Editor’s Note: You can read our previous articles in this series below:
Making Wise Family Decisions
Who is Ultimately Responsible for Family Decisions?
Foolish Ways of Making Family Decisions
More Foolish Ways of Making Family Decisions
Biblical Principles for Making Wise Family Decisions
In our series on wise decision-making, we’ve looked at the importance of making decisions, who is ultimately responsible for family decisions, and foolish ways people make decisions.
In our last article, we started digging into biblical principles that can help us make wise decisions to honor God. We discussed the vital importance of fearing the Lord, knowing God’s word, and seeking wisdom.
Let’s continue by looking at several other biblical principles for making wise decisions.
Lift Up Your Decisions in Prayer
Description: Committing both the decision-making process and your eventual decision to the Lord in praye
What Does The Bible Say About This?
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:6-7
Pray to the Lord for help in decision-making. Pray for wisdom in approaching the problem. Pray for obedience in how you and your spouse go through the decision-making process. Pray that God would bless your decision. Instead of being anxious, we should lift up our requests to God in prayer. He is sovereign over all things, He loves us, and wants what is best for us, so we should ask for His help.
Consult Wise Believers/Experts
Description: Seeking the advice of other wise Christians for big or complex decisions.
What Does The Bible Say About This?
Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
Prov 11:14
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Prov 13:20
God has gifted us with brothers and sisters in the Lord and godly leaders to help speak truth into our lives. They can help you see through any blind spots you may have. They also may have experience that you’re lacking.
I’m not saying you need to get advice for every decision you’re making. “Pastor—what do you think we should have for dinner tonight?” However, for particularly big decisions, complicated decisions, or decisions where you and your spouse are stuck, it can be smart to consult the wisdom of others.
In non-spiritual specialized matters, consulting secular experts can be beneficial. For example, consulting a tax expert can be helpful if your taxes are complicated. Consult a doctor about health matters. Consult a mechanic about car issues.
Prioritize the Spiritual/Eternal
Description: Making decisions in a way that prioritizes outcomes that will have the biggest impact on spiritual development or eternal rewards.
What Does The Bible Say About This?
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
1 Cor 3:11-15
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matt 6:31-33
Make sure that you don’t neglect the spiritual good of your family or others by being consumed with the day-to-day practical decisions of life. We all need to make those practical decisions, but you can seek to honor God in those decisions by always keeping an eternal perspective.
Know what is eternal and what is spiritually valuable. Redeem even the little moments by seeking to honor God in your approach. Make sure that you’re not trading in eternal rewards of gold and silver for wood, hay, and stubble.
Trust in The Sovereignty of God
Description: Believing that God is in control of all things and will work everything in your life to your good and His glory.
What Does The Bible Say About This?
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Rom 8:28
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 straight your paths.
Prov 3:5-6
As a teenager, I was very anxious about finding God’s will for my life. How do I make sure that I go to the right college, pick the right job, and marry the right person? What if I make the wrong choice? Understanding Romans 8:28 and the sovereignty of God was life-changing for me. God’s will for our lives is not something that we need to decode or else we’re in big trouble. If we seek to obey God’s revealed will for our lives (i.e., what He’s commanded in Scripture) and we seek to honor Him in wisdom, we can rest in our decisions. God is providentially working everything in our lives—the good, the bad, and the ugly—for our ultimate spiritual good.
God never condones sin or tempts anyone to sin, but He still providentially uses our sinful choices for our ultimate good. God never condones foolishness, but He uses even our foolish decisions for our good. That isn’t a license to be sinful or foolish. We should actively seek to put sin to death in our life to honor God and because we will reap the painful consequences of our sinful choices. But if we obey what Scripture has explicitly outlined and pursue the wisdom of God for everything else, we don’t have to be anxious about our decisions.
Conclusion
If you’ve followed these biblical principles, you can move forward in your decision with confidence and trust in God.
- Fearing the Lord
- Knowing God’s Word
- Seeking Wisdom
- Lifting Up Your Decisions in Prayer
- Consulting Wise Believers/Experts
- Prioritizing the Spiritual/Eternal
- Trusting in The Sovereignty of God
Even though decision-making can naturally be a source of stress, God has given us many principles that we can use to successfully navigate the decision-making process in a way that honors Him. Ideally, husbands and wives should be working together in harmony to make wise decisions.
The next time that you find yourself needing to make a big decision, consciously make the choice to pursue wisdom in that process. It will be a blessing to you and your family. You won’t regret it.
