How can leaders make good decisions?
Proverbs 1:7Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Leaders can make good decisions by revering God and being humble before him. Ultimately, all leaders are accountable to him.
1 Kings 12:8Rehoboam rejected the advice of the older men and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and were now his advisers.
Proverbs 12:15Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.
Proverbs 18:15Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.
Leaders can make good decisions by interacting with and listening to wise counselors. Leaders have many people offering them advice. Leaders who consistently reject the advice of wise counselors, like Rehoboam did, make foolish decisions. Leaders who listen to advice and weigh it carefully are more likely to make good choices. Being open to good advice is not a sign of weakness or inadequacy but of intelligence.
Ezekiel 34:2“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep?”
Daniel 4:28-32“All these things did happen to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later he was taking a walk on the flat roof of the royal palace in Babylon. As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’ While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.’”
Matthew 16:26“What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”
Matthew 24:48-51“What if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Leaders can make good decisions by resisting the temptation to make choices guided by a desire for personal gain. Such ambition leads to bad decisions and unethical behavior.
Luke 6:12-13One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles.
Acts 1:23-25They nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.”
Leaders can make good decisions by saturating their decision process with prayer. This is especially true in decisions concerning the selection and care of those with whom we work most closely.
Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
John 5:19“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”
Leaders can make good decisions if they continually seek what God would have them do. If they fully depend on God for guidance, their decisions will more likely honor him.
Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Good choices are always in keeping with the characteristics the Holy Spirit gives. Bad choices often involve rejecting the Spirit’s influence in our hearts.
Psalm 25:4Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow.
Psalm 119:24Your laws please me; they give me wise advice.
Leaders can make good decisions when they know Scripture and lean on its wisdom. It gives us clear direction to influence our decision-making and provides us with the discernment we need to make healthy choices. A right decision is one that is consistent with the principles of truth found in God’s word.
