10 Steps That Will Help You Make A Hard Decision: completed version

10 Steps That Will Help You Make A Hard Decision:

I hate making decisions! I can barely decide what to eat every day. Younger women always ask me how to know what is decisions to make in their lives. Certainly I’m not the only one who hates deciding.

I’m definitely not claiming to have made perfect decisions in my life. That would make me a big liar! However, I have had to make some very hard decisions in my short 27 years. Some of those decisions caused me lots of hours of thought, prayer, and tears. I’ve made decisions I’d never dream I’d ever have to make.

I’d like to share with you some of the steps I’ve followed to get me on the other side of a decision that seemed impossible. There are so many verses of advice about decision-making and wisdom in the Bible. These steps are based in scripture with a dash of personal experience. Some of these steps can be done in seconds and others may take time to work through, but they will all help.

Kate’s 10 Steps That Will Help You Make A Hard Decision:

1. Be honest.

This seems very simple, but in decision making sometimes it is very difficult to not let the main thing be the main thing. Simplify. Try taking out as much of the emotion as you can. Try taking out the “what if’s” of other people involved. Simply put, what is the decision you have to make. Make sure you are being honest with yourself. That’s a good place to start.

2. Read the Word.

Believe it or not, I’m not saying that the answer to everything is in the Bible. It simply is not. But the thread holding together every question in your heart is in there. So are the most important issues. And, most importantly, the voice that speaks the answer to everything is behind the words on the page. I believe that if you read the Bible enough, you will begin to hear the way Jesus speaks. Just like you can hear the author to any book you may read. You’ll know what He sounds like. You’ll know what His heart is like. You will feel close to Him.

John 1:1-5

3. Pray, Ask, Listen.

Three very simple things that are actually very easy to forget. Have you prayed about this? Have you asked God what you need to know? Have you listened for His response? Or are you too busy talking to everyone else or even Him to hear anything at all?

Luke 11:9-10

4. Ask for counsel.

Proverbs 24:5-6

“A wise man is full of strength,
and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
for by wise guidance you can wage your war,
and in abundance of counselors there is victory.”

5. Wait.

Sometimes just a little bit of patience can make a situation look a lot different. Of course it is not always possible or beneficial to wait on a decision. Some situations call for immediate action, but when it’s possible a waiting period can sometimes help you discern between emotions and reality.

One type of decision David and I always wait on is financial decisions. We never make a decision dealing with money right away, we give it time and come back to it. Often times afgter just a day or two, we find later that we change our minds for the best.

Psalm 62:5-6

6. Submit.

As Christians, we are always being called to submit. We are called to submit to Christ, to authority in our lives, and to each other. Being submitted is the most beneficial for us, when it is the most inconvenient. It’s often the most inconvenient during emotionally-charged change.

It’s easy to forget that God is sovereign. We think God’s will is easy to miss. In reality it’s hard to miss God’s will, unless we have a tight grasp on our lives as our own. We must remember that our lives are not our own.

Ephesians 5:15-21

7. Take Baby Steps.

Sometimes no matter how much you think, consider your feelings, ask for advice, and even pray about a decision, the absolute answer is just not clear. Most of the time in situations like this, I’ve had a sense or a feeling about which way is right, but the full clarity just isn’t there.

When this happens, I simply take small steps in the direction that I perceive to be right. So often as I step out with courage, the answer I’m looking for becomes more clear or more apparent that I’m moving in the wrong direction.

Proverbs 3:5-6

8. Check Your Motives.

A simple reminder to ask yourself a few questions:

Why is this decision important to me?
Is this a decision I need to make right now?
Is this a decision that can wait?
Is this a decision completely based on myself?
Does this decision include other people?
Have I thought about this decision from different perspectives?

9. Rid Yourself of Fear.

One of this biggest lessons I’ve learned in making good and difficult decisions is not never base a decision on fear. Passivity is never Godly when the lack of action is determined by fear. In the same way, hasty or decisive choices made because or out of fear are never Godly. God’s voice and His guidance is never one of fear. He is love. And there is no fear in love. One of the biggest things you can do to help you make a good decision is to completely rid yourself of all fears (even the fear of what people might think) before you think objectively about your decision.

Philippians 4:4-9

10. Have Faith.

Simple and sweet. Believe that God cares about you. That He loves you. That He is a deeply personal Savior. He sees you, and He is a “rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him.” If you depend on Him, you can believe in Him. He has every answer to every question and every longing in your heart.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

KR

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