Mensa Otabil - A Righteous Desire
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We continue our teaching on choices. We've looked at several aspects of the subject; we've considered the fact that life is a choice, that Jesus holds the key, and that there are two ways before us: one is narrow, the other is broad. We've examined practical areas of choices, and today we're going to consider five questions we should be asking ourselves as we make a choice. Proverbs 11:23: "The desire of the righteous is only good, but the expectation of the wicked is wrath." God wants us to make right choices, so here are five questions that we will be considering.
First: Have you prayed about it? When you're making a choice, this is the first question to ask. Prayer should be our first response in any dilemma; it shouldn't be an emergency response, but something we do first. So when you're thinking about what choice or what decision to make, have you prayed about it? Have you talked to God about it? Prayer allows us to come into God's presence, and when we do, two things happen: we tell God what is on our heart, and God tells us what is on His heart. By the time we leave the place of prayer, we should have heard from God about what is on His heart. Many of us have developed a prayer practice where all we do is talk, talk, talk, but never listen. Prayer is not just about talking to God; it's also about listening to God. In prayer, we receive the heart of God; we receive the mind of God. Have you prayed about it? Have you heard God speaking to you about it? Have you poured your heart out to Him?
The second question is: Is it consistent with the Word of God? When I say consistent, I mean don't just pick one verse of the Bible to say, "Well, because of this verse, I'm making this decision." Is it consistent? Does it align with the totality of Scripture, not just a single verse? You can pick a verse to support everything you want to do, but we shouldn't work with isolated verses; we should work with the counsel of the Lord. The counsel of the Lord lies in the consistency and harmony of Scripture. In the Bible, we observe God's dealings with people in different situations and various settings, and as we do that, we understand how God deals with specific situations and apply it to ourselves. More than anything else, in the Bible, we see the Lord Jesus Christ live His life on Earth, and in Him, we learn how we must live our lives on Earth. So, when you're going to make a decision, is it consistent with the revelation of the Bible? Is it aligned with the totality of the wisdom that comes from the Word of God?
Third: Can you do it and be a positive Christian witness for the choice you want to exercise? What does it do to your testimony as a Christian? Does it help you to stand out as a Christian? Does it encourage other Christians to live for God? Does it uplift believers, or does it weaponize unbelievers? Think about it as you're making the decision; does it help the Christian witness?
Number four: Will the Lord be glorified? Can you make this choice and give glory to God? After all is said and done, would somebody look at your choice and say, "Oh, praise the Lord for what the Lord has done for you"? Is it God-glorifying?
Finally, are you acting responsibly? Acting responsibly means following God's principles and being faithful. If you are faithful in little things, God will give you big things. If something has been given to you in small measure and you despise it, how can you expect bigger things to come to you? It's irresponsible to expect that if you have acted irresponsibly or unfaithfully in something, God will overlook your unfaithfulness and still bless you. So, are you acting responsibly? Are you acting responsibly toward yourself, your spouse, and your children? Are you doing things that are responsible? These are questions to ask yourself, and if you take these five questions into your decision-making process, you will end up making some really good decisions in your life.
Have you prayed about it? Is it consistent with the Word of God? Can you do it and still be a positive Christian witness? Will the Lord be glorified? And are you acting responsibly? Think about these things; they will help each one of us make good decisions for the Lord.
Let us pray. Say with me: "Heavenly Father, You are my guide. Help me to avoid any decision that would take me outside of Your will. In Jesus' name, amen."