy signal. It appears that I need to reserve time alone with God.

The Bible says in Job 37:14, “Pause a moment, Job, and listen; consider the wonderful things God does” (GNT).

From his Word I learn that God wants to spend time with me. He wants me to “Pause, be quiet, get alone, and learn solitude so He can talk with me.” As an adult I know I get spiritual wiggles. It’s really hard to be still and be quiet.

Here’s something to consider:

Is getting God’s dream for my life worth a day of my life? The thought here was to take an entire day and do nothing but be alone with God. Talk to Him in prayer. Let God talk to me through his word. Relax. Think. Write down the thoughts he puts in my mind. Set some goals. Look through my schedule. Set my priorities. Spend the day saying, “God, where do you want me to go? What direction do you want my feet headed?”

What I’m learning is that God will speak to those who take the time to listen, not just for a day, but on a regular basis. I guess that is why they call this quiet time.

Even though I may think that I don’t have time for this, it’s important to do. It’s all about figuring out why I’m here on Earth. It’s imperative to make the time.

In retrospect, my weekday routine is to spend time in prayer quietly before leaving my house. I then spend additional time such as reading and documenting what I read while enjoying my first cup of coffee at Starbucks. Given this routine, I only spend a few minutes at the beginning of my prayer time just being quiet. I usually use the following verse as a springboard for my quiet time, “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” (Matthew 6:6 MSG)

But based upon what I’m studying this morning I realize that I’m not really spending much time actually being quiet and waiting on God to speak to me. I need to consider if there is something I can adjust in my weekday morning routine, or perhaps something to supplement it with on the weekends so that I can be still and quiet before him. I do have some time coming up tomorrow morning when my wife and daughter are getting together. Perhaps I’ll consider using this time to do a smaller version of just spending time with God.

Getting God’s Dream for My Life

In review of Romans 12:1-2 it says, “Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him …. Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God, what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.”

Bottom Line:

Because of what he has done, you should offer up your life and serve his will and his purposes. You should not just follow the world and how it thinks and acts, rather let God transform the way you think. Then you’ll know what is his will for you and what will please him.

What this means to me:

Because of his great mercy and grace toward me, I should offer up my life to Him as a living and sacrifice that is set apart for his will. In addition, I should avoid copying the behavior and customs of this world. Rather I should let God transform the way I think. Then I’ll know what is his will is for me and what pleases him. This is the most sensible way to serve him.

When it comes down to it, none of us are great people. We can only be ordinary people committed to great dreams. When I commit myself to a great dream, it draws something out of me and helps me become larger than I would become any other way.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (NIV). God’s dream for me is personal. And only I can fulfill the purpose God has planned for me. His dream for me is positive. It will give me hope!

So how do I go about getting God’s dream for my life? What I’m learning is that I’ve got to be willing to dedicate my life to God, committing in advance to do whatever he tells me to do.

Today’s verse says, “Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him …. Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God, what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect” (Romans 12:1-2 GNT).

I think most miss God’s dream because they’re not looking at God; they’re watching what everybody else does. When you imitate somebody else, you’re going to be a carbon copy instead of who God made you to be. I need to be more concerned with God’s dream for my life than the American dream.

The American dream and God’s dream are two very different issues. In the past the American dream used to be pretty affordable and pretty simple. However, today, the American dream is all-consuming. It typically takes both the husband and the wife to both work to even try to keep up. This rat race becomes the total focus.

In order to get serious about discovering God’s dream for my life, I need to decide not to settle for the American dream. Will I choose the good life or God’s life? Materialism or ministry? The rat race or God’s race?

Hebrew 12:1 encourages me, “Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back … and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us” (TLB).

I’ll need to commit myself to God’s dream and not worry about being like everybody else. Ultimately God only has good planned for me.  If I do things on my own, I’ll likely miss out on what good he had planned for me or how he would use me.

Interestingly enough, I can say that the American dream was mine many years ago. We were fortunate enough to work it out that both my wife and I did not need to work, however, we did own a home and had accumulated some debt. My wife and I have just moved and as a result have sold our home and are only renting. We had also downsized quite a bit on what we owned, knowing that we would not be able to store too much in a rented apartment.  It actually feels good to be free of extra things and expenses associated with owning a home. I guess you can say we are trying to embrace a minimalist lifestyle.  So far, so good. Now given that I don’t have these concerns or burdens of the American dream, we can try and concentrate on God’s life, ministry and God’s race instead of the worldly equivalent of those.

Today I ask God to help guide my wife and I to church community to plug now that we have moved. I ask for his help to bring your people around us that you want us to partner with. As we explore, help us to know the true hearts of people and what they value and trust in.  As we settle into a community to partner with, we can work toward fulfilling God’s dream for us.

From A Dream to Deliverance

In review of Ephesians 3:20b it says, “God … is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of — infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.”

Bottom Line:

With God working in us, he can do more than we ever dreamed would be possible.

What this means to me:

Through God’s mighty power working in me, I can do more than I ever thought was possible, in fact it is infinitely beyond my highest desires, thoughts, hopes or prayers.

In order for my faith to grow to a point where I can claim the promise in Mark 9:23, “Everything is possible for the person who has faith” (GNT) I need to understand that God will take me through six phases of faith. Rick Warren explains these six phases in his “Daily Hope Devotional” from April 25th, 2015. I have adopted them to my own life and setting.

Phase 1: Dream

In this phase, I consider what is the dream God has given me? If I don’t have a dream I’m working toward, I’m only just existing. In this case I need to start praying, “God, give me your dream.” Ultimately I’m here on Earth for a purpose. When I discover that purpose, I’ll discover the dream God wants me to go after. “God … is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of — infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes” (Ephesians 3:20b TLB).

Phase 2: Decision

Maybe I have a dream from God, but I have not yet made a decision to go after it. God’s word for me in phase 2 is, “Go for it!” I may need to make the decision to give more of my life to Christ or  to join a church or get involved in ministry. James 1:7-8 warns, “If you are like that, unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord” (GNT).

Phase 3: Delay

When things don’t happen on my timetable, I tend to run ahead of God and create detours to make it happen. When I run into this, it is key to not detour! I may end up making the wrong decision. I’m in God’s waiting room. I need to wait for God to work his hand. God says in Habakkuk 2:3, “But these things I plan won’t happen right away.  Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled” (TLB).

Phase 4: Difficulty

There may be difficulties I face as I wait for my dream to be fulfilled? I’ll go through many tests in life, but it's comforting to understand that God knows what I’m going through. He’s watching, and he hasn’t forgotten me. “Even though you are temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations. This is no accident — it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold” (1 Peter 1:6-7 Phillips).

Phase 5: Dead Ends

There will be times when I’m at a dead end, and I’ll feel as if I’m ready to give up. But I’ll actually be right where God wants me! He is preparing me for deliverance. God’s word for me here is, “Hang on! Don’t give up!” “At that time we were completely overwhelmed, the burden was more than we could bear, in fact we told ourselves that this was the end. Yet we now believe that we had this experience of coming to the end of our tether that we might learn to trust, not in ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).

Phase 6: Deliverance

Will I expect and trust God to deliver me? The answer is He will. But it won't happen overnight. I”ll need to go through all six stages before God brings me into deliverance. “I know that I will live to see the LORD’s goodness in this present life” (Psalm 27:13 GNT).

A key thing to consider in the dream phase is determining whether the dream is from God or just from myself. What I’ve learned is that when God provides me with a dream, it will be consistent with what he has said in his word and is of benefit and service to others. If the dream is just from myself it will be selfish or more about meeting my own needs.

Also in consideration of the difficulty phase, I think God brings these difficulties about to teach me to rely upon him. If everything went smoothly and on my own strength and doing, I would tend to just trust myself and not look to him for his help.

As I think about the delay phase and my own personal experiences in the past, they have been times when God has said the timing just isn’t right. Either I need to learn something else, just practice faith or just time for him to work out the circumstances. In this, I have found that when God does move it is always the right time. He has everything planned out and uses mine and others choices to work out his plan.

Ultimately it is God working in and through me to display his mighty works. I’m reminded this morning of 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, “8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” (NLT). God will bring from the dream he has implanted into my heart to full deliverance if I’m just patient and remember that he will use these six phases as he builds my faith.

God Grows Faith in Six Phases

In review of Mark 9:23b it says, “Everything is possible for the person who has faith.”

Bottom Line:

Anything is possible if you have faith

What this means to me

Anything is possible if I believe and demonstrate faith.

Matthew 9:29 states, “According to your faith let it be done to you” (NIV). What I’m learning is that this statement is the key to the great adventure of following Jesus. God tells me that, “I get to choose how much He’ll bless my life. I believe, and He’ll do it. I believe, and He’ll bless it.”

I’ve often heard and believe that faith is like much like a muscle. As such it can be strengthened or it can grow weak, depending on how much I use it. What I’m also learning is that God uses a very predictable process to build faith in my life. As long as I understand this process, I can cooperate with and obtain value from it.

First, God gives me a dream for my life. Secondly, I need to make a decision about it. The third stage is delay, where I learn to wait for God to work in his time. The next stage is difficulty, where God will test me. Then, I might reach a dead end, which will make me want to give up. But, in the end, God always brings me to deliverance, the final stage of his six phases of faith.

Often we ask “Why is this happening? or I don’t understand it.” I can see that if I don’t have a handle on understanding God’s six phases of faith he uses to build character, it's easy to get discouraged, resentful, depressed, concerned and fearful about the future. In addition, If you don’t understand God’s process it’s difficult to co-operate with him.

However in understanding the six phases of faith, I can say, “Oh, I’m in stage 4 right now” or stage six or stage two. The better I understand what God’s doing, I can hang in there when times get  tough expecting the next phase will come.

Today’s verse in Mark 9:23 it says, “Everything is possible for the person who has faith” (GNT).

In order for me to have a stronger faith as I go on this great adventure with God, I’ll really need to have a grasp on the six phases of faith that God takes me through so that I won’t get discouraged when I don’t see results or answers right away.

In retrospect I think we learn better when we experience things first hand, which is part of God faith building process. If everything came to me right away, I think I might take things for granted and expect it to always be quick and effortless. What I have come to believe is that God is more interested in building my character than he is in my comfort.

I think that today I’m in between stage three (delay) and stage four (difficulty). I just need to have faith and do what I know I need to do today while I wait for his next steps of direction. I am also having some difficulties with my health (conditions that had been in remission for a year are starting to return.)  These health issues affect how I feel, but I just need to have faith that God will work things out and I’ll be able to get in with a specialist and restart treatments soon.  Meanwhile, I need to keep pressing on, knowing that this is just likely a temporary thing and God will work through this process.