Dear BCA Family,

Double-mindedness is disastrous. Why? Because double-mindedness and indecision are the opposite of faith. James 1:7,8(GN)—(A person)…unable to make up his mind and undecided in all he does, must not think he will receive anything from the Lord. It limits God’s blessing in your life. A dream is worthless until you decide to do something about it. God gave Moses a dream of setting the people free, but Moses had to make the decision to challenge Pharaoh. God gave Noah the dream of saving the world, but Noah had to make the decision to build the ark. God gave Abraham the dream of building a brand new nation, but Abraham had to make the decision to leave his home country and move to a new place. Last Sunday we explored this FACTOR #2—LEARN TO MAKE WISE DECISIONS in our Faith Factor sermon series.

How good are you at decision-making? I have asked one of my heroes, Dr. Seuss, to provide a little insight.

Did I ever tell you about the young zoad
Who came to two sides in the fork in the road.
He looked one way and the other way too
And so the zoad had to make up his mind what to do
Well the zoad scratched his head and his chin and his pants
And he said to himself now I’ll be taking a chance
If I go to place one that may be terrible hot
So how will I know if I’ll like it or not
On the other hand though I’ll feel like such a fool
If I go to place two and find it is too cool
In that case I may catch a chill and turn blue
So place one may be the best, and not place 2
On the other hand though if place one is too high
I might get a terrible earache and die
On the other hand though if place two is too low
I might get a terrible pain in my toe
So place 1 may be the best and he started to go
And stopped and said, on the other hand though
On the other hand, other hand, other hand though
And for 36 hours and ½ that zoad
Made starts and made stops at the fork in the road
No, don’t take a chance, you may not be right
Than he got an idea that was wonderfully bright
Play it safe cried the zoad, I’ll play it safe I’m no dunce
I’ll simply start out to both places at once
And that’s how the zoad, who would not take a chance
Got no place at all with a split in his pants.

SIX STEPS TO MAKING WISE DECISIONS

1. PRAY FOR GUIDANCE.
Prov. 28:26(LB)—A man is a fool to trust himself. But those who use God’s wisdom are safe.

When we come to a fork in the road, we need to be wiser than that little zoad. The wisest way to begin making a decision is to get God’s perspective on the situation. Did you know that our impressions are going to be wrong about 50% of the time? We need to pray for guidance, which is much more reliable than just a feeling. Col. 3:15(GN)—The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make. The Lord wants to guide, direct, and help you. When making decisions, ask, "What does God want?" It will save you time, energy, and pain.

2. GET THE FACTS.
Proverbs 13:16—Every prudent man acts out of knowledge.

There are three steps involved in making wise decisions; map out (study) the situation, make the decision, and move on faith. We have at least three places to look as we consider the future: godly counsel, God’s Word, and godly wisdom. Now, why all the study and evaluation? Why not just move on faith? Because of the wisdom found in Proverbs 18:13(LB)—What a shame—yes, how stupid!—to decide before knowing the facts! Many businesses fail because of uneducated enthusiasm. Somebody gets a great idea and starts a business, but doesn’t get the facts. Many marriages fail, too, when they begin with "Don’t confuse me with facts…I’m in love." The solution is to start smart; get the facts! Read a book, listen to a tape, or attend a seminar, and listen for the Lord to speak.

3. ASK FOR ADVICE.
Proverbs 24:6(GN)—…the more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win.

Somebody asked Henry Ford, Sr., the founder of the Ford Motor Company, about the secret of business success. He said, "Make wise decisions." He was asked how to make wise decisions, and he replied, "Experience." He was then asked how to get experience, to which he replied, "Make stupid decisions." It’s wise to learn from experience! It’s wiser to learn from the experience of others. I don’t have time to make all of the mistakes myself! Ask advice and be willing to learn. Proverbs 20:18(GN)—Get good advice and you will succeed. Arrogance blinds, but humility sees. All leaders are learners. Commit yourself to life-long learning.

4. CALCULATE THE COST.
Prov. 20:25—It’s a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.

Figure out in advance what the decision is going to cost in terms of time, money, energy, and reputation…because every decision has a price tag. Many people right now have major decisions to make, whether it is regarding their career, move, business, relationship, money, job, or school. This verse in Proverbs says that it is a trap to decide before deliberating, to make a promise without pondering, or to make a commitment without considering. Don’t be rash and get caught in the trap; calculate the cost first before jumping in.

Remember, it is always easier to get in than to get out. It is easier to get in debt than to get out of debt, into a relationship than to get out of one, and to fill up your schedule than to fulfill your schedule. Jesus told two stories in Luke 14, with the basic message that no builder starts to build a building without a budget, and no king goes to war without counting his troops. H. L. Hunt founded the Hunt-Wesson Corporation, and was one of the first billionaires in the world. He said, "There are only two secrets of business success. #1—Figure out what you really want in life. #2-—Decide what you are willing to pay for it." This speaks to counting the cost before moving forward.

5. PREPARE FOR PROBLEMS.
Proverbs 22:3(LB)—A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton never looks and suffers the consequences.

The great theologian Donald Trump was asked, "How do you make all these big deals?" He said, "I hope for the best and plan for the worst." The Bible knows about Murphy’s Law. If anything can go wrong…it will. I like the bumper sticker: Murphy was an optimist. What do you mean "if"? When you are making a decision about career, schooling, business, or your home, ask, "What can go wrong, and do I have a plan to handle it?" Be prudent; foresee difficulties ahead and prepare for them.

This preparedness is not to be confused with the problem-solving factor, which is factor 4…we’ll get to that in a couple of weeks. Many people get stuck and paralyzed because they are trying to solve all of the problems in advance to guarantee success before they even jump into the water. But it just doesn’t work that way.

In the early 60’s, President Kennedy stood up and declared that by the end of the decade we were going to go to the moon. That was the decision-making stage. For the next 9 years, the problem-solving phase was NASA’s business. Have you ever stopped to realize that when Kennedy made that statement, the technology needed to put a man on the moon had not even been thought up? It hadn’t even been invented. It was physically and technologically impossible to do what he said we were going to do at that time; but he made the decision that inspired the problem-solving to get it done. You’ll find that once you make the decision, there will be delays and difficulties, but the answers start coming once you start moving. If you try to solve all of your problems in advance, you will never make the decision to step out.

VI. FACE MY FEARS.
Eccl. 11:4(LB)—If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.

Isn’t that true? There is no guarantee of perfect conditions; but the fact is, God says that you need to move ahead. The root of indecisiveness is fear. That is the real reason that you can’t make up your mind. Fear keeps you from stepping out and making the decision to go after the dream that God has given you. You might say to yourself, "I’m afraid that I’ll make a mistake. I’m afraid that I will embarrass myself. I’m afraid I will fail. I’m afraid that I will get in over my head and I can’t complete what I’ve started. I’m afraid I’ll get rejected, or that people will laugh at me. I’m afraid that I won’t have the money." The list goes on and on.

We don’t like to admit that we are afraid, so we make up excuses and say, "Well…the timing is just not right." Sometimes that is the case, but make sure that this is not just an excuse. He’s heard them all, and it won’t change His mind! When God came to Moses and said, "Moses, I have a dream for your life," Moses said, "But God…I can’t speak…I stutter." And God said, "Who made man’s mouth?" Now, how do you answer that one? God came to Abraham, and said, "I’m going to use you." And Abraham said, "I’m too old." God came to Jeremiah, and Jeremiah said, "I’m too young." He came to Gideon, and Gideon said, "I’m the wrong guy." God doesn’t make mistakes. What’s your excuse for leaving His dream for you unfulfilled?

When God gives us a dream and we say, "Well…the timing is not right, the money’s not right, if only I had more education, or more this or that", we are making excuses when the real cause of our indecision is simply fear. One of the great examples of God’s grace is that God takes imperfect people in imperfect situations, and uses them to accomplish incredible, impossible tasks - because they simply faced their fears and moved ahead. That is what God wants to do in your life! Remember, if you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done. So, what is the antidote to fear? Simple: it is faith. Romans 8:31—If God is for us, who can be against us? 1 + God = majority.

The secret to dealing with fear is that you move against your fear. You do the thing you fear the most. You just do it. Somebody says, "Well, I don’t have the faith." Somebody asked me once what to do when you don’t have faith. The answer is that you act as if you have the faith, and you do it…and you find out you do have the faith. You say, "God give me the faith." And remember, you don’t need a lot of faith. You need a little faith…just mustard seed size! A little faith in a big God gets big results.

So don’t worry about how much or how little faith you have…just take what you have and use it. And as you use it…faith develops like a muscle. And you move against your fear. You put your foot in to the Red Sea and it splits. You step in to the Jordan River and it splits. And the thing you fear parts…because faith action is the antidote to fear. God supports those who move in faith.

What major decision are you dealing with today? Is it one of life’s basic decisions, such as whom to marry, whether or where to go to school, or a decision about a job or career change? Where are you undecided? The Bible says, a person unable to make up his mind and undecided in all he does must not think he will receive anything from the Lord. (James 1:7,8 GN). He’s like the zoad, at the fork in the road. As you choose your path, I want to challenge you to be something great for God and do something great for God.

Dr. Charles Garfield worked on the Apollo 11 manned rocket to the moon, and then went on to consult pro athletes and Fortune 500 companies on success in life. He wrote a book entitled "Peak Performers" about why some people excel in life. And he summarized it this way: "Peak performers really understand that the best use of a life is through committed action to a mission that they care deeply about." What are you committed to? Do you have a mission – a dream – that you care deeply about? Are you living your life around fulfilling it? You need to make that decision.

There are four basic, bottom line decisions that every person needs to make as a foundation for character development and successful living. They are: 1) a commitment to Christ and a church family; 2) a commitment to the habits necessary for spiritual growth; 3) a commitment to using our God-given gifts and abilities to serving God and others; and 4) a commitment to sharing Christ with others (see Eph. 2:19; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 4:10; Matthew 28:19; Rom 12:4,5; I Tim. 4:7; 1 Cor. 12:4-23; Acts 1:8). BCA is committed to helping you get committed to these basic commitments; in fact, our whole strategy is designed around helping you move from step 1 to 2 to 3 to 4.

Once you have made the decision, you may feel you are ready to roll! However, this usually signifies the entrance of another faith-building factor: delay. The most fruitless thing to do is to try to get God to be in a hurry. Waiting on God is difficult, but essential. Eccl. 3:11(GN)—God has set the right time for everything. God’s timing is perfect. Delays test our faith and teach us to trust God. When you are in the middle of delay it is easy to forget about God’s faithfulness. But God is beyond time - He is not limited by it. His agenda is much bigger than ours. You’re not alone or forgotten – you are just in delay. You can count on God to provide His perfect answer in His perfect timing. This Sunday we will pick up this theme in Factor #3 – Look for the Design in Your Delays. Join us as we walk this road together.

Blessings,

Pastor Rob