Today , we're talking about how to make God-honoring decisions in life Within the faith . I would say this is probably one of the most common questions that leaders and pastors get how do I make good decisions ? When we think about it , life is full of making decisions . I mean , everything you do ultimately traces back to you having to exercise your discernment skills and then , finally , you know , decide whether to do something or not do something , or if you're going to do something or not do something , what specific things you do related to it , and so this is an important issue to discuss , because I think there's a lot of misunderstanding and , I would dare say , a lot of mysticism infused into decision making waiting for a feeling , waiting for a sign and things like that , rather than being a people who understand how God has designed us and that there is a way , biblically speaking , to make good decisions .
Speaker 2Yeah , I remember Vance Havner once saying that every decision we make it balances on a razor's edge , and not that you're going to fall off the cliff , but it heads you in the trajectory of maybe a direction where you should not take .
Speaker 2And this kind of goes hand in hand with our last podcast that we talked about , with discipleship and accountability and just being there for each other , because friends can look into your life and just say , hey , man , your trajectory is a little off . Remember when we had breakfast with R Kent Hughes ? Yeah , and he was asked the question you've written 22 commentaries , what has motivated you to do such a thing ? And he said well , I knew that with God I can open up God's word , I can sit on my hands , I could put my guard down because I knew God was not gonna lie to me , me . And I open up God's Word and I start early in the morning because I know the rest of the day I'm going to be lied to . And for me , the Word of God became my ultimate sanity in a very confused , photoshopped world .
Speaker 3The key is a surrendered will , total surrender to God . You're no longer on your own , you're brought with a price . We can come to God and say not your will , but mine be done . I've got my mind made up . I'm going to pray about this so I appease my conscience . I'm going to come to my Father and get His opinion , but I'm going to do my own thing . So it really comes back to what Mark was saying walking in the fear of the Lord .
Speaker 1Again , we're looking as these finite , fallen , broken people who are seeking to do the right thing . We're seeking to have something that's going to help us maximize decision-making in such a way that it comports with what's honoring to the Lord , and that's why having a vision in life I've shared years ago , I gathered my family in our living room and I unveiled for them the family vision statement to gladly and passionately glorify God in every thought , affection , word and deed , while constantly enjoying Him as our greatest pleasure and most precious treasure . Rachel myself , all five of our children have memorized that . It sits in a big plaque in the middle of our living room .
Speaker 1Because when you are living for God's glory , you're not going to be haphazard . When you're making decisions , you're not just going to be okay , well , I want to do this because I want it . It's like you're always filtering it through the grid . Does this glorify you , lord ? Does this make much of God ? Does this honor you and bring you pleasure ? Because , 2 Corinthians 5 , we're all going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and we're going to give account . And he says therefore , whether absent or present , we make it our aim to be well-pleasing to him , and that ties in with glorifying him .
Speaker 3I've told it before , but it's worth telling again because of what we're talking about . Remember that famous kid's story called Tootle , who they didn't even know about it it's famous .
Speaker 3Everybody knows about Tootle In the 1840s . No , no , no , no . This is a story , a kid's story , and it's really dumb , but it's good . There's little trains coming down a hill every day and looking across these fields and seeing all these little ponies and lambs leaping about and having a great time . And the train says to itself the train speaks at this time . I wish I could be free . I wish I could be free . I want to be like them . And so one day he comes down the track , he gets his speed up and he jumps the tracks into the field and all he gets is disaster , because he wasn't designed to leap around in a field . He was designed to find freedom within the confines of the tracks . Wow . And the lesson is that God created us to be yoked to him . Jesus said my yoke is easy and my burden is light , and that's where we find true freedom .
Speaker 3Listen to the Amplified Bible . I'll read it louder . Therefore , I urge you , brothers and sisters , by the mercies of God , to present your bodies , dedicating all of yourselves set apart , as a living sacrifice , holy and well-pleasing to God , which is your rational , logical , intelligent act of worship . So , when you realize that everything you have comes from God , every breath , your brain , your thoughts , your eyebrows , your eyelashes , your heartbeat , everything is from God , from him and to him and through him and all things . Then it's your reasonable service to love him with heart , mind , soul and strength .
Speaker 1Oh , that's so good , ray . I want us to probe a little bit the responsibility Oscar I'd love you to address this the responsibility of decision-making when we are in positions of authority , because our decisions don't just affect us . And I know that for us , I think , as fathers and as husbands , sometimes as leaders in different spheres , it's easy for us to forget that , you know , and we can sometimes become kind of lacking in charity as we think about how our decisions affect others , or we're haphazard in that we're not really seeking the Lord . And it's interesting because sometimes I think , when we think about decisions that we have to make , we're usually thinking , oh , the decisions that don't coincide with what our family wants , our wife , our children . But sometimes it could be the opposite . We may know we may have to make a decision that doesn't fit what they desire and that might cause tension . And how do we navigate that ?
Speaker 4Yeah , there's two different , I think , ends of that spectrum . There's , like the egalitarian father and husband that does not recognize that God ordained , calling on his life to guide and lead and disciple and protect his family . Well , and whether or not he realizes that he is in some way , shape or form leading the family , even if he's submitting to something else , right . But then there's the other end of the spectrum which is thinking that , because you're a leader , the other end of the spectrum which is thinking that because you're a leader , that you have some and this is where pride comes in that you have some way and form of making a choice outside the context of what God wants you to do . And I think one of the things that I encourage people all the time , especially men in marriage , is to recognize your wife is given to you as a helper . Think about that . That's not diminishing , that's not less than . That doesn't mean my choice is primary and if you don't agree with me , then it's me and you got to submit to that .
Speaker 4Think about what God calls himself to Abraham a helper . Abraham would never look at God and be like well , if you don't agree with me , just submit to me God . God was a helper to Abraham to understand God's will . So for husbands , your wife is a helper to help you understand the will of God , not for you to treat as a subordinate when you don't agree with her every single time . That doesn't mean you won't always agree and you have to blah , blah , blah . But obviously the point is is that God gives you your spouse to help you understand his will and his way .
Speaker 4And I think , to really apply this , I think about my life , like there's been moments where my wife and I will disagree about decision on schooling , about what house to buy , and she knows what to do In those moments . Often what she'll do , she'll be like all right , I trust your leadership , and that's always like the oh no , there's just like this oh man , where ? And it often humbles me to recognize and see something that I didn't see before . And so us as leaders whether you're a leader in the home , a leader in the workplace , a leader at school , as a leader , we're here to serve , serve people , but primarily serve God's will in our lives .
Speaker 2One with God will always be in the majority . So when we are in the midst of difficulty , when trial is all around us , it's a good place to be . Remember Vance Havner . You know , sometimes God puts us on our back so that we look up . Sometimes God calls you away from noisy sheep because they're just noisy , because there's just too much clamor going on . You know what was it ? I mean , it was only recorded that John the Baptist leaned on the breastplate of Jesus and heard the heartbeat of deity . Who else heard the heartbeat of deity besides John the Baptist ? Who knows , maybe the others did as well , maybe they were close , maybe they were intimate in that fashion .
Speaker 2But if you want to hear the shepherd's voice , you have to get away from the sheep . And the more you're away from the sheep and you seek the face of God , you're not going to worry about the face of other people . You're not going to worry about the applause or the plaudits or the promotion or the position of other people that are around you . So it is a good place to be when you are by yourself and you're recognizing that you'll never be by yourself because he's always with you . He goes before you and he's behind you and upholds you , and he guides you with his eye . We take refuge under the shadow of his wing , and he is our strength and our horn , our salvation , our buckler . Amen .
Speaker 1Thank you for tuning in to this week's highlights from the Living Waters podcast . Friends , we value your time , so we've created a bite-sized version of our podcast for listeners who want to get equipped . Without the jokes and fellowship . Be sure to check out the full episode every Thursday where we dive deeper into the topic . Until then , you can watch the full podcast episode available now on livingwaterstv .