Lecture Notes: Making Wise Choices

Introduction

• Series topic: "How to Wreck Your Life"
• Focus: Making poor choices, especially during crucial moments in life.

The Importance of Choices

• We make over 35,000 choices daily (University of North Carolina).
• Specific to food: 227 choices daily (Cornell University).
• Types of choices include:
  • What to wear, watch, eat, etc.
  • Significant choices: work, relationships, career decisions.

Choices Shape Our Lives

• Our lives are significantly influenced by the decisions we make.
• "The decisions we make today determine the stories we’ll tell tomorrow."
• Acknowledge that we all make mistakes in decisions.

Seeking Wisdom in Decision-Making

• Seek God's Guidance:

  • Proverbs encourages seeking divine wisdom.
  • “Do not be wise in your own eyes.” (Proverbs 3)
  • Importance of fearing the Lord and avoiding evil.

• Seek Advice from Trusted Friends:

  • Importance of humility in accepting counsel from others.
  • Example of personal experience with medical advice (surgery).

Avoiding Hasty Decisions

• Don’t rush into decisions, especially when emotional.
• The importance of planning and intentionality in decision-making.

Key Verse on Decision-Making

• Proverbs 3:5-6:
  • Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
  • Lean not on your own understanding.
  • In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

Steps to Wise Decision-Making

1. Trust the Lord:
   • Fully surrender your life to God.
2. Don’t Rely on Your Own Understanding:
   • Recognize there’s a higher perspective.
   • Seek Godly wisdom from others.
3. Submit to God in All Ways:
   • Acknowledge God’s authority in every aspect of life.

Caution Against Following Your Heart

• Following your heart without discernment can lead to poor choices.
• Examples of how emotions can mislead decisions.
• Proverbs 21:2: "A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart."

Case Study: Jesus' Decision in the Garden

• Mark 14: Jesus faces a life-defining decision in the Garden of Gethsemane.
• Jesus prays and wrestles with the decision to fulfill God's plan for salvation.
• Importance of seeking wisdom and clarity in moments of stress.

Conclusion

• Emphasizes the significance of trusting God's plan over personal desires.
• Encouragement for individuals to seek spiritual guidance in their decisions.
• Invitation to surrender to God for a fresh start and healing.

Call to Action

• Invitation for attendees to trust God with their lives.
• Reminder that God’s grace can restore and heal any situation.