How do I know as a Christian :

When and how to make an important or the right decision?

Know which way to go at a cross road in my life ?

To be sure – is it from the Lord, and His plan for my life?

To start off , you should ask yourself this question

Do I believe the following:

Everything that God promises in His Word ?

Am I prepared to take Him on His word even if it doesn't make sense to me.?

Will I still be prepared to go through with it even though it may drive a wedge between what I believe the Word teaches as the truth and that what the world stands for and believe to be logical and true?.

Am I prepared to throw everything overboard in order to obey the Word, even if it means that I may have to forfeit what I consider valuable and important, or that I may even end up losing it in the process?.

Thirty years ago I started this questionnaire with four questions it now has sixteen and counting. God bless

When you're faced with making an important decision, these questions may help you decide and could be used as a "guide" as to whether or not the decision is God's will for you. (remember this is only a guide)

Answer these 16 questions and then decide for yourself

What is the main reason?, Why do I want to do it.?

Is money the only reason?

What do I want to achieve ?

Is it really what God wants me to do, or have I decided to listen to the little voice inside me? Is that voice from God or from the Enemy ?

How is it going to affect my family and the loved ones around me?

How is it going to affect my relationship with my Heavenly Father? Will I still manage to spend time with Him, have time to witness for Him, have time to walk with Him ?

Is God trying to tell me something or teach me something?

Is this only for myself ?

Will I be sinning or breaking any laws in the process ?

Will I be causing a brother to stumble or tempt him in any way ? …(See below)

Will it be to any one's detriment, Will I embarrass or, hurt anyone ?

Will it provide me with opportunities to seek and build God's Kingdom?

Will I be able to shine my light and glorify my Father in Heaven?

If someone else would decide to do this, how would it affect me …(Put yourself in his shoes)

Will the result be to glorify God or myself?

Will this venture strengthen my faith and bring me closer to Jesus ?

Example: Where's the balance? Is it okay to buy a big house or spend a lot of time decorating it because you intend to use it for a ministry? It's a wonderful thing to have that one house in the church that is always ready to host a meeting or a dinner. Is it just an excuse to spend money on drapes? Is it an intentional ministry, or a justification? Does it matter to the people it blesses?…

You have the answers – now judge for yourself.

Causing my brother to stumble

The concept of not causing others to stumble is found in Romans 14 and 1 Cor.8. In these chapters, Paul talks about personal convictions and our responsibility to our fellow believers in Christ.…The Greek word for "stumble" gives the sense of stubbing one's toe.…As Christians, we are forbidden to do anything that may cause our brothers and sisters in Christ to stub their toe, spiritually speaking. …Stubbing the toe can cause a person to fall in the spiritual sense, or to damage or weaken their faith. …In all things, the important lesson is to "make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification" Romans 14:18. …In this way, God is glorified, believers are edified, and the world sees in us "righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit"Romans 14:17.

If I am going to live a life of faith, God expects from me to have certain things in place before I can expect anything from Him, I have certain responsibilities before and/or consequences after that I should consider when making my decision.

Luk.14:28-30 (NLT)

"But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.

They would say, 'There's the person who started that building and couldn't afford to finish it!'

When I approach God with a request to help me, I must first of all:

Come to Him with my whole plan

Provide reasons why I want, what I'm asking for

Have a plan ready as to what I am going to do with it when it works out ?

Be aware of my responsibilities and the consequences of such a request

Am I trying to manipulate Him to justify my case, hoping to get it that way?

My aim should be, to help build His Kingdom. to glorify and exalt Him… whatever the outcome or result …Just by having blind faith, whereby I simply believe that I will get what I ask from Him, expecting Him to just provide in my needs, is absurd.…

Just because I believe and have faith does not mean that God will fulfill all my expectations. …He is still God and I am still only a sinner, how can I tell Him what He must or should do? …Can I just decide and demand it because I claim to be His child.?

As my Father He knows what's best for me.

If you are at peace with the questions above and still convinced that:

This is what the Lord wants you to do

That you are not just trying to convince Him, because you have made up your mind

And if you have made up your mind, are you not just looking for confirmation for your own decision:

If not then proceed to the next step

Get an organized plan going and work it through step by step.

Take that plan to the Lord and ask Him to check it

Allow Him to make changes, wait for His answer (Don't rush Him)

Start praying for the doors that God will be opening for you .

Don't sit back and wait for the door to open, it does not happen that way

Stand up in faith, walk towards the door expecting it to open when you get there.

When you get there and you find that the door is closed, remain on your feet, look for other opportunities that He might have placed there, for you, then grab hold of it, in anticipation of the door opening soon, but whatever you do don't take your eyes off the door.

The Lord probably wants you to do something else first, to prepare you for the task that awaits you on the other side of that closed door. See this time as another opportunity, not just a door that closed and now you're going to do nothing while you wait for God to open it .

You should know or else you should find out what He requires of you, and do it, then leave the rest for Him to do and He will do it

All this is an expression of faith not just a prayer, don't expect the Lord to answer, just because you happened to ask Him, as if it's His duty to give you what you want, when you want it, with no action or responsibility what so ever from your side.

When you approach the Lord in prayer with a request remember that:

His time is not your time,

His thoughts are not your thoughts

His timing coincides with His plan not your plan

If you have to wait, maybe He wants you to learn something while you wait

You see only part, He sees the bigger picture

When He thinks you're ready He'll give you everything.

He knows all about everything you know nothing

He'll make everything work out for the better and for your good.

You know what you want, He knows what you need,

He will provide, in your needs not your greed's

Be satisfied with what you get, even if it is not what you expected.

You should not be telling Him├ö├ç┬¬.. …

How much you want to earn,

The size of the house you want to live in

The type of car that you need

What you're planning to do for Him with all of that, what you're going to get from Him, in order to glorify His name when you get it.

Instead you should be asking Him├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬…

To provide you with what He knows you need

To provide the work or task that He has lined up for you

To provide you with daily bread

To provide a roof over your head

And then you should assure Him of your willingness to build His Kingdom and

Shine your light in the world for His glory for His sake not yours.

Then you will find, you have enough of everything including happiness, peace and contentment and still have more than enough to share or give away.

But what about disappointments along the way ?…

Things may not always work out as one would expect that it should, because:

His pace may be faster or slower than you may think

His expectations may be more rigorous than you may imagine

His direction may leads to more trouble than you may have bargained on

His rewards may not always compensate for the bumps and bruises that you might collect along the way.

When the times of disappointments come then you should :

look at the blessings along the way that speak of grace

look backward to a cross that made it all possible

remember the suffering that Jesus endured, when He died on that cross

look forward to a throne where He's sitting at the Father's right hand

but always look upward and glorify Him because He's praying for you

but never forget that His Holy Spirit lives in you

God promises that He will never leave you or forsake you

There will be mountaintop and valley experiencesalong the way…

There is a connection between the two.

It is the power of the One we worship when we're on the mountain, that will sustain and equip us to function when we are down in the valley.

…To take a decision in faith or to live a life of faith we should be prepared to take a leap of faith and we should be reminded that:…

"If you wish to know the blessing of God in your life you need to believe what you profess to believe"

Just remember that you are not alone, ……This is why you should bear in mind that if you belong to God as His child you have such an advantage over this world, but you will not have it if you don't take it. …Before He was taken away to be crucified Jesus prayed this beautiful prayer for us as Christians…The Prayer of JesusJohn 17:1- 25…After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life-to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.

6 "I have revealed you (Greek have revealed your name) to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word.7 Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, 8 for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.

9 "My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. 11 Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; (Some manuscripts read you have given me these [disciples].) now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. 12 During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. (Some manuscripts read I protected those you gave me, by the power of your name.) I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.

13 "Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

20 "I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one-as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

22 "I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!

25 "O righteous Father, the world doesn't know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them."…What a beautiful passionate prayer that Jesus prayed for those of us who are to remain in this sinful world.

But He said as well that is not going to be easy John 16:33

33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."……And then He said in Luke 12: 22-32 that we should not worry about our lives because He knows what we need……22 Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. 23 For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. 24 Look at the ravens. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! 25 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 26 And if worry can't accomplish a little thing like that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things?

27 "Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 28 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

29 "And don't be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don't worry about such things. 30 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. 31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

32 "So don't be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

33 "Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. 34 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Yes or No

What’s the biggest decision you will ever make? Let’s come back to that question later. Instead, think about this. …In case you’ve never thought about it before, please realise: making decisions is an extraordinary function.

Why does a salmon swim upstream once a year? …Because it decides to? …Or because some instinct within it propels it to? …It likely has no choice in the matter.

But a university graduate can move to Cape Town or Johannesburg, provided she’s had job offers in both cities. …She has to make a choice, not based on instinct. …Will it be Cape Town or Johannesburg ? …Maybe the job in Johannesburg pays better, but she’d still rather live in Cape Town. …To choose one or the other will mean a “yes” and a “no.” …She will be saying “yes” to the city of her choosing, and “no” to the city she’s decided not to take the job in.

We make “yes” and “no” decisions all the time. Possibly thousands in a given day. Have you ever considered what an incredible ability this is? …Have you ever considered what life’s most important decision is?

Decision Making Requires Options

The ability to choose is quite remarkable. …If your major requires a foreign language component, you can choose what you want. Will it be French, Russian, German, or Spanish?…You are not instinctively forced to take one over another. …Instead, you weigh your options and say “yes” to one and “no” to all the others.

A boy who grows up in the Dominican Republic does not decide who his parents will be, what city he will be raised in, what language he will speak. …But as he grows older, his world of options increases. If he makes it through primary education, he can join the military or go to university. Which will it be?

He did not choose to be born in the Dominican Republic, but if he studies hard in university, gets his medical degree and makes enough money, he might decide to leave his homeland and open a clinic in another country.

Many things are forced upon us initially. …Who our parents are, where we are born, what gender and race we are. …But as life goes on, we learn that we can and must make choices, ones that involve multiple options. In a healthy home, a dad helps his teenagers to understand that they must make decisions in life, and that there are consequencesto life’s decisions.

People make decisions with regard to the options available to them. …If they have no options, they don’t have a decision to make. …But if they have more than one option, a choice must be made.…Even a decision not to decide is actually in itself a decision.

Some decisions are more important than others. Whether a woman has John or Ted as a marriage partner is much more important than whether she has waffles or pancakes for breakfast. It’s more important because who she will marry has greater, more lasting consequences. Also, it’s more important because John and Ted are more important than waffles and pancakes.

What we see is that the importance of a decision is tied to two things: …1) what its consequences will be, and …2) what persons or things the decision involves.

For example, who you will marry is a very important decision. …It involves another human being, and the person chosen will bring great and lasting consequences to your life. …So, with that in mind, what’s the most important decision you will ever make?

When Decision Making Becomes Important

Consider this: the most important decision you will ever make is what you will do with God.

Think about it. If God is who most people think he is, then God is the most important person in existence. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He is the one being who has always existed and is here to stay, no matter what.

If you decide to have onion rings instead of french fries, that’s no big deal. If you buy a plaid shirt instead of a solid red one, what does it matter, really? If you marry Bill instead of Brad, or Mandy instead of Marcia — even though that’s quite important, in the long run how important is it compared to whether or not you choose to be wed to God?

And that is exactly the situation we find ourselves in. For God has allowed us to say “I do” or “I don’t” to him. We can enter the divine matrimony or reject it altogether. We can say “yes” or “no” to the God of all creation. And not deciding is actually a decision.

Now, consider, this is quite amazing. Imagine that you were loved and adored by the most beautiful, intelligent, witty, loving, and courageous man or woman who ever lived. This perfect person loved you dearly, with a sacrificial love, and wanted to be wed to you for life, actually for an eternity of marital bliss.

What would you say? “I’m sorry. You’re not good enough for me.”

Yet that is the position that many people (most?) take with God.

Some Decisions Should Be Easy to Make

If we ever wanted a relationship with anyone, it should be with God. There is no one better to have a relationship with. He’s perfectly good, wise, loving, just, fair, respectful, honest and caring. It’s likely that just to see his face would mark the greatest moment in our lives.

And yet we say to him, “Thanks anyway but…no thanks.” To make such a statement is to declare, in a sense, that he is not good enough for us. How ironic.

But why reject him in the first place? Maybe it’s that he’s too intimidating. We think, “Who wants to be married to someone who’s perfect? They’d be noticing my faults all the time!” But God doesn’t ask us to be perfect, but merely to come to him in our imperfection. He even says he will remove our imperfections in the next life, so that we will be more like him.

Okay, then what is it? Why reject someone as awesome as God? God only knows. For each person, the reason may be different.

In any case, it is very, very humble for God to allow us to decide on such a matter. It’s really the great condescension.

Think about it. God is God and we are not. We need him but he doesn’t need us. He can exist without us. He always has. But we can’t exist without him. We never have.

And he knows that he is the best thing for us. He knows he’s the most beautiful, intelligent, honest, loving, and caring person who ever lived. He knows that if we really submitted ourselves to having a relationship with him, it would be in our best interest. In fact, there is nothing that could be better for us. Nothing.

Therefore, by all rights, he shouldn’t permit us to decide against him. But he does. He allows us to say the big “no thanks.” Even though, in truth, who are we to reject him?

He Leaves the Decision Making Up to Us

The great condescension is that God stands ready and waiting to receive us to himself, whenever we will finally come around to him, though we should have been going to him all along. Were he a snob or one who holds grudges, would He have received us ?, I don't think so.. For if that was true then it would be beneath him to receive us after rejected him in the first place.

But God shows mercy and grace. He is compassionate. He is patient. He knocks on the door of our hearts and waits for an answer. He allows us to make the great decision. Is there a more haunting “no” …than the “no” said to God? …Is there a more fulfilling”yes” …..than the “yes” said to God?

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (The Bible, Matthew 7:13-14)