Making Decisions When You're Unsure

June 14, 2023

Sometimes you’re afraid of making the wrong decision. And that creates stress.

But God has an antidote to indecision. Psalm 23:3 says, “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake” (NIV). The way to handle the stress of decision-making is to let God guide you.

You may be thinking, “But I’ve tried this!” You asked God to guide

you, but then you became more confused than ever before. You still

couldn’t figure it out, and you wondered why knowing God’s will is so

difficult.

Is God playing games with you? Of course not! God wants to guide you.

He wants you to know his will more than you want to know it. But

sometimes you look for the wrong thing when you’re trying to find God’s

will. We all do this.

Some of us look for a feeling. Some want a formula or recipe to

follow. Others take a magical approach and look for God to show us a

fantastic sign.

But these ways only lead to frustration and can cause you to miss God’s will.

Here are six steps to help you when you’re confused about what decision to make:

1. Pray for guidance.
2. Before you do anything else, get God’s perspective on the issue. “A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use God’s wisdom are safe” (Proverbs 28:26 TLB).
3. Get the facts.
4. There is no contradiction between faith and fact. Find out everything you can before you make a decision. Proverbs 13:16 says, “All who are prudent act with knowledge”(NIV). 
5. Ask for advice.
6. Talk to somebody who’s made a similar decision and to friends who know your weaknesses. “The more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win”(Proverbs 24:6 GNT).
7. Calculate the cost.
8. Every decision has a price tag; it may cost you time, money, energy, reputation, talents, or resources. Proverbs 20:25 says, “It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows”(NIV).
9. When people pressure you to make a decision, it’s okay to say, “I’ll
10. get back to you.” It’s more important to make a wise decision than a
11. quick decision. 
12. Prepare for problems.
13. In
14. faith, expect the best. Expect God to work in your life. But also
15. prepare for the problems that are part of every decision. Solomon said
16. in Proverbs 22:3, “A
17. prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the
18. simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences” (TLB).
19. Face your fears.
20. Perfectionism paralyzes potential. God has always used imperfect people in imperfect situations to accomplish his will. Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done”(TLB). In spite of your problems, doubts, or fears, trust God and start moving in the direction of your dream.

And, remember, God rarely gives us all the steps at once. You may not

get to know the end-result when you take the first step. But, God still

wants you to take the first step.

Take a step. Ask for guidance. Take another step. Ask for guidance. He will guide you, step by step.

This is his promise, and you can believe it to be true: “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”