Question 1

In what areas of life is “indecision” a decision? In what areas are we inevitably decisive?

Accepted Answer

Deuteronomy 30:19-20“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life.”We must all decide whether to love and obey God and commit ourselves to him or not.Matthew 16:13-16When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”John 3:36“Anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”We must all decide what we believe about Jesus.Matthew 4:18-22One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.Hebrews 3:7-8, 12That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness” . . . Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.We must all decide whether to follow Jesus or not.Joshua 24:15-16“But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” The people replied, “We would never abandon the Lord and serve other gods.”Matthew 12:30Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.We must all decide who we will serve. Not to decide for God is to decide against God.Matthew 7:21“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”We must all decide to obey or to disobey. Obedience is not merely saying we will obey. It is living out our words through our actions.Daniel 6:10-11, 13, 16When Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. . . . Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.” . . . So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”We must all decide to have a relationship with God or not. There is no halfway relationship. We are for him or against him.Genesis 39:10-12She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.Daniel 1:8Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.We must all decide to make moral or immoral choices. Uncertainty or tentativeness leaves us vulnerable.

Question 2

What are the consequences of indecision?

Accepted Answer

Isaiah 42:20-25You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.” Because he is righteous, the Lord has exalted his glorious law. But his own people have been robbed and plundered, enslaved, imprisoned, and trapped. They are fair game for anyone and have no one to protect them, no one to take them back home. Who will hear these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you in the future? Who allowed Israel to be robbed and hurt? It was the Lord, against whom we sinned, for the people would not walk in his path, nor would they obey his law. Therefore, he poured out his fury on them and destroyed them in battle. They were enveloped in flames, but they still refused to understand.Indecision to obey is disobedience, which will be judged as sin by God. Indecision is a form of decision, for by not deciding, we have decided not to do what we should do.James 1:5-8If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.Indecision can leave us unsettled and uncertain.

Question 3

Can being decisive be dangerous?

Accepted Answer

1 Samuel 13:11-12Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”Psalm 106:13Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel!We can be too decisive when make a decision out of impatience. When God does not give us the answer we want to in the time we want, we can be tempted to jump to a decision anyway. This is dangerous and can lead to severe consequences.James 4:11Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.When we make decisions or judgments that are not ours to make, we can seriously hurt people. It can also be an expression of arrogance in our hearts, the belief that we know what’s best. If we see this kind of pride in our lives, we should be quick to let it go and pray for forgiveness.Proverbs 18:13Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.Jumping to a conclusion without having all the information is probably more common than anyone would like to admit. This kind of decision-making is terribly dangerous, as we risk seriously hurting people when we make assumptions without having all the facts. We must train ourselves to listen first before making judgments.

Question 4

What keeps us from being decisive?

Accepted Answer

Romans 8:28We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.Daniel 3:14-18Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”Lack of faith keeps us from being decisive. Those who have complete confidence in God’s Word and God’s promises need not be anxious or doubt when it comes to right or wrong, or obedience or disobedience to God.1 Kings 18:21Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.Matthew 14:31Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”Mark 11:23I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ”May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.Doubt and hesitation keep us from being decisive. Faith in God gives us the confidence to be decisive, knowing that God can and will bring good out of even our poor decisions.

Question 5

How can we be more decisive?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 25:4, 12Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. . . . Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose.Philippians 2:13God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.Start by asking God, the Creator of wisdom, to give you wisdom and perspective.Psalm 86:11Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.Psalm 119:3They [the godly] do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths.Proverbs 3:6Seek his [the Lord’s] will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.Proverbs 4:25-27Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.Isaiah 50:7Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame.Actively seek God’s will and God’s ways, which are made clear in the Bible.Proverbs 4:5Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.Romans 2:18You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law.Psalm 119:5-11Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me! How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. I have tried hard to find you—don’t let me wander from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.We are to know God’s Word, which is from God, the source of all wisdom. Never make a decision that clearly contradicts a principle or command found in Scripture.Psalm 119:8,57I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me! . . . Lord, you are mine! I promise to obey your words!Psalm 119:30I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations.Making the primary choices of obedience and faithfulness helps us make the daily secondary choices. Start by living out truth, and leave the rest to God.Hebrews 11:8, 17-19It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. . . . It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.Having faith in God will help us be decisive because we know what the future holds.

Decisiveness