Are You Making Wise Decisions?

Everyday we are faced with decisions. Some are extremely important and take time weighing out before choosing a right course of action, while others have very little impact on us and can be made rather quickly. Unfortunately, many of us have made poor choices whether it was regarding a marriage partner, a place of employment, moving to a new city, a business deal, purchasing something, going to college to study a specific field or the people we choose to interact in life with. The list could go on and on. God has a lot to say about making wise decisions and He provides principles in His Word to help people successfully navigate them.

One key component in making a wise decision is getting wise counsel from others who have wisdom. The Bible says, “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success” (Proverbs 15:22). If we are too proud to ask for advice from others who have experience in an area we are struggling to gain clarity in, we can easily be lead astray. We also need to be careful when other wise people give us advice; we should not presume that we know best and just toss their opinions aside. Prayerfully consider what they have said and ask God to help you discern whether the information they gave you is from Him or not. The Bible says, “He who willfully separates and estranges himself from God and man seeks his own desire and pretext to break out against all wise and sound judgment” (Proverbs 18:1 AMP).

Several years ago, I had just graduated from college and was looking for work where I grew up. To my surprise, there were no jobs in my field of work in the Fort Wayne area, so I started looking for jobs out of state. I had always liked large cities and had this desire to move to New York City and begin my career in the largest city in America! As I made plans to send my resume to firms in New York City, I mentioned it to my parents and they said, “Your twin brother has the personality and strength to make it in New York City, but we do not see this for you Cory.” Well, I am the type of person that if someone says I cannot do something, I set out to prove him wrong. It made me so mad that they would even say such a thing…needless to say, my flesh was crawling! I started full steam ahead with my plan to move to the Big Apple.

One day in this process, my dad told me that I should not put all my eggs in one basket and just focus on the one city. He asked me to send my resume to other cities as well and see what doors God would open up. I did not like this idea because I wanted to prove them wrong! Shortly after our conversation, I spent time with God and came across a scripture which stated, “Good friend, follow your father’s good advice; don’t wander off from your mother’s teachings. Wrap yourself in them from head to foot; wear them like a scarf around your neck. Wherever you walk, they’ll guide you; whenever you rest, they’ll guard you; when you wake up, they’ll tell you what’s next. For sound advice is a beacon, good teaching is a light, moral discipline is a life path” (Proverbs 6:20-23 The Message).

I knew that God was speaking to me to listen to my father’s advice, but there was this huge fight within me to go against wise counsel and keep pushing forward with my plan…New York City! A couple of intense hours went by and I wrestled with God and asked him to help me make a wise decision. In my love for God and wanting to do the right thing, I sent out resumes to three major cities: New York City, Atlanta and San Diego. I did NOT receive one offer from New York City! I was offered one from San Diego and five from Atlanta. I had enough money to investigate one city and I chose Atlanta. I ended up getting a job with a great firm there. This was the best decision I could have ever made, and I made it because I chose to listen to wise counsel. Had I been too proud to receive great advice, I might have experienced a lot of unnecessary hurt and pain.

Maybe you are wrestling with God over some difficult choices you are faced with and like me, you are at a cross roads. I pray that you take into consideration godly wisdom and advice from people in your world. You never know, it just might help you step into your destiny! It did for me. 

For speaking engagements or more information on Cory, you can contact him at [email protected].

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