Decision Making

Last month at tbt we had a three part series on decision making done by Matt Fuller- twas quite fitting for the beginning of the year.

Sadly I lost my notes from part 1, but remember parts 2 and 3 being really good!

For part 2, Matt looked at Psalm 119:97-104 and spoke about the authority and power of God's word and its importance in our decision making. It was good to be reminded that our voices and words are an important part of what makes us who we are...and the Bible is GOD SPEAKING TO US! Scripture is living and active, intimate and personal- it informs and transforms us and wisens us to discern what to do. He referred to an image in one of C.S. Lewis' Narnia books (The Silver Chair) in which the Prince is bound to a chair by a web of deception. The image is of a sword that is used to cut the Prince free from the chair and his mind clears and he is able to go and rescue and reclaim his kingdom etc. Anyway- the image was used to show the reflection of how the Word of God cuts us free from our bonds of sin and clears our deceived minds. (Can relate to Hebrews 4:12). And I love the way Matt uses tons of literary illustrations in his talks- esp when they are CS Lewis!

Applications = Meditate on Word, soak self in Scriture + obey!

Part 3 was great also...brought up lots of stuff to do with God's amazing sovereignty (see previous post). Matt talked about God guiding through others, through godliness (the more we pursue godliness and becoming like Jesus the clearer the path is), and God's guidance through providence. On Providence- God cares for, sustains and directs everything and everyone for his good purposes without taking away man's responsibility in his choices and decisions. Prov 16:9 tells us that man makes plans but God determines what will happen- you can't have one without the other.

Applications for this =
-We may not feel like we know if we have made exactly the right choice or not but that's okay because we cannot fall outside of God's plan. We can know if we are making decisions rightly ie. if we are obeying God. And even when we do disobey/sin, although it is bad for us and grieves God, we still cannot fall from his master plan because his good purposes prevail. So how can I know God's will for my life?- if you're obeying him then you are living it!
-This liberates us from worry and regrets of missed opportunities. This aspect impacted me loads because we can remember there is no alternative plan, and so when faced with choosing, the thing we prayerfully decide to do, is God's will and we dont have to worry about what might have happened. All opportunities include serving Jesus if we are obeying. Best way to decide then is to figure out how we can best serve Jesus. (This reminds me of the question Mo put to us at a relay conference-'With all the opportunities I see before me, how can I, with the person I am, best glorify God?')
-Also liberates us from apathy as we are responsible to make decisions and dream godly plans for our futures-just trusting God for finding the right paths.



... On a more personal note, all this was helpful for me as I've been weighing up either going to Thailand or somewhere in Europe for student mission, or staying in London and doing a PGCE. I've prayed so much and asked for so much advice and just pushed all the doors and applied for lots of stuff... and then really quickly I got onto a v.competitive PGCE course. This was v.exciting and I've felt God change my heart towards youth work and my current job. I also see pgce as a really good opportunity for meeting more non-Christians, helping me to settle more in London and to get more stuck into Church and invest in all my friends that seem to all be back in London right now. I know that mission would also have been great but that doing a PGCE gives me transferable skills and opens up more opportunity for possible mission a few years down the line! I know teaching is going to be hard at times but the rewards with young people are great and I'm really excited about where God's going to lead me in the future!