Strength And Confidence - Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. - Psalm 119:105

Sometimes, in all our lives, we face a moment of indecision. “What should I do?” has been a question we’ve all asked ourselves at one point or another. Whether it is deciding if we should share bad news with someone or if we should tell them the truth, even though it may hurt them, we have all had to question ourselves prior to committing ourselves to action. And it should be a concern for us.

There are only two choices we can make: the right choice or the wrong choice. Some will suggest that a third choice is to do nothing, but that’s just faulty logic. To do nothing is a choice and most often the wrong one. Procrastination and indecision lead to soul crushing doubt, and doubt leads us nowhere. “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”- James 1:6-8.

As Christians, we are told succinctly how we are to make decisions- ‘with the fear and knowledge of the Lord.’ It’s not rocket science; it’s actually self-explanatory. We are to see every situation through the light of God’s Word. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” - Proverbs 3:5-6. We are instructed to take all our misgivings and reservations to God for an answer. We cannot remain frozen in time like the Tin Man because if we don’t make our own decisions, someone else will surely make them for us.

In many situations, something already made our decisions for us. To list such things is unneeded, since we’re all pretty familiar with the rules of government, society, and culture. However, we are daily faced with decisions that need weighing for their ethical propriety, decorum, morality, and most times for their Christian virtue. We must take it to the Lord. “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” - Proverbs 16:1-3.

Many of us seek advice from others in times of decision. And without a doubt, godly advice from a Christian brother or sister is always a blessing. But there are going to be times when we have no one to ask, times when fervent prayer is our only recourse. We should establish right now that prayer should be our first resort, not our last. “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” - Philippians 4:6.

God has given us a plan to follow when we have our doubts: the Ten Commandments. If the decisions we make cannot don’t come to us by seeing the question through the light of the Commandments, we’re going to wind up making the wrong decision. Seeking advice from anyone outside the parameters of God’s will inevitably steers us off the course He has set for us. Most often, men give advice with an expedience and pragmatic out-come in mind, rather than the will of God. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” - Psalm 118:8.

Simply deciding on a set course doesn’t make it the right choice. It just means that we have decided. We will still have to deal with the repercussions and consequences that come from making such decisions, but we can achieve strength and confidence in our decisions when we make those decisions as God has intended, not the government, society, or the culture. “And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’” - Acts 5:27-29.

Making Godly decisions provides strength and confidence for the Christian. The culture of man is fleeting at best and hellish at worst. Only God’s way is straight and narrow.