5 Biblical Steps for Making Sound Decisions

Well, good afternoon once again, and happy Sabbath, everyone with us today. Decisions, decisions. Life is just full of decisions. Have you ever realized how true that statement is? Do you ever realize how many decisions that we make each and every day your life and my life are confronted with a lot of decisions, each and every single day? Making sound-wise decisions is one of the most important activities we do because it provides a greater chance of having a fulfilling life when our decisions are consistently and basically sound. The truth is that decisions, long-term, however decisions either make us or they break us. That's true of life. People who live fully abundant lives are people who have consistently learned to make sound daily decisions over a long period of time. And the cumulative effect of just those simple, sound, daily decisions result in a very productive and a very fulfilled life. I'd like to talk about decision-making today. If you'll turn with me to 1 Samuel 31, beginning in verse 1, I'd like to look at an event in Scripture to see sometimes that the decisions that we make can result in either life or death.

I have a close friend of mine in the ministry who has a nephew who, just a few weeks ago, was driving an automobile with teens and they were having a good time. They weren't bad kids. They were having a good time. And his nephew was driving the car. And they decided to pass someone on a road they should not have passed. They started passing the car, lost control of the car. The car worked off the road. It hit a tree. And one of his close friends who was in the back seat was thrown 70 feet from the car and obviously died, the one who didn't have his seat belt on. So you see, brethren, sometimes simple decisions can result in life or death. Decisions are what our lives are made of.

Let's take a look at this particular scripture and event. 1st angle, chapter 31, beginning in verse 1, it says, Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. This is the final scene of Saul, who had been king of Israel for many years, and he goes out to fight against the Philistines. The Philistines, he already had been living on borrowed time for quite a while. God had rejected him as king long ago. Let's see what events happened here in verse 2. Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Mokishua, Saul's sons. The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor bearer, Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me. He says, I don't want them to torture me, to abuse me. I'm the king of Israel. They'll do everything they can to humiliate Israel by my death. He says, But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid, he would not kill God's anointed king.

After all, he had been made king by God, and he just would not do that. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it, so he killed himself with his sword. And when his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him. So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men died together that same day. So this gives us a little background into the event that we're going to look at in a minute.

Saul had been rejected by God years earlier as a leader. He was living on borrowed time. And finally, the time comes when Saul is going to be removed from the scene. And obviously, someone else sees this event and tries to take advantage of it. Here's where a decision is made. A young Amalekite sees this event and, either as an eyewitness, or runs over after the event and decides to take Saul's crown and his bracelet and to try to take advantage of the situation for his benefit. That's a decision that he made. Let's go now to 2 Samuel chapter 1 and verse 1 and pick up the story here. And see how a wrong decision can cost someone their life.

Now, it came to pass after the death of Saul when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites. It's interesting that this is mentioned in here because we're going to see what nationality this young man is in a minute. And let's just say that it doesn't work on his behalf. And David had stayed two days in the ziklag, and on the third day, behold, it happened that a man came from Saul's camp and his clothes torn and ducked on his head. So he faines, he pretends, like he's mourning. So it was when he came to David that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. And David said to him, where have you come from? So he said, the Amalekites escaped from the camp of Israel. Then David said to him, how did the matter go? Please tell me. He answered, the people have fled from the battle. Many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan, his son, are dead also. So David said to the young man who was with him, how do you know that Saul and Jonathan, his son, are dead? Exactly. How do you know this? Then the young man who told him said, as I happened by chance to be on Mount Bilboa, there was Saul leaning on his spear, kind of resting on his spear, and indeed the chariots and the horsemen followed hard after him. Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me, and I answered, I said, here I am. And he said to me, who are you? And I answered, I am an Amalekite. He should have not revealed this. He said, I am an Amalekite. And he said to me again, please stand over me and kill me, for the anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me. Now obviously this is a story that this young man made up. We read in 1 Samuel what really happened. This young man is making a decision. He's concocting a lie, a story, that he thinks is going to benefit him.

He thinks he's going to get him praise and honor and maybe a reward, that he'll receive good things because what he's about to save. So let's continue in his lie. So I stood over him and killed him because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm and I brought them here to you, David, my Lord.

Big smile on his face. I'm sure he's expecting big things to happen as a result of this news. Verse 11, therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel because they had fallen by the sword. So we know what really happened in 1 Samuel. But here we see a young man, an opportunist, who sees a way to take advantage of a situation that he fell into in an attempt to receive praise and perhaps a reward from David. The Amalekite concocts his story to make himself appear as a hero who kills David's enemy, Saul. And he even brings the royal symbols of kingship to David. The crown, the bracelet, and says, here they are, they're yours. These are the royal symbols of a king and I'm giving them to you. But in spite of this, something else happens. 2 Samuel 1, verse 13. Then David said to the young man who told him, he said, where are you from? There's one thing that David picked up on that story, and that is that he said he was an Amalekite. Remember, back in verse 1, he had just returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites. They were not Israelites. They were enemies of Israel. So he says, where are you from? And he answered, I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite. So David said to him, how was it that you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord's anointing? How is it that a pagan like you would dare to lift your hand against a man whom originally God had made king over the people of Israel? Verse 19. Then David called one of the young men and said, go near and execute him. And he struck him so that he died. Verse 16. And David said to him, your blood is on your own head. For from your own mouth has testified against you, saying, I have killed the Lord's anointed. Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan, his son. Well, this is an example of where making a selfish, bad decision can literally cost you your life.

And particularly for your young people here today, I hope you realize and I want you to understand that these kind of decisions cause people their lives every day. It happens when a drunk driver decides to get on the road and drive a car. People die every day because of a decision made by a drunk driver. It happens when people have promiscuous sex and either end up with AIDS or end up with children that they don't want brought into the world. It happens every day when people share drug needles and acquire different viruses and diseases. It happens when people don't wear seatbelts. There are many, what we might call, simple decisions that only take 30 seconds.

That can literally change and affect our entire lives. I'd like you to just briefly mention a few decisions that we make that can have serious consequences. As we grow to adults, we can acquire bad habits. And bad habits can hold us back. They can harm us. For example, smoking is just a vile, bad habit. First of all, it's expensive.

And it also becomes an addiction. It becomes an addiction because of the drugs that are in smoking. It can cause lung cancer. If you don't get lung cancer, my mother died of COPD, and that is a very terrible way to die when you cannot breathe, when you're fighting for your very next breath constantly. So that is why we need to make every effort to eliminate the bad habits in our lives, because long term, they hurt us. And they hurt the ones that we love. Drugs, taken over a period of time, we can become addicted to.

I don't mean just illicit drugs. I mean prescribed drugs by a doctor, painkillers and other things that a doctor prescribes. If we take too long, if we take the wrong doses, they can become an addiction. We can become a slave to that addiction. That is the decision. Gambling is another bad habit and can lead to an addiction. And for many gamblers, it usually leads to poverty. Sex outside of marriage results in emotional scars. It results in feeling like you were used. It results in unwanted pregnancies. And what is an unwanted pregnancy?

It's a 20-year investment in that child that's born. That's what an unwanted pregnancy is. You know, I probably should not reveal this, but my parents were separated for a period of time before they attempted to reconcile and I was born. I was kind of an unwanted pregnancy.

Doesn't bother me one bit. I really personally don't care how I got here. But the point is that an unwanted pregnancy is a 20-year major investment in a human life. Are you ready for that? Illicit premarital sex can result in numerous diseases, some of them that are not curable. Getting an education. We live in a world today that when you graduate from high school, you need either vocational school training, you need to go through an apprenticeship program, or you need to go to college because that is what our society is structured around.

If you want to have earning potential, if you want to have a good income, you've got to get a good education. Choosing a career. We have young people here today. Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions that you will ever make in your life. Okay, do I want to be a doctor or a hairdresser? Well, both are a decision. I might encourage you to look at the average salary of a doctor compared to a hairdresser before you decide. Because the career that you decide has a cap.

It has an income max. It kind of has a lid on top of it. So, as I like to tell young people, before you decide what you want as a career, it certainly isn't all about money. It should be about what you're passionate about and what you want to do. But as a consideration of that decision, you need to understand what your potential is in that career.

Call about marriage. Is that an important decision? Choosing the right spouse is very important because a poor decision, marrying the wrong person, can lead to unwanted children. It can lead to divorce, emotional hurts, financial loss, daily misery. It can result in a lot of problems. Child-rearing. If a mom and a dad have different values on right and wrong in child-rearing, that can cause contentions in a family. People that are different religious faiths within a relationship, that can cause problems.

I think we're aware of that. How about financial decisions? Two months ago, Sports Illustrated found that after two years of retirement, 78% of NFL players are bankrupt or under financial stress. Now, the minimum base salary in the NFL for the year 2012, the minimum for a rookie, is $390,000. So if you just pay for four years and leave, at minimum salary you have made about $1.5 million. That's more than the average American will make in a lifetime. Yet, in spite of that, after two years of retirement, 78% of NFL players are bankrupt or under financial stress. My point is that financial decisions are important. Making a bad decision in any of these examples could leave permanent scars in your life and damage your opportunity to do a lot of things.

But we don't have to make bad decisions. We don't have to live that way. Rather, we can make sound decisions. We can increase our chances for a positive and productive lifestyle if we begin to understand that there are some keys to decision-making. And for the sermon today, I would like to discuss five steps to sound decision-making. Five steps to sound decision-making. They're all biblical.

They all obviously are examples and given to us through the Word of God. Turn with me with Matthew 26 and verse 26. The first point is, stop! Consider the consequences. Take the time to think things through. Matthew 26, verse 36.

We are going to see here a contrast between two men who both have difficult decisions to make. Christ has a difficult decision to make. He stops. He ponders. He considers the consequences. He stops. He takes the time to consider the consequences. The other does not stop. The other is impetuous. The other is emotional. Matthew 26, verse 36. Jesus Christ, brethren, has a difficult decision to make. He knows prophecy. He knows why he came to this earth. He knows the reason he was born, and that is to die as the perfect Lamb of God for all of mankind. The consequences of his decision of going through with this are nothing less than torture, humiliation, and rejection. Will he stop to consider the consequences, or will he look for a way out? Will he maturity face this difficult situation, or is he going to be like so many people I've known? Will he keep putting the decision off until the last possible second, hoping it'll go away? See, when we put a decision off, when we have time and we put a decision off until the last possible second, we don't give ourselves any wiggle room. What we do is we present ourselves with a great chance to make the wrong decision because we didn't think things through. Verse 38, then he said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me. He went a little further and he fell on his face and he prayed, saying, O Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.

He says, I would prefer not to do this. This is going to be tough. And if there's any other way, Father, if there's a loophole, if there's some other way that this can be done, please help me to understand it. But, he says, the bottom line is that your will be done.

Verse 40, he came to the disciples and he found them asleep and he said to Peter, What could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray lest you enter to temptation. Now, it's interesting, because we're going to see in a few verses, that Peter does enter into a temptation. But because he didn't watch and pray, because he fell asleep, he's not ready for the temptation. He's not prepared.

He says, The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Jesus knew what he had to do, but he also had the human instinct of self-preservation and survival that we all have.

Verse 42, again, a second time, he went away and prayed, saying, Oh, my father, if this cup cannot pass away from me, unless I drink it, your will be done.

And he came and he found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away again and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Now, we've been talking about numbers in the Bible. What does the number three represent? Anyone remember? Finality? Remember? That's what the number three, the biblical number, represents finality. He prayed three times, and then he came and understood exactly what he needed to do. The decision would be clear.

Verse 45, then he came to his disciples and said to them, Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. Seem I betray her. Is at hand.

So what does Jesus do here? He does. What we discussed in point number one, he stops.

God offs the merry-go-round of the world. He stops. Three times. That takes time. Three times he considers the consequences. He prays about it. He thinks through the end result of the decision that he has to make, or if there are other options, the end results of those decisions.

He has a difficult decision to make. He faces those because he knows that it is very difficult. So what would he do?

Well, he knew that the final conclusion was there was no other way for mankind to be reconciled to the Father, and he has to face death, torture, humiliation, and he has to face it alone. No one there is going to help him.

That's a tough decision for someone to make. Christ saw through his decision, and after praying about it three times, he was now prepared. He was ready to make a very tough decision.

In truth, brethren, in reality, most of the serious and important decisions we make do not require an instant response. It's actually very rare that we are put in a situation where we have to make a quick, spontaneous result to a decision, a spontaneous, rapid decision. In the majority of situations, we have the time. The problem is we usually don't have the self-discipline or the patience to stop and think things through and systematically to look at the consequences, to look at the pros and the cons, and if I do this, this could result.

And if I make this decision, this is going to happen. We usually lack the patience, we lack the maturity to stop and think things through.

And if that weren't bad enough, too many people who have plenty of time to make a decision put off the decision. They just push it out of their minds until the last possible moment.

And the odds of making a wrong decision vary high when you put everything off to the last possible minute.

Now let's continue here in verse 47 and look at a stark contrast to the kind of person that our Lord was.

He says, Immediately, He went up to Jesus and said, I want you to notice verse 51. The decision is being made.

And suddenly, But Jesus said to him, For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot pray to my Father, and He will provide me with more than ten legions of angels?

How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must happen thus?

John's account says the name of the servant was Malpius and that Peter was the actual disciple who did this.

Jesus healed the servant's ear. What do we see here when a decision needed to be made? Peter was an emotional person who suffered from very dysfunctional thinking because he didn't stop to think things through.

He did not consider the consequences.

My friend's maturity means that the head rules over the heart.

When your heart rules over your head, you will stumble in one ignorant, destructive decision after another throughout your life.

The head has to rule over the heart.

And the head is what helps us to look at the consequences of the decisions that we make.

He didn't stop to think things through. Here are some things he might have thought of before he suddenly pulled out his sword and lopped off the ear of the high priest's servant.

He might have said to himself, well, let's see. Jesus is truly the Son of God. Maybe I should let him handle this.

That's not beyond the realm of possibility. I have seen this man literally supersede nature. I've seen him perform miracles and do incredible things and supersede the laws of the universe.

If he's the Son of God, maybe he can handle this and doesn't need my intervention.

But you see, he didn't think things through.

Jesus told them, he said there in verse 53, he said, you don't understand it. This has to be. He said, all I have to do is ask the Father and legions of angels will appear and there will immediately be the collapse of the Roman Empire.

Human history could change forever with just one prayer to my Father.

The great armies of Rome, the great empire itself, would collapse instantaneously with one prayer that I could make, Jesus Christ says. But if I did that, then I could not reconcile mankind to God by allowing myself to die.

Something else Peter could have said to him, he could have said, let's see.

Cutting off the ear of the high priest's servant may not be a wise thing to do.

First of all, he knows the high priest. Secondly, the high priest is kind of close to the Roman officials.

Doing violence against the high priest's servant could either cost me prison time in a Roman jail or could very well result in my crucifixion because of an act of violence against a man who has very powerful connections in our society. But he didn't think it through. He just had a knee-jerk emotional reaction. He did not stop to consider the consequences or take the time to think things through.

And that's why, brethren, in the majority, the overwhelming majority of the decisions that we make in life, we do have the time. We need to get the facts. The more valid information we have, the better the chance of making a good decision. Ask yourself, what has this decision done to other people's lives?

The beautiful thing about studying history is that it's all happened before. There is truly nothing new under the sun. It has all happened before.

Every human being has experienced every experience it could possibly have. It's all happened before. And if we take the time to look at those examples, we can learn things.

Look for palpable biblical examples or characters who may have confronted a similar decision. And there are a lot of them.

And the word of God, who faced everything from temptation to adultery to theft to virtually every temptation and sin and problem that we could face, others faced before us.

A few years ago, there was kind of a fad that went through our culture in which people would wear bracelets. They had things and it said, what would Jesus do? It just said, WWJD.

And it said, what would Jesus do? And the idea of it was, before you made a serious decision, you would ask yourself a simple question. What would Jesus do about this situation? About this opinion? About this action that I'm about to take?

So again, point number one, stop! Consider the consequences. Take the time to think things through.

Number two, seek wisdom and sound professional counsel. Seek wisdom and sound professional counsel.

Turn to 2 Samuel chapter 16 and verse 20. I'm going to give you a little background.

Absalom is the son of David and he rebels against his father. He has a palace coup. His father has to leave the palace quickly. Absalom is proclaimed king by his supporters.

And two of David's advisors will appear to Absalom and appear to support the uprising. The two counselors are a man named Ahithophel and Hushiai.

Ahithophel truly supports young Absalom and he wants to give him good advice. Hushiai is a spy. He's actually loyal to David and he was sent back to Absalom to give him bum advice to mess up the revolution.

So let's go ahead and pick up the story now in 2 Samuel 16 and verse 20. The revolution is still very young. It's still happening.

Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, give counsel as to what we should do. And Ahithophel said to Absalom, go to your father's concubine, so for his lower wives, lower in status.

Because David took all the valuable wives with him, Bathsheba and his other major wives went with him when he fled the palace.

Go to your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.

Verse 22 says, they pitched a tent for Absalom on top of the house, and Absalom went to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.

So what did he basically do? At this point, the rebellion is fragile because David left the city, but he's regrouping outside of the city.

And what this young man does is he goes and has miracle relations with the concubines that belonged to David. This isn't about sexual gratification. This is about power and dominance.

This is a symbol that says, I now own David's wives and property. I am dominant. I have the power to do this. I am the new king. So this is all about power.

So again it says, Absalom went to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. Now the advice of a Hittite field which he gave in those days was as if one had inquired at the oracles of God.

This man was so wise, so smart, so brilliant, such a good advisor, such a good counselor. It's like he went literally to God to get advice. That's how good a Hittite field was.

So was all the advice of a Hittite field to both David and with Absalom. So at this point, again, the rebellion is fragile.

He feels very wise and he's an excellent counselor and he should be listened to. Let's now go to chapter 17, verse 1. Moreover, a Hittite field said to Absalom, Now let me choose 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight.

And I will come upon him where he is weary and weak and make him afraid, and all the people who are with him will flee, and I will strike only the king, and I will bring back all the people to you when all return except the man whom you seek.

All the people will be at peace and the same pleased Absalom and the elders of Israel. So here's the advice that a Hittite field offers. It's actually very sound and reasoned advice. He says, let's move immediately and crush David now. He's confused. He's vulnerable. He doesn't know who's friend from enemy.

And let's not kill anyone else aside from David. We come from a clannish culture. And what happens in clannish cultures? Clannish cultures are very vengeful. They hold grudges, and they never forget when one of their loved ones was done wrong. So let's not make more enemies and go out and hack down a bunch of his followers and make all of their brothers and fathers and family hate us. Let's only go after David and not make more enemies than we need to make.

Verse 5, then Absalom said, now call Hushia the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say. And when Hushia came to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying, a Hittite fell has spoken in this manner, repeating what we just read, shall we do as he says, if not speak up.

So Hushia, I said to Absalom, and you know this advice is the exact opposite of what should be done. It is the road to failure. It is a poor strategy. So Hushia, I said to Absalom, the advice of Hishifil is not good at this time.

Four, said Hushia, you know your father is a man that there are mighty men, and they are engaged in their minds like a bearer robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is a man of war and will not camp with the people.

Well, it just so happens he was camping with the people. I mean, if someone's out to seek you, wouldn't you kind of be in the center of all of your protectors? Wouldn't you kind of like a wall around you of all your supporters? Verse 9, surely by now he is hidden in some pit or some other place, and it will be when some of them are overthrown at the first that whoever hears it will say there is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom. And even he who is vigilant, whose heart is like the lion, will melt completely.

For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men. He says, therefore, here's my advice. I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you from Dan to this could take weeks.

He says, rather than striking immediately like a hit the fill mentioned, take your time. Go from one end of the kingdom to the other. Ask for volunteers. Muster an army and give David all kinds of time in the world to regroup and prepare to defeat you. He says, like to stand that is by the sea for the multitude and that you go into battle in person.

That also contradicts what I have to feel said. So we will come upon him in someplace where he may be found and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground and with him and all the men who are with him there shall not be left so much as one. He says, kill everybody. Make lots of enemies, lots of family members who hate you. Verse 13, Moreover, if he has withdrawn into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city and will pull it into the river until there is not one small stone found there.

So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, the advice of Hushia, the Arkite, is better than the advice of a hit the fill that the Lord has purposed. So the Lord had purposed to defeat the good advice of a hit the fill to the intent that the Lord might bring disaster on Absalom. So what happened here, brethren? What happened here? What happened here is Absalom did not rely on the advice of the man who was so wise, it's as if one inquired at the oracle of God.

You see, he didn't go to a sound professional counselor and seek wisdom. He went and followed the advice of someone else. He had rebelled against his father David in a palace coup. He wanted advice from both a hit the fill and Hushia, the Arkite. And even though a hit the fill had a proven record of wise sound counsel, a proven record, he chose to listen to someone else. If Scriptures don't give any accolades about Hushia's wisdom, does it?

Doesn't say what came out of his mouth is if kind of if you went to God? Does it? He followed the wrong advice and this poor counsel cost him his life that the Fidelity failed. The point here, brethren, is when we face a serious decision, get wise and sound advice from others who have a reputation or a track record of measured thinking.

People who are professionals and good at those areas of expertise. I don't want to offend you, but when I have difficult decisions, I usually don't go to a friend because a friend, in most cases, does not have the particular wisdom in either a financial issue or some other issue that I'm struggling with. A friend usually has their own agenda and they usually might be a friend and it's great to fellowship and socialize with them, but that doesn't mean they know anything about financing or law or health. Or many other difficult decisions that we make.

Go to a professional. When I say professional, I don't mean someone that necessarily has a degree after their name. I mean someone who has a track record, a proven reputation of understanding the kind of issue that you are struggling with.

And of course, it's good to see counsel from a diverse cross-section of knowledgeable people. As it says in Proverbs 24, and in a multitude of counselors, there is safety. But make sure those counselors don't have their own agenda, that they just don't want you to be happy, that they don't want to tell you what they want to tell you, or they don't want to tell you what they think you want to hear, that they're going to be professional enough to tell you when you're wrong and tell you when you're on the wrong track, when you're thinking and your reasoning is not clear.

I always encourage people when they have a difficult decision to make to talk to the ministry when you have a tough decision or you're at the crossroads. But remember that as ministers, we have our limitations. We are primarily spiritual and what I call practical counselors. We are not doctors. And unless we have a medical degree, we have no reason to give medical advice. We are not informed to do that. We are not lawyers. We are not business consultants. Ministers are not financial planners. Ministers are not psychologists. Now, frankly, I've known a few fellow ministers who needed to see a psychologist, but we are not psychologists. We are spiritual mentors to be able to discuss biblical issues and do some general counseling and point you in the right direction if we're humble enough to realize that we are over our head with a complex problem. So ask professional people you know. And not only people you think will agree with you or have an agenda, what just pulled you along with them, some people who have demonstrated knowledge on a subject are the people that you should go to. But of course, remember that experience doesn't equal wisdom. I've known people that have experienced the same problems for 30 years, but they have to keep repeating them because they haven't learned anything. So experience is different than wisdom. It doesn't equal wisdom. So again, that was point number two. Point number two, we seek wisdom and sound professional counsel. Here's number three. Remember, when your values are clear, decision-making is far easier. When your values are clear, decision-making is far easier. Remember Genesis chapter 39 and verse 1. Let's turn there together. Genesis 39 and verse 1.

The story of Joseph, after he had been betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery, the Ishmaelites, he may have had his weaknesses, but one thing about him is his values were very clear. Genesis chapter 39 and verse 1. Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt in Potiphar. An officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard in Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites and taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man, and he was in the house of his master in the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand, so Joseph found favor in his sight and served him. He made him overseer of his house. He was the whole general manager of Potiphar's entire household. Everything. And all that he had he put under his authority. Verse 5. So it was, from the time that he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake. And the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. He turned everything over to Joseph. All he expected were that his meals would be provided. He had no idea how much money he had. He had no idea of the organization of the household. What's going on? All he knew is that his three square meals a day were being provided.

And it's key here, of course, is that God often blesses those who respond to him and accept to their calling, even those who are related to people who obey God, who are friends of people who believe God a believer can be blessed because there's a ripple effect that occurs by being associated with one of God's children. Verse 7, I run the finances, I hire and fire, I manage this entire household. There's only one thing that is not mine. He says, and that's you, ma'am, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? So it was as she spoke to David day by day that he did not heed to her to lie with her or to be with her. He even began to avoid being in a situation with her.

The point is that this was a young man whose values were clear. And when your values are clear, decision-making is far easier. He will simply not commit adultery.

This is hundreds of years before the Ten Commandments were given to Moses on Mount Sinai. God's law has eternally existed, and Joseph knew that adultery would be a sin against God's law.

It's obvious that Joseph's values were very clear and firm in his life. Have you ever seen a movie Superman? Lois Lane asked Superman, Superman, she says, what do you stand for? And he replied, I stand for... This is when you turn on the wind machine. Someone could, please. It would be nice if there's an American flag flying in the background.

He says, I stand for truth, justice, and the American way. Now, I know that sounds corny, but until you define and understand what your values truly are, it's difficult to make sound, good, logical decisions.

This is why so many of our politicians talk out of both sides of their mouth. Oh, I'm speaking at the NAACP? I'll say this. I'm speaking to Liberty University? Oh, I'll talk out of the other side and tell them what they want to hear. Because they have no value system, their message, who they are, can flex to be whatever it needs to be, depending on who their audience is. That's why our country is in such a mess, because we don't have any real leaders who have a value system. So how can you and I develop a value system? Let's go to 2 Timothy 3 and verse 14.

Here is a great way to develop the right value system. 2 Timothy 3 and 14. Paul's advice to the young evangelist, Timothy. 2 Timothy 3 and 14. Paul says to the young evangelist, He says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction. And here's the key for instruction in righteousness. You want to learn how to have the right value system. You want to learn the method in which you can make sound, mature decisions, learn to be instructed in what is right. Instruction in righteousness. That is why we read our Bible every day. It says that the man of God may be complete, not fragmented, not making this decision today, flip-flopping over tomorrow, depending on the situation or the audience, having different values or standards. No, it says that the man of God may be complete, whole, balanced, thoroughly equipped for every good work. So daily Bible study makes one wise beyond their years. That's why we should do it. It helps us to become balanced, complete. It gives us instruction as to what God reveals, is right or wrong. And that's what our value system should be tied into. You see, Joseph's value system was tied into what God said is right and wrong. And God's law is eternal. Hundreds of years before Moses wrote on the 10th Amendment the direction of God, thou shalt not commit adultery, Joseph knew that it was a sin against God because he had the right values. To establish and to maintain the right values in life, we need to study our blackness. So again, point number three, remember when your values are clear, decision-making is far easier. Number four, ask God for wisdom in prayer, meditation, or fasting. Ask God for wisdom in prayer, meditation, or fasting. James 1 and 2. Where do most people go wrong with this? Many sincere, godly people go wrong in this. They come to a conclusion and then they go through the pretense of prayer and meditation and fasting to arrive at a conclusion that they already had before they started. You see, if you want God to give you wisdom, you have to have an open heart. You have to fast with an open heart and mind and not have predetermined the decision that you're going to make because some friends influenced you or because something else happened that slanted your view of an important or difficult decision. James 1 and 2. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience, but let patience, not a knee-jerk decision, patience have its perfect work.

It may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Brethren, patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit and it protects us, it guards us from making spontaneous knee-jerk decisions that hurt yourselves or hurt others.

Have you ever been into a doctor's office? I have. And he takes out that little hammer that's a triangle and he hits your knee and uncontrollably, involuntarily your knee kicks. It's a knee-jerk.

And sadly, there are too many people in this world every day who make knee-jerk decisions because their hearts rule their heads instead of their heads ruling their hearts.

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.

But let him ask in faith. Faith means that you went there and made the request with an open heart and an open mind. You didn't go there with your decision made up.

And now I'm going to go through the motions of prayer and Bible study and fasting to come to the conclusion that I decided before I started that the common problem within people in the Church of God.

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. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, for he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. So James is saying that we must ask for wisdom again from God with an open heart and an open mind. We can't go to God with our minds made up. Then why go through the pretense if your mind is already made up?

We can't ignore God when he gives us an answer that we don't want to hear. We must believe in God's providence with confidence and believe that he has our best interest in mind, even if he gives us an answer that we don't like or don't want to hear.

Brethren, God is our silent partner. He's just waiting to be asked to help. We have to humbly expect God to help, but he won't make the decision for you. We have to make the tough choices that's part of becoming and growing as a child of God.

Our loving Father wants us to learn, to make sound decisions, and being merciful, he oftentimes will even protect us from some of the stupid decisions that we make because he's so compassionate and merciful.

But it all starts when we're humble enough to ask for his guidance.

Okay, number five. Last point. Combine facts and faith to make the decision. Combine facts. That's why we went to a counselor. Remember why we think things through, why we're reasoned, why we go to wise counselors.

And faith is prayer, is study, and meditation. All the things that we need. Combine facts and faith to make the decision, meaning, make it. Don't try to pretend it away. Don't wait until the last possible second and hope that some miracle occurs and you can avoid making the decision.

Make the decision. Let's go to Esther, chapter four and verse five. I'll give you a little background here. Queen Esther is an example of someone who combined facts and faith to make a right decision. She was Jewish and she became Queen of Persia.

She was secretly Jewish, I might say. She became Queen of Persia when the king became unhappy with his first wife because she didn't obey him. A man named Haman, who was the Prime Minister at that time, hated the Jews and especially hated her uncle Mordecai.

Haman conspired to have all the Jews in the kingdom killed and he was going to have Mordecai hanged. The law of the perse means in Persian said that you cannot change the law.

So, as they said in the Ten Commandments, so let it be written, that's my best fuel-brinner, so let it be done.

So, they made a law and they said on a certain date, on a certain date it is Jewish hunting season and anyone in our kingdom who wants to knock off a Jew or two or a dozen can do it. It's free!

That was the law that was passed. That's a problem because the Jewish people could be annihilated.

Let's pick it up here in chapter 4 verse 5. Deneister called Hathrak, one of King's eunuchs, whom he appointed to attend her and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai. This Hathrak is going to be an intermediary to learn what and why this was. What's going on? What is it that the law was... what is it that the Jews are going to be killed? So, it says Hathrak went out to Mordecai in the city square and was in front of the King's gate and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him and the sum of money that Haman, again he was the prime minister who hated the Jews, had promised to pay into the King's treasuries to destroy the Jews.

He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, a major city in the kingdom, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and that he might command her to go to the King to make supplication to him and to plead before him for her people.

So, Hathrak said and told Esther the words of Mordecai. So, he clues her in on all that's going on. Verse 10, and Esther spoke to him and gave him a command for Mordecai. She said, here's the problem. Here's the issue.

All the King's servants and the people of the King's providence know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the King, who has not been called, summoned, he has put but one law, put to death. So, if you go to the King and you were not requested, you were not summoned by the King, there is one law in the kingdom and that is death. She said, except the one whom the King holds out the golden scepter that he may live. And I said, well, that's an easy choice. Wait a minute. His first wife didn't obey him. His first wife ended up...

Well, I won't tell you where she ended up, but it wasn't pretty.

It takes a lot of audacity after what happened to the first wife for her to go in and demonstrate an act of disobedience because she was not summoned by the King and expect him to give her a break and to touch and allow her to touch his scepter.

She says, yet I myself have not been called to go to the King these 30 days. He's obviously not known around the palace as Mr. Romance.

But she says, if that isn't bad enough, I don't know if he likes me or not. He hasn't even called me into his presence for 30 days. I don't really know where I stand with this guy.

This is a tough decision.

So they told Mordecai Esther's words, and Mordecai told them to answer Esther, quote, Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the King's palace any more than all the other Jews.

For if you remain completely silent at this time, and that could be a decision that she might have made, if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews.

From another place, meaning God. God is not mentioned in the entire book of Esther.

But it's strongly implied here that Esther, if you don't do what you need to do, if you don't make the tough decision, somehow from another place, God is going to provide a deliver for his people.

But you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.

He said, you know what? Your whole lifetime, Esther, everything that you've ever experienced, your whole lifetime was simply to prepare you to make this one decision.

For this reason you were born. For this reason you grew up as a Jewish girl. For this reason, you surpassed the beauty of all the other women in the kingdom and became the King's wife. For this cause you were born. Verse 15, then Esther told him to reply to Mordecai, Go gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan and fast for me. Neither eat nor drink for three days. What is she doing? She's taking the time. She's stopping. She's taking the time to think it through. Isn't she?

She's seeking wise advice. Mordecai's been telling her that this is her divine destiny. She's using her faith. She's talking about fasting and realizing that her and her people need to get close to God.

Neither eat nor drink for three days, day or night. My maids and I will fast likewise, and so I will go to the King, which is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him. Esther was wrestling with a tough decision, wasn't she? She could remain quiet, not do anything, and probably or possibly be protected as queen. But if she did that, tens of thousands of Jews would have died. Or she could do what she did and take the personal risk to her life and speak to the king, step out on faith, and approach the king, unsummoned, and find a way to spare her people. And that's exactly what she did. She went to the king. The king accepted her. And through her, God worked out a series of events to spare the Jewish people. They couldn't take away the first law, so they made a new law. And the new law said that on this same day, Jewish people could gather together, like little mini-armies around the kingdom, and take out their swords and weapons, and they had the right to hack down any Persian who attempted to hurt them. So they were able to counterbalance the first law that had meant the annihilation of the Jewish people. She made the tough decision. I'd like to make a few comments about decision-making as we conclude the sermon today.

Many people make poor decisions because they look at every decision as something that's black and white. The whole lives are black and white. They look at everything. Green grape, purple grape. Well, one of these has to be wrong, and one of them's right.

We laugh, but I know far too many people whose whole words are immersed in a dysfunction in which they must define everything as black or white. In reality, when it's not a moral judgment, which is black and white sin, not sin, when it's not a moral judgment, there are usually a number of right or wrong decisions that can be made on a matter.

After you've followed the first four steps that we talked about today, then make the decision. And then, in most instances in life, you can work hard to make it the right decision. Even if it isn't the best decision immediately, persistence can make a mediocre decision the right decision.

I know a couple that I've known for many years who were married and probably made a mistake. I think he would admit that he made a mistake. Married the wrong person. But you know what? They both realized that early on, and they worked very hard to strengthen their marriage, and they grew to the point that they loved one another.

One of them is deceased now, but they drew and grew a tremendous love and respect, and they had a great marriage. Started out mediocre. Maybe it wasn't the best choice, but their persistence and commitment made it the right decision. And rather, a lot of things in life that are not moral decisions, and frankly, most of our decisions are not moral. Should I not buy stock? Should I buy stock in Apple, or should I buy stock in IBM? None of those are moral decisions. You can not buy stock. You can buy stock in one of them. You can buy stock in both of them. It really doesn't matter. Now, there may be better choices to make than any of those options that I mentioned. But the point is that when you look at the world through a prism of black and white, everything's good or bad, evil or righteous.

Right or wrong? You'll look at life through a very distorted prism. When it comes to morality, there's certainly, as of black and white, there is a right and wrong, but most of our decisions are not moral. So please make the decision. Generalizing how it once said that a wrong decision is better than indecision.

And he meant it in the context, not about relationships or morality. He meant it in the context that there comes a time when, please, would you choose and make the choice? I don't know if you've ever heard this true story. That's interesting that Niagara Falls was brought up in the sermonette. This is a true story. There were two friends floating on a raft in the Niagara River.

They're floating on the raft and they get an argument. Well, I think the falls are about two miles away. No, I think the falls are about four. No, two miles. Four. Two.

And the point is that isn't it better to decide for ourselves than allow fate or circumstances to decide for us?

If you don't make the decision, time and chance will make the decision for you. And, brethren, you probably won't like the consequences of the decision that fate makes on your behalf. So please decide. One final scripture. Deuteronomy chapter 30 and verse 19.

Life is decisions. Life is all about making choices. When we make the right choices, blessings happen, life can be sweet, life can be good.

When we make the wrong choices and when we habitually make poor choice after poor choice after poor choice, life can be a living hell. It can be miserable. It can sap our will to even want to live.

Deuteronomy chapter 30 and verse 19.

As Moses encouraged Israel, I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, make a decision.

Choose life that both you and your descendants may live, and that you may love the Lord your God, and that you may obey his voice, and that you may cling to him. Make that choice.

For he is your life and the length of your days, and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give to them.

So, brethren, let's understand that the Word of God is so powerful, there's so much in here. And one of the things that it offers us is a method and ability to make the right kind of decisions, wise choices, so that we can truly live an abundant life and grow as the children of God.

Have a wonderful Sabbath day!