How to make wise decisions

Opening Questions:

which would you prefer Pepsi or Coke
which would you prefer the redskins or do you hate the redskins
which would you prefer hot coffee or a frappucino
which would you prefer watching football or watching something other than football
which would you prefer watching the OC or watching the Office

Thanks for participating in this little exercise. What was the point?

I did this to help illustrate that we make choices everyday. You choose either Pepsi or Coke. You choose either hot coffee or cold coffee. My question is, what is the right choice to make – what is the wise choice. Furthermore, how do you know how to make the right choice?

Today, we are going to look at making wise choices and how to make them. Some decisions you make are small in the grand scheme of life, and some are big. It would be great to find out how and what the wise decision is. So, let’s find out.

Scripture

Read Ephesians 5:15-17

1. We need to make the _____ out of every opportunity.
2. How are the “days” described?
3. We need to act how and try to understand what?

This passage says that we need to be wise in how we live, make the most out of every opportunity and act thoughtfully as we try to understand what God wants us to do. But why?

Let’s break this down quickly:
· If you had to choose between living wisely and living foolishly, which would you choose? Living wisely puts you in situations to succeed in life, not fail.
· Doing good in every opportunity. That makes sense – do you really want to do poorly or bad? Of course not. I can’t remember the last time I heard someone say, “I can’t wait to get drunk and drive later tonight”. Two poor decisions that no one wants to make.
· Lastly, act thoughtfully as we try to understand what God wants us to do. Why should we do that? Because God is the one with the ultimate plan for our life. He knows where we’ve been and where we are going. Because of that, He will be able to help guide us through the simple and the hard decisions.

But, how do we turn those decisions over to God? What should we do?

Read 1 Kings 3:5-14
1. When given the opportunity to ask for whatever he wanted, what did Solomon choose?
2. Why did he choose godly wisdom?
3. How did God respond?

How did Solomon turn decisions over to God so he could make the right decision? By asking God for godly wisdom.

He knew that he was in charge of a great kingdom and had a lot of responsibility. He knew that he couldn’t make these decisions by himself…he needed help. So, he turned to God.

In the same way, you are in charge of a great kingdom – Your kingdom. You also have a lot of responsibility. The decisions you make today will dramatically alter your life for either the good or the bad. So, why make these decisions by yourself? It is always good to have a 2nd opinion. Who better to ask than God?

Application

So, as I wrap up, know that everywhere you go, everything you do, you will have to make a decision. It may be a small decision like what food will you eat. Or, it may be a huge decision like where will you go to college or who shall you date.

The only way you will be able to make the right decision is if you turn it over to God. Big decisions, small decisions, it doesn’t matter turn it over to God.

You may think a simple invitation to a party isn’t something to pray about. But who knows, a party invitation turns into a drinking invitation turns into a driving invitation, turns into an accident, jail time or even a death. Same thing with dating. You don’t need to ask for God’s wisdom for dating someone do you? It’s just a simple date, right? Wrong, a simple date turns into a simple make out session, turns into a simple pregnancy.

You may be laughing at my progressions here, but if you don’t think that’s possible or a reality, think again. It happens all the time. Everyone always says, I never thought it would happen to me.

We need to be asking God for wisdom in all situations so it doesn’t have to happen to you.

So, personalizing this a bit – what decisions will you hand over to God for wisdom? What is a decision you will have to make either now or in the near future? Start asking God now and see how His wisdom helps you make the right decision.

Remember, there is no decision too small or too big to give over to God.

Pray