How Do I Make Good Decisions? | Ways of the Wise, Pt. 4

How do we make decisions that are not just wise by the world’s standards, but aligned with God’s will? In Proverbs, we find a clear picture of biblical wisdom: trusting God, seeking His direction, and allowing His Word to guide our choices.

In this message, we explore what true wisdom looks like, how to seek God’s guidance in everyday decisions, and the lessons we can learn from Solomon’s life. Through Proverbs, Paul’s missionary journeys, and practical steps for seeking God’s direction, we discover that wisdom is not just about making the right choice—it’s about living in a way that brings glory to God.


This sermon was recorded at a Sunday morning gathering at Church of the Lookout in Longmont, Colorado.

Speaker — Mary Jean Powers

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SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to the Lookout Weekly Podcast. Church of the Lookout is in Holder, Colorado, and our vision is Jesus abiding in his presence, growing in his family, and living on his mission to transform the world with awe-inspiring love. Visit us online at the lookout.church.

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Alright, folks, today we have a special, special treat. We have a friend of this house here to bring the word Mary Jean Powers. Give it the She doesn't know this, but like I was first introduced to her like 10 years ago.

unknown 0:36

I don't know them.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

Yeah, you don't. And I was I was taken aback because people who carry the presence of the Lord sometimes can just rock you. And this woman is gonna take you to school today. So get ready. And before I wreck anything or it's all you.

SPEAKER_06 0:54

I think I need that.

SPEAKER_05 0:55

Thank you.

SPEAKER_06 0:56

Morning. Take you to school. I like that. Especially since I was a school teacher for about a hundred years. Really like that. Travis, where are you? You're already out, picking up your coffee or something. I think he hacked into my computer or something this week because he read my notes and he's he chose all the right songs and he's quoting, quoting what I've got here in front of me. So, way to go, Travis, keep hacking, I guess. So um, I love what he said. We want to surrender control. We want to. It's really hard. So Luke asked me to talk this morning about wise decision making, talking about uh from the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is one of my favorites. Um when my eldest son turned 13, I went to the Lord and said, Um, you were supposed to come before this happened, and you didn't. So what do I do? Because I am so not ready. And I sensed him saying, Yeah, nobody is. Nobody's ready. And so I went to a friend who had a teenage son, and I said, What the heck, what do I do with this? And she said, if there's only one thing you can do, keep your boy in Proverbs. So I did. And then I had the opportunity to teach ninth grade Bible at Longmont Christian School for about 10 years, and you know what we you know what we taught every year? We did the book of Proverbs for nine months every year. It was really fun. So when Luke said, Hey, got anything on Proverbs? Just a little bit. Got about 90 hours. So here we go, wise decision making in Proverbs. Uh, if you have your Bibles this morning, and I hope you do, um, turn to Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 and 6, even though a whole lot of you can quote it. Does it ring a bell? Anybody? Yeah? What is this? How does it start for those of you who know it? Trust, yeah. Let's say if you know it, I don't care what version you memorize it from. This is awkward and and clunky, but we can do it anyway. Let's just say it the way we memorized it, okay? Here we go. One, two, three.

SPEAKER_05 3:04

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. All your ways acknowledge him. He will direct your paths.

SPEAKER_06 3:14

Yeah. Okay, now let's read it together. Okay, this is from the ESV. One, two, three. 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 your whoop. And he will make straight your paths. I didn't memorize it like that. Okay, let's do the next one from Proverbs 15.22. And let's say the reference at the beginning. Okay, here we go. Proverbs 15.22. Without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisors, they succeed. Okay, let's do the next one all together. Proverbs 16, 9. You ready? Proverbs 16, 9. The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. I heard somebody interpret that one time. The heart of man plans his way and God laughs. Which is kind of how I feel a lot of the time. So, since you're in a series on Proverbs, I know that you know that a proverb is a short, wise saying, right? But that doesn't necessarily mean, because of the literature style, that it's gospel truth. For example, let's look back at that previous scripture, Proverbs 15, 22. Without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisors they succeed. Have you ever had too many advisors about something, and then your brain just went, right? That was kind of a cool noise, wasn't it? I don't remember ever doing that before into a microphone. So sometimes we can get too many. So we're gonna kind of pace through this today about how to make wise decisions. When do you need counsel? When don't you need counsel? Things like that. And so, this being a proverb, a wise saying, um, we got to be careful with uh here's one question that really helps to answer whether it's gospel truth or not. Has it always been true? Is it true now? Will it always be true in every situation for everybody on the planet at all times? And it's not always true, is it, that many advisors succeed. With many advisors, we will always have success. That's just not true. But sometimes, sometimes it is. So we need Holy Spirit, don't we, to guide us in those times. When is it appropriate? When it is, isn't it? So uh many scholars agree that Solomon wrote most of the book of Proverbs. In 1 Kings 4, we don't have a slide for this, I just want you to listen to the scripture, want you to hear the clear distinction between what is wisdom, what is understanding, and what is knowledge. Okay? Listen to the distinction between that. God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. Wow. In fact, his wisdom exceeded all the wise men of the East. He composed some 3,000 Proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. He could speak with authority about all kinds of plants. He could also speak about animals, birds, small creatures, and fish, and the kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon. And Solomon, the smartest, wisest man on the planet, made some really stupid decisions. How's that for encouraging? Before he died, King David, who was Solomon's dad, right, uh called him to himself, blessed him, and challenged him because he really wanted his son to succeed on the throne. Listen to his words. Again, you won't see this. I really want you to listen carefully this morning. Um listen to the words that King David spoke to his son Solomon. Observe the requirements of the Lord your God and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the law of Moses, so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go. In other words, son, make wise, godly decisions. Because all of Israel is dependent on your wise, godly decisions. So one day at the beginning of his reign, Solomon had this day of just extravagant worship. Incredible. That night, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and he said, I really liked what you did today. Thank you so much. What can I do for you? Ask whatever you want, it's yours. If the Lord, if the Lord asked, if he said that to you, what would you ask for? Seriously. Yeah, it takes some thought, huh? It didn't appear to take Solomon much thought because he said, I want wisdom, I want understanding, and I want to be able to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. And God's response, he said, I'm giving you a wise and understanding heart, such as no one has ever or ever will have.

unknown 8:37

Wow.

SPEAKER_06 8:39

Because of extravagant worship. So King Solomon, he did okay for a while. He made, well, let's say it this way, he made more wise decisions than foolish for a while. And then he began to defiantly disobey God's laws, regulations, commands, decrees, ways, and requirements. Solomon made alliances with nations that did not fear the Lord. Solomon intermarried with them, and he began to allow the worship of their gods in his country. And that was the beginning of the end, frankly. But as John Bevere once said, judgment delayed is not judgment denied. You know, it's not what we do occasionally that shapes our character, it's what we do routinely, rhythmically, consistently. And Solomon gradually disobeyed until it became routine. There's a warning. Eventually, God's sorrow over Solomon's dishonor and disobedience caught up with the king. Solomon's choices actually caused a civil war. And we all know that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Solomon's reign ended the 120-year time frame that we call the United Kingdom in Israel, when Israel was one country of one heart and intent, and began approximately 400 years of a divided kingdom, because he had a divided heart. Unite my heart to fear your holy name. Do you remember what James said in chapter one? A double-minded man is what? Unstable in what? All his ways. Well, that's kind of all inclusive. A double-minded man, in Greek that word double-minded means two-souled. It's like I've got a brain that goes with this kingdom and a brain that goes with that kingdom. Feelings that go with this kingdom and with that kingdom. Decisions that go with decisions that go with the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. And I'm unstable in all my ways because of it. Okay. So that's a little bit about the primary writer of Proverbs. Chloe, I don't know where you are, but could you come up? You may be think, oh, you're already here. You may be thinking that the maintenance guy forgot to put something away today, but that is not true. The ladder's actually there on purpose because Chloe's gonna climb it here for a second. Uh yeah, so maybe up three steps or so. Hold on, sweetheart. Please, no, sorry, I mean hold on to the ladder, not hold. Yeah. So obedient and cooperative that, Chloe. Okay, so here's we're gonna talk about how biblical wisdom is defined. If we don't know what wisdom is, how can we learn it? Right? That kind of makes sense. So in the book of Proverbs, there are six basic definitions for wisdom. If we summarize those six, it's this. I'm not gonna put it on the screen, I want you to repeat it after me. Wisdom is seeing life from God's point of view and making my decisions based on what he sees. Okay, I'm gonna say it one more time and then I want you to repeat it with me. Wisdom is seeing life from God's point of view and then making my decisions based on what he sees. Ready? One, two, three, go. Wisdom is seeing life from God's point of view and then making my decisions based on what he sees. So earlier this morning, I asked Chloe to help me with this, and I said, so you've we've all got this perspective, right? Our perspective is however tall we happen to be, frankly. I've I've always had kind of a low perspective. So then I said, Chloe, get up on the stage, get up on the ladder. How does your perspective of this room you've been in a gajillion times, what changes? How does your perspective change? And you need to really speak up so everybody can hear you, okay? Does that make sense? Everybody hear that? Thanks, Chloe. Careful, careful, careful. Okay, so you have a different perspective and you you see the central, she said, you see the central location where everybody's focused on, right? Okay. So if we wisdom is seeing our lives from God's point of view. Do you remember what Paul said? We are seated in heavenly places with Christ. You remember that? He said, we have the mind of Christ. So if we're seated in heavenly places with him, and we have the ability to have to have his thoughts drop into our heads. And we're seated with him, we have the capacity somehow in the spiritual realm to look down on our lives and go, oh, that's what's going on. I had no idea those people were also involved. Okay. Well, I need to wait till I go around the corner before I. It's a whole different experience, right? It's a whole different perspective. That's wisdom. Let's get God's wisdom on the thing. How many of you guys watch sports on TV? Or on some kind of screen? Okay. Do you ever find yourself yelling at the screen? Yeah? You know why that is? Because the guys who are on the field, they have a very limited perspective of everything that's going on in the field, right? All they see is 400 pounds of sweaty, messed, hairy flesh coming at them. And so they throw the ball. At which time you stand up and scream and you go, you idiot! What do you think of what? Because your perspective is different. You've got the perspective of a camera from up above that's looking down. And so you have a right then to scream at the guy because your perspective is different, right? But all he wants to do is get rid of the ball so he doesn't die that day. So that's perspective. That's a completely different perspective on the thing. Now, if we take this idea and reduce it to a formula, here's what the formula is: knowledge plus understanding, understanding being knowledge applied, equals wisdom. Let's take a look at that again. Knowledge. So the root word of knowledge is, not a trick question, no, to know. So there are two ways to know God. And he can be known, he makes himself known, we uh, and we have capacity to know him in both these ways, with our heads and with our hearts. So knowledge to know him, to know about him, reading the text of the word of God, and to know him intimately, eye to eye, face to face, heart to heart. We can know him both ways. Now, understanding is not the same. Understanding says I take what I know with my head, I take what I know with my heart, and I apply it to my life, and then through my life experience, I can say I understand. If I haven't experienced it, I can't say I understand. Right? If I haven't been there, done that, felt that, whatever, I can't say I understand. So we take what we know, we take what we know, we apply it to our lives with understanding, we take what we know of God, we take our life experience with God and our intimacy with God, and we apply it, we begin to understand his ways and his truth, and God says, that's wisdom. That's wisdom. So knowledge is part of wisdom, but it doesn't equal wisdom. Knowledge can be good, it can be even godly information, but that doesn't mean it transforms us. Just because we have the godly information doesn't mean we have the transformation that God intends to go with us. It cannot form us in us, this godliness with just having the information. We do need to know God both ways, head and heart. And he's made himself available to be known, which is incredible to me. Understanding, on the other hand, is knowledge applied. So have we got that? That said, wisdom can also be defined this way. And this is another one of the six biblical definitions of wisdom according to the book of Proverbs. Wisdom is comprehensive insight into the ways and the purposes of God. Comprehensive insight into the ways and the purposes of God. Can you say that with me? Wisdom is comprehensive insight into the ways and the purposes of God. Do you remember in Psalm 103, 7, it's a really interesting verse. It says, God made known his ways to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. They knew what he did, but Moses had the wisdom, wise Moses had the wisdom to know the way God did it, and even the why sometimes. And God offers that through to us through the word and by the Spirit. He offers that kind of wisdom to us. Comprehensive insight, the ability to see into the way God does stuff and the purpose for which he does it, not just what he does. Because that's just knowledge. It's not wisdom, it's just knowledge. So we need this in order to make wise decisions. When it comes to wise decision making, so we start with knowledge, facts, information. But we need to own this. We need to collect, you've got a wise decision, you've got a decision you want wisdom on. Lord, what do I do here? I need to make this decision. So first gather the facts, gather the information. Be reasonable, be logical about it, and don't over-spiritualize every decision, right? Don't please don't over-spiritualize every single decision. So, how do we do this? How do we set ourselves up for wise decision making? By submitting our lives to the Lord every day. Do you remember Ephesians 5.18 where it says be filled with the Spirit? Be filled with the Spirit. It's the Greek part is be filled and continue to be filled with the Spirit every day. Continue to be filled with the Spirit. So we set ourselves up by saying, Holy Spirit, I'm yours. Today, this day is yours, all my decisions, all my interactions, everything. I am going to follow you. I give you my life. Will you, Travis, take control? I want to want to give you control, but I'm kind of selfish with control too, and I keep trying to take it back. So work with me here, please. I want to trust you with this. So, what seems logical? What seems reasonable? What do we already know about the decision we're going to make? Get the facts out, write them down, do the logical, smart thing, do our part. And then we can look at this. How has the Holy Spirit led you in the past? Because did you know, because we see this through the Bible, God works in patterns with us sometimes. He works in ways that we can learn to recognize his voice. He doesn't do things completely differently every single time, so we always wonder if it's him. He works with us real, he's nice. He works with us regularly in patterns. How has God done this in the past? How has he led me in the past? But there are some real specific things we can do to determine whether this is God's voice leading us in decision making. Do we have peace? Things like that. Do we have peace about this? We're going to practice a little bit of this today. These are just the basic, the basics of all this. So then we also seek wise counsel in the Word of God. In the Word, where He often reveals His will about specific things. I heard it said, and don't misquote me on this and don't take it and run and squirrel away with it. I want to say it very carefully. But Holy Spirit is the only one who can take the Bible out of context. We can't, but sometimes we're reading along and it's talking about Israel doing whatever, and the Lord goes, and you. And he kind of takes it out of the Israel context and he puts it right into your living room. Yeah? You know what I'm talking about, those of you who are laughing right now, you know exactly what I'm talking about. So he often reveals his will about something. Really practical. We're having to make this decision. What do we do, Lord? And he uses his word to do this. So we ask the question: Does the decision I'm making align with the Word of God? And if it doesn't, you guys, it's foolishness. Does it align with who God is, what he says in his word consistently? We also seek wise counsel from the Spirit of God. And this is kind of where we get in trouble a little bit as charismatic sometimes. How does our decision align with the nature and character and word of God? If it doesn't, it's foolishness. And I'm going to pull back around to this again in a minute. So hold that thought. I want you to listen to this quote from Marshall Siegel. If we think we can dictate tomorrow through good planning, we may even be more foolish than those who refuse to plan at all. No one makes plans for God. And no one knows all that God has planned. That we do not know or control what tomorrow brings, though, does not mean we should not give some serious thought to tomorrow. It means, I love this, it means we make all our plans with open hands and heads bowed. And we pray that reality will far surpass our plans. How boring would it be if our lives played out according to our own plans all the time? Seriously, how boring would that be? So after confirming that our decision aligns with the Word of God, after confirming that and bringing the Holy Spirit into it, if additional input is needed and we're still kind of unsure, we seek the wisdom of proven, knowledgeable, and experienced people. They might not even be Jesus' followers. I say this very carefully. But they do need to be friends of righteousness. What do I mean by that? Moral, ethical, integrous, honest people who are very well experienced. They have wisdom too, because we're made in the image of God and he shares his wisdom with people who want it. So I've got this in bold print in my notes. Do not neglect the input of others who are wise. And sometimes we just kind of get on our high horse, don't we, and think it's all on us. Or it should be, or God expects us to be able to be wise enough to not need him, but that's just not his way. Just not his way. We need each other, you guys. So who do we seek out? We seek out those who have understanding of the facts. We seek out those who have been there and done that. We seek out those who can give us a non-biased view of our situation. We seek out people who will shoot straight and people who will not tiptoe around our feelings. No amens on that one. So people who know stuff, they are invaluable, and we need to seek them out. Wise counsel, it's a gift from God, and we'd be foolish to neglect it, wouldn't we? Here's another proverb for him. Oh, I think we already read this one. Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors, they succeed. After, after we have sought the Lord in his word, after we had invited the Holy Spirit into the situation, after after after we've followed the peace, after we've looked at the patterns with which the Holy Spirit has led us. So here's what I want you to do right now, if you're willing. Close your eyes. I want you to think about a decision that is pending in your life, a decision you're making, or if you're not making any kind of decision that comes to mind right now, I don't know. Put yourself in the mindset of when you do make decisions, when you are in the decision-making process. And I want you to picture yourself going through this process about the decision, okay? Picture yourself doing this, inviting Holy Spirit into your discernment process. Literally inviting him. Inviting Holy Spirit into the process of decision making. And then asking him all of your questions. And then actively, responsibly open his word, seek his will. And if you still have questions, go to wise people who can help you process and ask them all of your questions. And then, here's one we haven't talked about yet. Quiet yourself and listen. How is Holy Spirit leading? This process exposes any wrong motives we might have. It also opens our eyes and our hearts to possibilities we haven't thought of before. And it enlarges and refines our vision. Okay. So let's talk about this being still part for just a second. Being still, listening for God's voice in our hearts is extremely important. Ask Holy Spirit. I mean, this is a daily thing, right? Holy Spirit, make me more sensitive to your voice. Holy Spirit, give me ears to hear you. Holy Spirit, I I'm I'm begging you here for the gift of discernment. And then, and this is how I talk to myself, it's not necessarily how I talk to you guys, but would you just shut up? Now you've asked, just shut up and listen. Imagine yourself making the decision this way. When you see yourself there, do you have peace? And then go to the other side. Imagine yourself making the decision this way. When you see yourself there, do you have peace? Got to get real quiet to discern that. Colossians 3.15 summarizes this thought. Paul says, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body, you're called to peace. And don't forget to be thankful, he says. So let, allow the peace of Christ to rule. The word rule right there in Greek means it's like, call the shots. It's like be the umpire. You're safe or you're out of here. Do this or don't. Say this, don't spend that money, don't spend that money. Allowing Holy Spirit to be like an umpire in our lives. How? By peace, by following the peace. Do I have peace about it? Do I not have peace about it? He's a God of peace. But it's not the only way we discern, because we've got these other ways as well. Okay? Now, let's segue a little bit. I mean, I give you three practical do-nots for decision making. And here's where we circle back around to the Holy Spirit's activity in this process. Do not seek the Spirit's leading apart from the Word of God. The language of the Spirit is the Word of God. So if we say, I'm just going to be super spiritual and listen for the Holy Spirit and follow him, and I'm not going to read the word about this, I'm not going to seek the Lord in his word, that's just dumb. Yeah, because that's not the way he works. He's the one who is the revealer and the interpreter of the word as we speak. It's the Holy Spirit. When we just seek the Spirit without the word, my friends, that's called presumption, not faith. Number two, do not. Do not seek the Spirit's leading without gathering knowledge and seeking good counsel. Without gathering knowledge, that's intellectual laziness. That's your responsibility. Do your research, gather the information you need, get the facts as much as you possibly can. Why? Because God wants a partner in this. He doesn't just want to be our magic trick who's cranking out answers for us. He wants a partner. He wants you to do your part, and then he does for us what we can't do for ourselves. Number three, do not. Do not seek the Spirit's lead without giving him uninterrupted time and space to speak. Where it's just, God, I need to know whether to buy that house or not. And we go on our way. No. For me, I say, shut up and listen. Be still. Get quiet. Why? Because to just ask the question and not give him time and space to speak, that's dishonoring the relationship we have with our God. We wouldn't do that to each other, would we, Didi? I wouldn't ask you a deep, heartfelt question and turn around and walk off and say, well, Didi will catch up with me at some point and let me know what she thinks. No. No, that would dishonor her. That would dishonor our relationship. So if we want to make wise decisions, you guys, when it comes to quieting ourselves, giving him time and space to speak, listen to this statement. If we want to make wise decisions, we cannot be living faster than the Spirit is leading. That's a good line, huh? It's kind of a convicting line, too, huh? If we want to make wise decisions, we cannot be living faster than the Holy Spirit is leading. So we take time with the decision process. Flat out, there are no shortcuts in the kingdom of God. There just aren't any. So have you ever felt like, okay, God seems to be leading this way, so Lord, I'm gonna kind of take some steps and treat this like a green light, and then I beg. And if I'm still, if I've got this wrong, would you would you turn the light red soon, really soon, and be let it be really obvious? Because I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer here. So I'm gonna treat this like a green light, but come on, red light, if this is wrong, because I just don't want to screw this up. I really don't want to screw this up. So I want to give you um a biblical example of a time when Paul treated uh his reason, his logic, the word in him, the spirit, the spirit's engagement like a green light, and then Holy Spirit put some red lights in the way. Okay? I'm not gonna read the story, I'm gonna tell you a little bit about the story. Do you remember on Paul's second missionary journey? Um his second missionary journey was undertaken only because he had planted these churches and he wanted to go back and visit them and see how the people were doing. It was his idea. As far as we know in Scripture, God never said, Hey, Paul, I want you to take this second journey, I want you to do this. Paul thought, I just want, in fact, it gives us the dialogue. He says to one of his guys, hey, let's go see how these churches are doing. So it was something he had in his mind to do. So, what was the logical thing? They prepared, they got ready, they did all the practical stuff. But we know from Paul's life, all the way to through two-thirds of the New Testament that he wrote, we know that he lived a daily submitted life to the Lord. We know he kept in step with the Spirit. We know these things. This was routine for him, this was consistent for him. So, as the psalmist David said, he had his ear inclined, God's direction all the time. He had his ear inclined. He had this idea, let's go see the churches. Sounds like a good, godly thing to do. Here we go. And then they did the obvious thing. He said, Well, Ephesus is first, let's go there. And that's when God spoke and said, uh-uh, don't go to Ephesus. He said, Don't go there. But he didn't tell them where to go. And he didn't tell them what they uh what they should do. He didn't give me give them anything else but a red light. So they made plans to go to the next obvious place, to Bythynia. Red light, don't go there, but no direction. So they made plans to go to the next obvious place, Troas. After that, they ran out of out of obvious courses because red light, red light, red light. They're facing the Mediterranean, nowhere else to go. And at that point, by the way of a dream, God spoke, and he said, Go to Macedonia. Proverbs 19, 21 says, Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it's the Lord's purpose that prevails. Why? Because our lives are submitted, our ears are inclined, we're walking through that, we're pacing through the steps of the discernment process on any decision making. So the Holy Spirit's going to be faithful. Here's one thing that I think is so cool about just who God is. He wants us to know his will even more than we want to know it. Isn't that nice of him? It's just so good. He wants us to know. He's a communicator from Genesis 1-1. He is a communicator. He we can trust him in this, but we need to do our part as well. Okay. It is unusually quiet in here this morning. I is there a reason for that? Walt, am I okay? All right. Okay. So, all right. So to summarize, here we go. Bullet points. Look at your situation from God's point of view, right? Get up on the ladder with Chloe, look down on the thing. God, what do you see that I'm not seeing? Then seek wise counsel. If we need to. Don't always need to, do we? No. Weigh the possibilities, number three, weigh the possibilities against the word of God with the Spirit of God. Weigh the possibilities against the Word of God with keyword with the Spirit of God. And number four, check to see if you have peace in your heart. These are all really logical things, aren't they? It just makes sense. It's kingdom living. So when we've done what's possible, we leave the outcome to our sovereign Lord who is able to do the impossible. We've done everything we can do. We leave the results to Him. What is that line in this quote I read earlier? We make all our plans with open hands and heads bowed. Lord, I'm going to hold this loosely. I'm acknowledging you in all my ways. I don't trust my own understanding. It's limited. I'm not on the ladder with you all the time. I'm missing stuff. But oh, in the fear of the Lord. In the fear of the Lord. And it's not just because I don't want to be a screw up or I don't want to mess up this decision. There's way more to it than that. There's way more to it than get it right. So much of this is about the process of learning to be discerning people in the spirit. So much of this is about the inner transformation that has as we do things, that works, as we do things God's way. And then there's even more than that, what we're going to talk about in a second. So we are learning to trust God's unfailing love. We're learning to also trust His sovereignty. Proverbs 16, 9 says, in their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes the steps. Not long ago, I had a major, major decision two months ago to make. Man, I did the steps. I did the steps. And I did them well, you know, all my homework, and sought the Lord in the work, asking the questions, not just because I didn't want to get it right, or because I wanted to get it right, but there really was a lot at stake financially for me. Really major decision. So taking a walk around the lake one day, and I said, Lord, it's down, we're down to the wire here. I've got to make the decision today. And frankly, I don't feel like I've like I know that I know. You know, when it's major, you want to know that you know and you're knower, right? You want to know, no. You don't want to go, well, it kind of feels right. You don't want to do that, especially with money. And well, especially with anything, okay? So I'm walking around the lake, got about halfway around, and suddenly, it was one of those. Suddenly, God shows shows, I had this thought that I hadn't had before. And it was a thought from the perspective from up there, it was a thought of from Father's heart. And father showed me his heart. What good dad doesn't want their kids to have good stuff? You know? What in the world? He's so good. And I had this peace. You probably know what I'm talking about. This peace that came over me, like, oh, oh, oh. Kind of like this. Made the decision to go ahead with this financial decision and and did the follow-up steps, had total peace for two days. You you're laughing because you've been there, huh? Woke up in the morning and my gut is just going, something's not right here. And that it didn't take a half a trip around the lake. I'm talking two full laps around the lake, going, what is going on? Do you remember how I said earlier, Holy Spirit's the only one who can take anything out of context in the Bible? So he said, Remember that verse, everything's permissible, but not everything's beneficial. And it was kind of like I sensed him saying, I know this is out of context. And I know you're a Bible teacher, so just get over that for a second, because I want to. But he took the principle. He said, My father's heart is that you would what good dad wouldn't want the greatest for every one of their kids, of course. So could you make it happen? Yeah. But sweetheart, it's not going to benefit you. It's not going to be beneficial. It might be good, but it's not best. Are you willing to lay down the good things for the best things? It could work. You could make it happen. I'd I'd give you permission. Because I like you that much. I'd give you permission, but it may not be in your best interests. In fact, it won't be. I said, yes, sir. And the peace, boom, and it's never left. It was a major decision, but man, it was agonizing too, you know? But it's worth it because I learned, I learned, I learned trust, I learned to think with him, I learned to walk with him in a way that I never had before. So good. Okay, so I do my part. Holy Spirit does his part, he reveals the Father's heart. And then in the process, and this is like the cherry on top, he changes us on the inside. I can't change my own heart. I can change my behavior, but I can't change my heart. He does that. Do you remember that verse Paul said? Um, work out your salvation with fear and trembling in the fear of the Lord. And it's we who work it out. It's him who works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure, to will and to do, to make his decisions. He works in us as we work it out, partnership. Always. Always. We do our part, he does his part. What that's a it's a what a God that he would partner with us this way. Okay, but the process isn't over yet. Because this is one of those late night, but wait, there's more. Because the goal is not just to get Holy Spirit's direction. My limited brain thinks it is. Like I just need to know what to do here. Okay? But that's not the goal. The end goal is not to discern God's will. Or even obey it. The end goal is not even to make the right decision. It's not my obedience, it's not even the transformation. The end goal is not even my transformation. There's more. What is God's ultimate goal in the decision-making process? Why do we want to know God's will? Why do we even obey? Why do we want to make the right decision? Why do we crave the transformational work of the Spirit in our lives? Here's the answer. For the glory of God. And if we will take it that one step, that last step further, our decision becomes so refined, our motives become so pure. That's really why, for the glory, and I do not say that flippantly or because it's a cliche or anything like that. It's so that all we have accomplished, you have done for us, the psalmist says. Sorry, Isaiah said. The word glory in the Bible has two primary thoughts. One is to shine. The word glory means we're always going to shine on something. It's like a spotlight, okay? Here's the second thought of the word glory. The definition is God's glory is his manifest presence. His manifest, displaying, shown, visible, alive, right in front of me, tangible presence shown through this process. And that's what we're after. So let's look at the spotlight thing just for a second. We shine a spotlight on him as we seek him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. That's what we're doing, right? That is the process. What do you want? What are you saying? Show me your ways, teach me your truth. I want an undivided heart to fear you, to love you so much, to be so incredibly in love with you that I will do anything you say, sir. That's the fear of the Lord. Okay. So I shine a spotlight when I seek him that way. Holy Spirit shines a spotlight on the Father in Jesus when he reveals the Father's will, because the Holy Spirit is the personal presence of God on earth today and in us, the indwelling spirit. So he is shining a spotlight on the Father in Jesus when he says, here's what Father wants. He's the divine communicator right now. That's cool. We shine a spotlight on the Holy Spirit when we discern, and but it's the gift of discernment is his, so we give him the credit, right? He's sharing it with us. And then when we obey, he gives us the courage to obey, he gives us the strength to obey, he gives us the strategy to obey, and all we have to do is kind of dumb our way walking through the steps, then, which is very cool. But we're shining a spotlight on Holy Spirit when we obey Father's will. And then Father, I like this, Father shines a spotlight on himself when he transforms our lives. Because he really is that God. And he really is that good. He's saying, I am who I say I am. So I'm going to turn that spotlight on me so you can see me full face. I'm going to manifest my presence in you, through you, for you, because I really like you. God gets the glory for our decision-making process, and that's the point. That's the end game. That's the goal, the glory of God. Lord, purify my heart, huh? Purify my heart so that I want that. God gets the glory when we seek him, when we find him, when we obey him, when we when he changes us to trust him more and more and more so we don't lean on our own understanding, but we acknowledge him in all of our ways. Our trust in God's good heart gives him glory. And in the process, I become a person of wisdom. That's kind of a win-win, don't you think? Yeah. So here's the process. Let's look at that last slide, kind of a summary of the last few minutes. Knowledge and information that we collect and we do our part sets us up for a revelation of the Spirit. Where he says, this is the way, walk in it. Our part now is obedience, but he helps. And then he transforms us, he changes us for his own glory. For his own glory. That's the decision-making process. So let's pray. Lord, would you teach me how to go the way you are going? Will you teach me how to walk with you and in you? Because you're the truth. And the truth always sets us free. Lord, would you unite our hearts so we live one life, not a fragmented life, not a divided heart, by loving and obeying what you desire? Lord, would you give us one heart, one purpose, yours, one single-minded way to live loved by you and for you. Will you teach us to see what you see and thank you for giving us a place on the ladder, seated with Christ in heavenly places? Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. What a God you are. So teach us, Lord, send us like an arrow, aim directly at the decision you want us to make. Join our minds to yours so we learn how to think what you think. Join our will to yours so we have the courage to choose and trust your will. Join our emotions to yours so that we feel what you feel, and yet never make a decision based upon our feelings alone. Because we love you, Lord, we give you our hearts. Join our hearts to yours. I don't trust myself. I don't trust my own understanding, but I trust you. I don't know what's best for me, but you do. So I trust you. Surrender to your will. Father, we confess to you today that we fear being left to ourselves. So we choose rather to fear you. To honor you with our trust. Your position as God is worthy of our honor. Your character is worthy of our trust. And your authority is worthy of our obedience. So, Lord, thank you for caring about our decisions. We don't want to just be right, get it right. We want to be aware of how you have clothed us in a robe of righteousness. And that's all about relationship with you. We don't want to miss the end game, and that's your glory. So the decision-making process becomes for us, Lord, a choice to humble ourselves. So in all the decisions that are being made through the people in this room today, we invite you in, Holy Spirit. We invite you into the discernment process. We invite you into being the interpreter and revealer of the Word of God. We invite you into our relationships we have with wise, godly people. We invite you into it all. Because you're God and we're not. But my goodness, how you care for us. Thank you for your care in Jesus' name.

SPEAKER_03 52:24

Amen.

SPEAKER_04 52:33

Before we hurry out of here, I just want to invite us to take a second and just get a little bit quiet before the Lord. I think it's easy for a lot of us to realize when someone's talking about living faster than the Holy Spirit is leading, or is talking about trying to move in our own decision-making capacity without inviting the Holy Spirit into it, or without choosing to take the time to get into the word and be present with what he's already said. I think it's easiest for us to go, oh yeah, I've seen that happen. And then because we do tend to live fast, we move right along. So I just want to take a second and we'll just hold some space and invite the Holy Spirit to reveal our hearts to ourselves. Lord, where is it that you're addressing something in me today? Is there one of the steps that I've been missing or I've been rushing past or that I've been neglecting in some way? And what do you want to say to me about it? Have I just stopped trusting you somewhere? And if so, why? Have I believed that you actually don't want to talk to me? Which is actually a judgment against your love and your character. What is it that's going on under the surface for you this morning? I just want to not rush out of here, but just take the second to ask the question of the Holy Spirit. To give the time that Mary Jean mentioned. And there will probably be a need for some follow-up time through the week, too. But I just don't want to rush out. So we'll just hold some space here. For being so generous, so kind, so patient. Lord, as we go through this week, would you continue to just tap on our shoulder and say, hey, let's step aside for a minute and have a moment to talk about things. And Lord, give us the courage and the willingness and the faith, the trust to give you the space to slow down, to be attentive, to sit with your word and let it read us as we read it. Hold us here, Lord. And as we go through this week, Lord, I pray that you just protect that space in this word. Have your way, Lord.

unknown 58:13

Thank you, God.

SPEAKER_04 58:15

In Jesus' name. Amen. Can we say thank you again to Mary Jean? Awesome. Well, thank you guys so much. We're so glad to see you as always. I just bless you as you go this morning. Have an amazing afternoon. Stay cool in the heat of the summer. And enjoy each other. Make sure you say hello and hug a neck as you're walking out the door. All right, bless you guys. We love you. Also, hey, prayer team. Uh, if you wouldn't mind just stepping outside the room, if you do have a prayer request for this morning, uh, feel free to step over. We'll have some prayer team members with the purple badges or blue badges along the side of the room. And they're um totally available to pray with you over anything that may be coming up today or experience uh situations you may be experiencing in life that you could use a little support in. So feel free to grab somebody to pray for you. All right, blessings, guys.