V-alidating our Trust in God – Part 3

This newest series of messages on Internet Pastor is called “V-alidating our Trust in God”.

We are in this series called “V-alidating our trust in God” Last week we talked about the v-ision that God gives us for life. Today we are going to talk about how we take that v-ision and we v-enture out, we make a decision to go for it. But making decisions is often a difficult process for us. The Bible has a lot to say about decision making.

James 1:5-8 (NIV)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

God gave Moses the v-ision of leading the children of Israel out of 400 years of bondage and slavery to Egypt, but Moses had to decide to confront Pharaoh.

God gave Noah the v-ision of saving the world from the flood, but Noah had to make the decision to build the ark.

God gave Abraham the v-ision that He would be the start of a great nation, but Abraham had to decide to leave his home town.

We have to make a lot of decisions in our lives and since we have all made some bad decisions along the way, we need to look to the Bible for some answers on how to make good decisions.

How do you make wise decisions?

V-

E – Embrace God’s guidance

You need to get God’s perspective on whatever it is you need to make a decision about.

Proverbs 28:26 (TLB)
26 A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use God’s wisdom are safe.

You need to ask yourself, is this what God wants or what I want?

N – Need Knowledge

You need to gather as much information as you can. This is a lot easier today that it has ever been in history. You can just “Google” what you would like to know, and you have instant access to all sorts of information.

Proverbs 13:16 (NIV)
16 Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly.

You need to ask yourself, what do I need to know before I make this decision?

T – Talk to others

You need to talk to people who have had to make similar decisions. You need to talk to people who know you and might be able to shed some light on the difficulties you might face.

Proverbs 24:6 (TEV)
6 After all, you must make careful plans before you fight a battle, and the more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win.

One thing, however, don’t just talk to people who you know are only going to tell you what you want to hear. Talk to people who care about you enough to challenge you.

One of the problems we all face is that we care more about “looking” wise than “being” wise.

Ask yourself, who should I talk to about this decision?

U – Understand there is a cost

There is always a cost for every decision you make, even the smallest ones. Anytime you decide to give a minute of your life to anything, that is a minute of your life that you can’t get back. You only have a certain number of minutes. Each one is worth something.

Your decisions will cost you time, money, energy, reputation, etc.

Proverbs 20:25 (NIV)
25 It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.

You need to ask yourself, is it worth it?

R – Ready yourself for problems

There will always be problems that arise in every decision. Don’t be surprised by them. Get ready to deal with them as they arise. Ignoring them won’t make them go away.

Proverbs 22:3 (TLB)
3 A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

You need to ask yourself, what might go wrong and what might happen if it does?

You need to know that making a decision and solving a problem are two different things. If you try and solve all the problems before you make a decision, you will never make a decision. Just be ready with the knowledge that there will be problems that arise that will need to be solved.

E – Excuses have to stop

Sometimes we let fear stop us from making decisions about anything. What if it doesn’t work out? What if I fail? What if people laugh at me?

Moses said he couldn’t talk.
Abraham said he was too old.

What’s your excuse?

God has a v-ision, a purpose and plan for your life. Some of you are waiting for the perfect set of circumstances. When this happens and that happens then I will.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 (TLB)
4 If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.

Don’t let fear stop you from v-enturing out into the life that God has called you to.

What’s the antidote to fear? Faith.

Romans 8:31 (NIV)
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

You trust God and start to v-enture.

Come back often to see the latest sermons or bible studies on your Online Pastor site. We are blessed to be your Pastor Online!