Why Decisions Matter: Every Choice Is a Verdict on Your Life
"God does not manipulate anyone. God influences. Whatever God's will is for your life, your decisions will set the ultimate destiny of your life."
Today we begin a new series on decisions. And if we are talking about decisions, we cannot begin without Daniel.
"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank" (Daniel 1:8).
Jesus prayed in the garden, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). Paul was warned not to go to Jerusalem, and he said, "I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13). God's will is powerful, but there is one realm God will not interfere with. He has given man the freedom to choose.
God Influences, He Does Not Manipulate
In God's system, God does not manipulate anyone. He influences. And if you want to be a strong person, you must not manipulate people either. Manipulation, control and domination are forms of witchcraft. Jesus said, "Ye are the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13). Salt does not control anything. Salt influences.
Your decisions will affect your personal life, your family, your generations and the people around you. Take one simple decision: "I will be present in the church every week." Watch how your spiritual life is transformed. First your thinking changes, then your character, then your actions, then your life. And that sets your destiny.
A Decision Is a Verdict
What is a decision? It is a conclusion. You think for a while, you reason, you gather all the evidence you have, and you come to a verdict.
A good judge does not give a verdict in a hurry. He hears all the facts and both sides. Jesus said, sit down first and count the cost (Luke 14:28). He does not want your decision to be emotional, where today you follow Him and tomorrow you don't feel like it. "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).
The strongest principle of human growth is choice. And the enemy knows it. Indecision is demonic, and wrong decision is demonic, because Satan knows a man who decides becomes powerful. So he will try to keep you confused, unable to decide, or always deciding wrong.
No horoscope can know what a man will choose. However powerless you feel, you have been given the power of choice.
Decisions Show Their Fruit Later
Lot chose Sodom, and he was plundered because of that choice. God told Abraham to leave his country and his father's house (Genesis 12:1). One decision took him out, and he spent his life as a wanderer, "for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10).
Whenever you see someone doing something powerfully, somewhere behind it is a decision he sat down and made. Everything we do in this ministry comes from decisions taken while understanding God's will. The results don't show at first. They show later.
Daniel decided not to defile himself, and "as for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams" (Daniel 1:17). His wisdom, his discipline and his prayer three times a day, even when prayer was banned, all came from a decision.
Not Deciding Is Also a Decision
Destiny is an end result, but it is built by decisions. Samson had a destiny to be a deliverer. He did not lose his power because he was with Delilah. He lost it when his hair was cut, because his power was in his covenant with God. Strong men become weak in wrong company, through wrong emotions and through wrong decisions.
If you have been diverted from your course, you can come back. How? By a decision. The prodigal son said, "I will arise and go to my father" (Luke 15:18). He was ready to be "as one of thy hired servants" (Luke 15:19). Humility was part of his decision. Whoever has made up his mind has already won.
Learn to Say No
If you know where you are going, you also know where you are not going. To say yes to the right thing, you will have to say no to foolishness, to indiscipline and to weakness. Daniel's wisdom came from saying no.
A strong man is not the one who lifts 150 kilograms in the gym. He is the one who has the courage to say no to sin and to everything that is not in his purpose. When you are in temptation, you may not know everything, but you know one thing: run. "Flee also youthful lusts" (2 Timothy 2:22).
Why People Cannot Decide
Confusion. When I am confused, I write the whole history down, step by step.
Fear. Some people don't move forward because they know there will be warfare.
Ignorance. I study the Bible topically. My question is, "What does God's Word say?"
Love of the world. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world" (1 John 2:15).
Fear of people. They "think it strange that ye run not with them" (1 Peter 4:4).
Not counting the cost. A missionary who came back after threats told them, "I am already dead." A dead man cannot be killed.
Double-mindedness. "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8).
Rejecting God's voice. Every time we reject grace, we become weaker inside.
What Wrong and Right Decisions Bring
A wrong decision kills your hopes, makes you the cause of your own ruin, gives the enemy a license, and affects everyone connected to you. Build systems of covering in your life. Unless they oppose your faith, your parents' voice can be a prophetic voice. Don't be afraid to say no. Sometimes it will save your life.
A right decision brings peace with God and a clear conscience, places you under God's protection, breaks the power of sin, keeps God with you and changes your story. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee" (Isaiah 41:10).
Your present decisions can fix your future. And celebrate the best decision you ever made: giving your life to Jesus.
Go Deeper: I Have Decided
Every decision is a verdict, and the book helps you make the right ones. This Decision series is drawn from my book I Have Decided (Hindi: मैंने निर्णय लिया है). Anchored in Daniel 1:8, it leads you into five life-changing decisions: to get serious with God, become a vessel of value, invest your life in Him, live with unshakable faith, and serve Him wholeheartedly.
English eBook (Kindle): I Have Decided on Amazon
Hindi eBook (Kindle): मैंने निर्णय लिया है on Amazon
English paperback: I Have Decided on rdmglobal.org
Hindi paperback: मैंने निर्णय लिया है on rdmglobal.org
The Decision Series
Part 1: Why Decisions Matter: Every Choice Is a Verdict on Your Life (you are here)
Part 2: How to Make Right Decisions: Nine Keys From God's Word
Part 3: Serious With God and Serious for God: The Decision Daniel Made
Part 4: Invest Your Life in God: Your Life Is Worth More Than Money
Part 5: The Decision to Become Valuable: Don't Live a Worthless Life
Part 6: The Decision to Live in Peace: Receiving God's Shalom
Part 7: The Decision to Live by Faith: Learning the Language God Understands
Part 8: Created on Purpose: The Decision to Live an Intentional Life
Part 9: The Decision to Serve God: Let My People Go That They May Serve Me
More Teaching Series
The Mystery of Open and Closed Doors: Start with Part 1: The Stealer of Joy
Marriage in the Lord Series: Start with Part 1: Marry Only in the Lord
The Lordship Series: Start with Part 1: Is Jesus Your Lord or Only Your Savior?
Declarations
I have the power to decide, and I will use it.
God influences my life, and I yield to His influence.
I sit down and count the cost before I decide.
I refuse indecision and wrong decisions.
I know where I am going, and I know where I am not going.
I have the courage to say no to sin.
I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back.
Stay Connected & Grow Deeper
Watch the full message: Part 1 of the Decision series on YouTube. Please note that the message is preached in Hindi.
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