The Lord says:
"Many of My people are entering a time of decisions, decisions, decisions. Many are in such junctures and crossroads. In a time like this, I will teach My people to make important decisions according to My revelation. I will teach My people to discern and differentiate what is of Me and what is not of Me."
Decisions, decisions, decisions! How to make the right decisions in your life? This is what we are going to tackle today. You see, in every season of our lives, we need to make decisions. Big decisions. Small decisions. And some decisions are so crucial, this would either lead us to greater things or cause us to stagnate in life. This is that time!
To begin with, let's look at Paul and his team at Troas. They were at the crossroads in their ministry. Acts 16:6-10 (NKJV) says, 'Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.'
At that juncture of Paul's missionary journey, the Holy Spirit did not permit Paul and his team when they tried to go to certain places or certain direction. As he was wondering what to do next, the Lord gave him a vision. Obedient as Paul was, he heeded this vision and they proceeded to go to Macedonia. It turned out to be a good decision, and many more people heard and received the Gospel of Jesus Christ during that journey.
And then, Acts 18:9-11 (NKJV) says, 'Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city." And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.'
As Paul continued his missionary journey and was in the city of Corinth, the Lord spoke to him in a vision once again. This time, the Lord encouraged him to keep speaking and teaching the Word of God and not to be afraid, even in the face of opposition and resistance. Heeding these words from the Lord, Paul continued there a year and six months, teaching the Word of God among them.
From the two examples here, you can see that Paul was a man who had learned to make decisions based on revelations and instructions of the Lord. No wonder in 2 Corinthians 12:1, he wrote, 'It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.'
Paul went on to complete all that the Lord had called him to do while on earth, and the Lord also used him to write about half of the entire New Testament!
But you may say, "This is regarding ministry." But no! It can also apply in every aspect of your life. In your career path. In your business path. Or in any area of your life.
What was it in Paul that we can learn from today? You see, everybody wants to make the right decisions in life. But what can we learn from Paul today? I believe the answer can be found in Proverbs 22:4 that says, 'By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.'
In other words, by humility and the fear of the Lord, you will make decisions that will lead you to fulfill your God-given destiny in your life. When you have these two keys, 'humility' and 'the fear of the Lord', the Lord will surely honor you and help you in your decision making. I believe that was the secret of Paul.
By the way, what does 'By humility and the fear of the Lord' mean? To humble before Him is to submit and yield to Him. Yes, yielding to His words and His instructions in total surrender, instead of being smart in our own eyes, thinking that we know better. To fear Him is to have deep reverence and respect toward Him and what He says. You see, not just toward Him, but also what He says. When He says so, we say so. When He says no, we say no. When He says move, we move. When He says stop, we stop.
May the Lord give you the discernment to know what is of Him and what is not of Him; when to move and when to stop; when to go to the left and when to go to the right.
Ecclesiastes 8:5 (NKJV) says, 'He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; and a wise man's heart discerns both time and judgment.' It means 'to discern what is the right timing', and 'the ability to make the right judgment in life'. You can also translate this as 'the ability to make the right decisions in life'.
The word 'discern' here is 'yada' in Hebrew. It can mean 'to have understanding (of what is and what is not), or to recognize the difference (between what is and what is not)'. In our context today, what is of God and what is not of God.
But what is the key to discern? As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. This is true even in training and exercising our spirit man and our spiritual senses to discern. How? Pray in the spirit. Pray in the spirit often. You know what? Every time you pray in the spirit, you are activating your spirit man, and you are exercising your spiritual senses to discern ('yada') and to recognize the difference between what is of God and what is not of God; what is of the Spirit and what is of the flesh (or what is of the devil).
Hebrews 5:13-14 (NKJV) says, 'For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age (i.e. 'spiritually mature'), that is, those who by reason of use (i.e. 'by reason of practice') have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (i.e. 'what is of God and what is not').'
See the word 'exercised' there? You see, you can have your senses exercised to discern (differentiate) what is good and what is evil; what is of God and what is not of God. And with that, you can make the right decisions in your life that will catapult you to greater things.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (NKJV) says, 'Do not quench the Spirit (the Holy Spirit). Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.'
As you exercise your spirit to discern, test the spirit. Hold on to what is of God (what is good), and let go of what is not of God (what is bad). When it's written 'test' here, it means: 'Is it Holy Spirit or is it a false spirit (or a spirit of deception)? Is it from God or is it not from God? Is the idea from God or is the idea merely from man?'
And then, you can test it with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Does it have the fruit of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) says, 'But the fruit of the Spirit (Holy Spirit) is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (or patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.'
Another important key in making the right decisions in life is whatever decision you make must pass through the Word of God. In other words, it must be screened through by the Word of God. Why? Because Hebrews 4:12-13 (NKJV) says, 'For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.'
The word 'discerner' here is 'kritikos' in Greek, from the word 'krino' meaning 'to differentiate, to distinguish, to decide (mentally or judicially) like a judge'. In other words, the Word of God discovers the condition and the intents of the heart, and it is a foolproof way to help you to make the right decisions in life. Why? Because the Word of God is plain and clear. It's simple, leaving no opportunity for error.
You see, Word and Spirit, Spirit and Word! Never leave any of this out. The Word of God. The Spirit of God. This helps you to discern and to differentiate what is of the Lord and what is not of the Lord, so that you can make the right decisions that will bring you to greater heights in your life, and fulfill your God-given destiny in your life!
Prayer:
"O Lord God, sensitize our spirit man to discern and to differentiate what is of You and what is not of You. We want to make important decisions according to Your revelations and instructions. As we enter into a time of decisions, as we walk into junctures and crossroads in life, yes, all the more we need You, O Lord. Teach us. Help us. Guide us. We receive Your Word. We receive Your Spirit. In Jesus' name. Amen."
