Decision Making and Gods will

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Decision Making and Gods will

• The Life Practical Insights to Christian Living
• MIT Asian Christian Fellowship
• February 15, 2002

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Many decisions to make

• Easy everyday decisions to
• the prime rib or the lobster?
• Moral decisions to
• to cheat or not to cheat?
• Decisions which need guidance
• an engineer or an artist?
• Is he/she the One?

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The promise of guidance

• I will instruct you and teach you in the way you
  should go
• I will counsel you and watch over you.
• -- God (Ps 32.8)

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Hot or not? Rank em

• Personal desires
• Inner peace
• Common sense
• Scripture
• Mature Counsel
• Results
• Circumstances
• Special Revelation (visions, or prophecies)

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Five ways to decide

• Scripture
• Prayer special revelation
• Personal desires vision
• Circumstances Open doors
• Community mature counsel

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1. Scripture Gods Word

• Gods will? Know Gods Word!
• In Scripture, God speaks most directly
• Knowing how God speaks directly will help you
  understand how God speaks indirectly
• His love letter read it!
• Combined with special revelation
• The hunch factor Scripture which is alive!

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2. Prayer Special Revelation

• Asking gives wisdom
• If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,
  who gives generously to all without finding
  fault, and it will be given to him. (Ja 1.5)
• Asking gives courage Your will be done. (Mt.
  22.36-46)
• The obedience factor no shortcuts (Jn 15.10)

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3. Personal Desires Vision

• A God-given vision can be helpful in determining
  which steps to take
• My career?
• The One?
• The hunch factor, pt. 2 dont ignore them, but
  dont serve them
• Inner peace can be a good result
• But, inner conviction is better!

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4. Circumstances

• Circumstances are descriptive, not prescriptive
  open doors
• In English just because you have an open door
  doesnt mean God wants you to walk through it.
• But a door closed might let you know that youre
  on the wrong track.

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5. Community Counsel

• Making decisions only on our own dooms us to
  repeating the same mistakes
• For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many
  advisers make victory sure. (Pr. 11.4)
• Much wisdom in getting different and older
  perspectives, particularly from people who know
  you

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Combine all five ways

• Scripture
• Prayer special revelation
• Personal desires vision
• Open doors
• Community mature counsel

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Jesus advice first things first

• Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,
  and all these things will be added to you.
• -- Jesus (Mt. 6.33)