Decision Making

Find that courageous yes.  Fight for that confident no.

Decision making - Philippians 1:9-10 "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,  so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ"

Knowledge, Insight, and Discernment.  Ask these questions when faced with a difficult decision.

1 - Have you been reading and praying through God's Word lately?
2 - Have you been applying God's Word in your life lately?
3 - Have you sought godly counsel and insights from wise people who know specifics about your situation?

Wisdom

Wisdom makes decisions today that will still be good tomorrow.

Don't despise the daily stuff, the mundane every day things.  Wisdom is a lifestyle.

2 Samuel 20:16-22 ¹⁶ Then a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, ‘Come here, that I may speak to you.’” ¹⁷ And he came near her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” And he answered, “I am listening.” ¹⁸ Then she said, “They used to say in former times, ‘Let them but ask counsel at Abel,’ and so they settled a matter. ¹⁹ I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the heritage of the Lord?” ²⁰ Joab answered, “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy! ²¹ That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.” ²² Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom.

She was a wise woman so they listened to her, she had a lifestyle of wisdom and it spoke loudly to those around her.

Fear the Lord

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever." Psalm 111:10

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." Proverbs 9:10

Fearing God means looking for the hand of God in everything.



(in italics - The Best Yes by Lysa Terkheurst)

Seek Instruction Before Direction

It was as if God were whispering "Remember - pay attention - see what I want you to see."

Seek instruction before direction.

If we want His direction for our decisions, the great cravings of our souls must not only be the big moments of assignment.  They must also be the seemingly small instructions in the most ordinary of moments when God points His Spirit finger saying, go there.

How many times have I "self-talked" my way out of doing something god was prodding me to do?  What a sinful creature I am.  Lord, help me listen and help me be obedient!

Not every opportunity was meant to be my assignment.

Other people's requests dictate the decisions we make.  We become slaves to others' demands when we let our time become dictated by requests.  We will live reactive lives instead of proactive.

The decisions we make dictate the schedules we keep.  The schedules we keep determine the lives we live.  The lives we live determine how we spend our souls.  So, this isn't just about finding time.  This is about honoring God with the time we have.

Schedule time to work on our next big thing, our dream, what God has truly called us to.  Our Soul Thing!

Do a personal assessment of your time.  Find those precious few hours in your week to work on your soul thing!  How we spend our soul matters.




(in italics - The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst)

10 Things You Might Not Know About Me....or want to

1.  I cannot lie.  Ok, I'm not saying I haven't lied but it is really hard for me to lie intentionally...even if the truth might hurt your feelings, I just can't help it, I may tell you the truth and it may actually hurt.

2.  I'm not good at telling stories.  I try, and sometimes they kind of make sense but I need to leave that to someone who can make them sound better than they really are.

3.  I say random things.  This happens in two ways, either I'm thinking about something in my head and I say something outloud, it could be during a different conversation (usually with my hubby) but it doesn't make any sense to him.  And other times, I will be talking about something and insert something that isn't even relevant and then I wonder...did they think I meant something other than I intended?

4.  I say things that don't make sense.  See number 3.

5.  I enjoy cleaning.  Weird I know but I can't sit still at home for very long, if something has to be done I just gotta do it before I can feel like I can relax.

6.  I can flare my nostrils.  Nuff said.

7.  I think I'm funny.  Really, I do...even if I'm not, I think I'm a riot just try telling me I'm not...I won't believe you.

8.  I can be really serious.  Really... Seriously...  I can... It's usually around new people in a new environment, it takes me a while to warm up to some people.  I don't even know why.  Do you think I might be shy?  Hmmm...maybe.

9.  I'm kind of a loner.  I like being by myself (not all the time) but a lot of the time.  I'd rather go shopping by myself which some may think is weird but I never feel like I can really look at the stuff I want to or buy the stuff I want to if I'm with someone else.  I may buy a couple things but most of my good shopping is done by myself, much to James' dismay.

10.  I count things.  This may be the strangest one yet, but I do.  I count things over and over, I have a friend that reads things multiple times but I count things.  There might be 23 people in the room and I will count them...multiple times, maybe it's usually people...you know what? It is usually people!  Wait....go back to number 4.

Changes

My family has been going through some changes and it is quite an adjustment.  This summer the cabinet industry was pretty slow, really slow, we didn't have any income other than mine for two months.  We got behind and just tried to survive til things picked up, God is so faithful and I have always trusted Him to provide so I really wasn't too worried, I'm really not much of a worrier at all, James on the other hand...  James decided to look for another job and God sat one right down in his lap, it was really incredible.  As soon as he was hired, he sold two kitchens...how is this going to work?  James' sweet dad, James' dad works with him quite a bit, he doesn't want to sit around at home all day and he told James he would work at the shop while James went to work in Sedalia.  And so the whirlwind began.  James working 5 days a week and coming home in the evenings and Saturdays working in the cabinet shop.

I work at my church which is a 35 minute drive, James has the cabinet shop (at our home) but James' new job is in Sedalia, the same town I work in... a mediocre jaunt.  Of course, Cameron goes to Lincoln High School which is only a few minutes away from our home.  Everyone has their own vehicle, which makes our driveway look like a used car lot when everyone is home, but is good because we can all go where we need to be.  Our biggest issue is James' truck is a monster fuel sucker and it would cost a small fortune to drive that thing to Sedalia every day so we came up with a system to save on gas.  The catch is that on multiple days of the week I am getting up at 4:30 a.m. and arriving at work by 6:00 a.m., it's not every day but even two days in a row wears me out.  James works from 6:30 to 3:00 p.m. and I work from 8:30 to 5:00...hence the sleep deprived me; I go to work early, he stays around town late.  Some days I start working right away and other times I write blog posts or have extra Bible Study time, which really is nice...but I'm oh so tired.  Pray for me, I know this is a small sacrifice and we are fortunate to have extra income.  God is so good to us, I am constantly in awe of His love and care for lil ol me.

The Rush

Wisdom ~

"When we have a reverential attitude and look for the hand of God in everything, we start seeing things from the perspective of wisdom. This becomes our focus." - tby (The Best Yes)

1 Corinthians 1:24 "but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

Colossians 2:3 "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

"The rush makes us rebellious" - tby

"Don't miss your assignment." - tby

"Long for unbroken companionship with God." - tby

"The one who obeys God's instruction for today will develop a keen awareness of His direction for tomorrow." - tby

Isaiah 30:21 "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."

~ My rushing (busyness) causes me to miss my "Best Yes" moments or opportunities.  "Be Still" whispers to me often, it's God trying to get my attention, to stop and listen; it's hard to hear His voice above my own and the whirlwind of rushing.  The rush makes us rebellious; disobedient to God's leading and prompting.  Let's stop, be still, and listen for His "Best Yes" today.