Part II: How to Face Tough Decisions

Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III, D.Min.

Synopsis of September 19, 2018

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)  says 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall [a]direct your paths.

Life is full of decisions. It is important however, to understand how to use them. The decisions we make have a bearing on how our life plays out.

When things are complicated, we find ourselves in a place of indecision, leading to something unhealthy.

The wrong decision can be fatal. As you reflect over the decisions you have made over your life, many would agree that there are some decisions you made, that you wish you could get back.

Often when we come to this place, where we lean to people for advice. The sad thing is, the people we often go to are people that can’t handle their own situation.

I.        Introduction

1. Scripture Reference: James 1:5 (NKJV) says 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
2. When you are at a crossroad, what should you do? James 1:5 says when facing tough decisions, you don’t have to do it on your own. Just ask God about it.
3. Here are 10 things that you will have to work through in your life eventually. Grade yourself letters A – F based on how well you think you did on each one.
4. Tough Life Decisions:
   Choosing a Life Partner
   2. Choosing to Buy a Home
   3. Choosing to Have Children
   4. Choosing a Career Path
   5. Choosing Where to Live
   6. Choosing to Leave a Relationship
   7. Choosing to Reconnect with a Loved One
   8. Choosing When to Retire
   9. Choosing Long-term Care for a Family Member
   10.Choosing to Discontinue End of Life Support for a Relative
5. In these circumstances, you will have to be guided by wisdom. This is why it is important to stay focused.

II.        Maintain Your Focus

A. If it’s not addressed to you, don’t give attention to it

1. Conserve your energy to make decisions for yourself. At some point, you have to learn to mind your own business. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NKJV) says 11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.- This is the process of making tough decisions. The toughest decision you will ever have to make is cutting others off, so that you can deal with your own stuff.
2. The bible says anyone born of a woman is but a few days of trouble. Why then would we add more trouble on ourselves, by adding other people’s problems into our lives?

B. The right mindset will lead to the right moves

1. You got to take over you mind and not let your mind take over your life.
2. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV) 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,- Casting down images is referring to the images that the enemy puts into your mind.
3. The enemy will plant images into your mind that will contradict what God has told you to do. Those images will make you doubt what God told you.
   1. Images will cause you to have bad thoughts. Images in your head will have you seeing your own funeral. God says cast those thoughts down!
4. To have right frame of mind.
5. Methods to help keep the right frame of mind:
   1. Only allow the best information to rest in your thoughts. Colossians 3:2 (NKJV) says 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.- Only allow the stuff to do with your destiny inside your space.
   2. Shape your mind with vision and goals. Think about what your life goals are. Make decisions based off of your goals. Some people get in on everything, serve on every board, and get involved with every project, simply because they don’t know how to say no. These type of people take on too much stuff.
   3. Your decisions has to line up with your destiny. Your decisions must line up with your assignment. The day Lazarus was raised from the dead, there were others dead inside the grave. Jesus went to the cemetery and only called Lazarus’ name. It would have been a good thing to raise all the people up from the dead, but Lazarus was part of Jesus’ assignment.
      1. Romans 12:2 NKJV) says 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
   4. Protect your mind from erroneous thoughts and opinions. Some people think everything they read on Facebook is true. There is a big difference between the truth and a lie. The truth has legs, but a lie has wings. Therefore, lies have nothing to stand on. Often we make decisions based off of lies and then afterwards we realize that we should have waited.– Romans 8:5-8 (NKJV) 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be [a]carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the [b]carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
   5. Strengthen your mind with positive thoughts. Philippians 4:8 (NKJV) 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.– We are so bad about bringing other peoples issues into our situation.
      1. You don’t need negative people’s stuff within your situation.

III.        Manage Your Feelings

A. Don’t allow the process of decision making cause you to become unstable

• “Crying is all right in its way while it lasts. But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide what to do.” ― C.S. Lewis –You can’t cry forever. Emotional drama and hard decisions together can trip you up.

1. Too many options can sometimes be overwhelming. When you make a decision, you got to stick to it and be confident that it is right. James 1:6 (NKJV) says 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.– Ex- This is a metaphor. You want a 2019 7 series BMW, fully loaded. You go to the dealership and you are ready to purchase this dream vehicle. The salesman says that they are all on backorder and informs you that it will take a couple of months to receive this car in, but he lets you know that he has a 2018 5 series BMW that you could take right now.
2. You decide to take the 2018 5 series instead of waiting on the 2019 7 series BMW, because you did not want to wait. Somewhere around Dec, you see someone pass by you with the new 7 series BMW and you begin to think that you wished you would have waited. It bothers you so bad, you try to diminish the quality of the 7 series just to make you feel better about the 5 series that you shouldn’t have got.

B. You must learn to face complicated problems with confidence in the Problem Solver

1. God has already fixed it. Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.-, Ephesians 5:8 (NKJV) 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

IV.        Move Your Life Forward

A. There is too much at stake for you to be stuck

“Truly successful decision-making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking.” ― Malcolm Gladwell

1. You are one step away from your next level in life. Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV) 12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,- One thing that causes us not to move forward is our being weighed down by other people.
2. In order to move on, you got to move ahead with intentionality. To be fearful of making a wrong decision causes you not to make a decision at all. For example, for everyone that did not vote, know that you did vote. Your failure to make a decision caused a decision to be made anyway.

B. Once you are headed in the right direction, there is no reason to look back

1. When you go forward, you got to be willing to following God and not worry about looking back. Why are you looking back checking on how the hell you left behind is doing? Proverbs 4:25 (NKJV) says 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.
2. Lot’s wife looked back when they were leaving Sodom and Gomorrah and turned in to salt. Genesis 19:26 NKJV) says 26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.- You are an individual that has to make a decision apart from your group.
3. There is no need to look in the rear view mirror, when the light is green. You focus ought to be on what’s ahead of you. Every decision has to be a decision of intentionality. Isaiah 43:18-19 (NKJV) says 18 “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.

V.        Conclusion

1. All Bishop Walker knew about Nashville when he first come here was Hee Haw, but God made a way in the wilderness. When you make the right decision, you are where you go, and you are position where you are supposed be, then God will take care of you.
2. He didn’t have any money and he didn’t have any furniture, but people from the church took care of him. He was given many things, even a couch. God provided for him. Who would have known that he would end up being the Pastor of church here?
3. Everything has to be done with intentionality. Every day you wake up, there are choices. You can’t control them. There are decisions of what you can and there are consequences from the decisions that you make.
4. The enemy wants to get into your choices and decisions to change the view while minimizing the circumstances. Adam and Eve allowed one decision to cost them the whole garden and his caused sin to enter the world.
5. Think about our choices. Ask God for wisdom when making choices. Know that one decision can affect your whole life.