we're in a series on how to wreck your life aren't you glad you came anybody know anybody like that ever hand could go up so we're going to look at a helpful topic this morning that'll actually be like a Swiss army knife with multiple Tools in it you can take into any area of life and it's this one thing how to make terrible choices how do you do really dumb stuff when faced with Crossroad kind of moments in your life you know big moments you know what I'm going to wear what I'm going to eat is not if I mess that up it's not going to cause me any Eternal problem but there are some decisions you'll make or choices that have some real serious repercussions to them all of us make all kinds of choices every single day don't we just think about it some of the recent research done to calculate the number of individual choices that a normal person makes on an average day according to a report I read from the University of North Carolina guess how many choices researchers figured out that we make every single day 35,000 over 35,000 every single day of your life researchers at Cornell University estimated that just with regard to food every day we make 227 decisions a few my friends make more than that when it comes to eating I know so we make all kinds of choices think about how many choices we make do I watch Direct TV tonight or is it Netflix if it's Netflix what show am I going to watch what movie I mean that's 30,000 of 35,000 decisions right there will I have regular coffee or am I in the mood for a frosty drink something like that what should I wear to work which route will I take which map app will I use to tell me how bad the traffic is do I like that friend's post on Instagram or do I finally block that idiot those are the choices these are the choices you have to make on any given day well I listen to today's message by Rick or will I daydream about all the other things that I'd rather be doing I get it I get it no offense maybe you're trying to figure out what am I going to do now that I've graduated am I going to go to work am I going to take a gap year am I going to go to college if so where am I going to go what am I going to do maybe it's a big decision you're dealing with with relationships maybe it's a career decision and you wonder if you're in the right job I mean we've all seen the statistics on the great resignation since covid over the last few years beginning at Co people started saying enough is enough I'm going to do something else I'll go back to to school I'll retire early maybe you've been wrestling with that or maybe you're considering a move or maybe you just moved here those are kind of choices that face us all the time and I don't want to Heap any more pressure on anybody but let's let's face it our lives can largely be shaped by the choices we make correct yeah so how do we do this well and here's why it matters the decisions we make today determine the stories we're going to tell tomorrow in fact think about who you are today in so many ways are largely the sum of the decisions you've been making along the way maybe good ones maybe bad ones anybody but me ever made a bad one yeah well yeah the rest of you lying sure and maybe there were things that happened to you beyond your control but you still had to decide how I'm going to respond how will I handle this thing see our lives are the direct result largely of the decisions that we make every day now I can't change the past but I can make different decisions now to rewrite my future so how do we make these choices well lots of different places to look now I know it's particularly hard for the upcoming generation just considering how many choices they have to live with and deal with all the time time hey back back when I was in school back in the early 50s we didn't have too many choices it wasn't anything on TV and most of the TVs only had three channels black and white and went off I think at at 10: and that was it and nothing was open we had Sunday blue law so you couldn't take your girlfriend or your wife out for hamburger or do anything and about the worst thing that happened at school would be you get caught smoking in the bathroom I mean we didn't have any stabbings or shootings did we Percy not then we just we just didn't have many options so we didn't get in trouble not because we were righteous there wasn't anything to do and now with our generation today there is everything to do 247 and a lot easier to get in a lot of trouble so how do you handle that without being paralyzed and overwhelmed by the mistakes or making a choice well God has something to say about it and the Book of Proverbs the book of wisdom in which we're in is particularly wealthy when it comes to finding wisdom about making decisions for example Proverbs urges us when he comes to making decisions to seek God's guidance to look to him he says do not be wise in your own eyes Proverbs 3 says fear the lord and shun or avoid evil now not fear fear the lord like I'm paralyzed intimidated but respectful reverent recognizing he is the source of all wisdom and it urges us not only to seek God's counsel but also to seek advice and input from Godly friends we trust people who can help us help us get God's guidance and God's will you know I speaking about counsel I'm very hard-headed a little bit stubborn I'm not always right but I'm never in doubt okay when I had my rotator cuff surgery and I'm like this and the surgeon said Dr Phelps said now you can't drive for eight weeks and I thought you just assigned me to hell what do you what do you mean I can't drive in 8 weeks I said I certainly canri Drive I got an automatic transmission I got a good left hand I'm quite flexible and mobile of course I can drive I drive home now and I just gave him a real pain of of obstacles because I just wasn't going to receive that you can't drive for a week I need some information so if you're a doctor here you need to give me a little more information about why you said I can't because I'm thinking yes I can and as soon as I leave you I will right I know I'm I'm I'm singing to some of you I know then he said to me I know you can drive Rick but if you have a wreck even somebody else causes it you're going to be charged with impaired driving oh why didn't you say that at a start I could have left your office earlier you didn't tell me that so with that wise counsel hardhead got it and Cindy had to drive me and then we had to go to marriage counseling right dear God that was awful so listen to good advice from proven Achievers and accept instruction and at the end God says you'll be counted among the wise don't assume you know everything if you're going into a partnership you're going to make a money investment I would suggest you don't get me to pray for you I would suggest you talk to like Randy Ross or some of our CPAs and financial planners to get some advice and some caution now you got to make the call but get some wise counsel before you make the choice why would that hurt you see wouldn't so there are a lot of us a lot of young people who aren't old enough yet to know you don't know everything now when I got out of school I thought I knew everything when I got out of the University I thought I knew everything when I got out of Seminary I knew everything then life beats the heck out of you and you run into one one crash after another and you realize I don't know everything I'm wondering what do I know after a long life you know so just have the humility to be able to say maybe someone else knows better maybe their Insight maybe their perspective is from a person I can respect maybe I could learn from them they might have something to say which could save me a massive wreck or regret it also warns don't be too hasty don't be too quick when it comes to those kind of big decisions he says the plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to Poverty so plan it think it through be intentional slow down long enough to think about what you're going to do I I was always taught don't make the choice when you're extremely mad don't make the choice when you're all passionate hyped up about a big purchase wait till you cool down wait 24 hours see if you feel the same way just wait don't do it hastily or you'll live with a lifetime of some regret so you could point to the Old Testament and go to the Book of Proverbs when it comes to wisdom and making decisions there's one particular uh verse that sort of summarizes all of this in in a real practical and way way to live a life of faith that God intends for all of us it's one of the best known verses in the Bible and I bet a bunch of you either know it or you memorized it Proverbs 3 verse 5 and six trust in the Lord with all your heart lean not to your own understanding you don't know it all and in all your ways not just some submit to him and he'll make your path straight yeah he will he'll make your path straight so woven into this couple of sentences is what you need to know when he comes to making decisions and navigating life so what's it say it teaches us what to do it teaches us what not to do and it teaches us what God promises he'll do so first what do we do you trust the Lord you surrender to God to put our lives completely in his hands to trust the Lord with all your heart not just part not just certain aspects of your life all of your heart you want to see God move in your life you want to see his guidance and direction in your life Proverbs says don't play Hokey Pokey with God some of you don't even know what Hokey Pokey is you you know you put your left hand in you put your you take it back out you shake it all around something you do the hokey pokei right okay right okay so you put one hand in and one back out or the other hand in the other hand out or the backside in and the backside out you get where I'm going with this don't dabble don't just put bits and pieces of you in unto God's Authority or submission you want God's guidance trust in the Lord with all your heart put your whole self in Shake It All Around if you have to but put your whole self in no Hokey Pokey that's what we do and when I do that I know he is with me because I'm with him I I'm I'm I'm giving him myself I know he's with me no matter what I happen to be facing so I don't have to be anxious about anything because I'm trusting God whatever path I take when I'm trying to do what he wants me to do he'll walk with me second is teaches me what not to do it says don't lean to your own understanding again don't assume you know everything or that you know better than everybody else have the humility to admit there is a perspective bigger than your own God's perspective is often shared through Godly friends who can give us perspective about life or situations you may be facing now my impulse is to say I got this I don't need anybody's help I can handle it myself and sadly that is a problem often for me oh I know you lovely virgins out there that's not a problem for you men but I uh left to myself that would be a problem I have to work on I don't I don't I don't need anybody I remember the beetle song after they got old help I need somebody I just anybody you remember that remember that song he said when I was young ago so much younger than today I never I can't even remember the words I never thought I needed anybody what to help in any way but now I'm old and not so self assured now I find I need you like I never did before help okay the song sucked all right but I tried so he says don't lean on your own understanding that's something you lean on that won't hold you up it'll crack under the weight of pressure so he says trust in the Lord with all your heart lean not to your own understanding and 30 says in all your ways in everything you do in all 35,000 plus daily decisions submit to him and that Hebrew word for submit is uh there and it also translates acknowledge or to know it simply means recognize God's there recognize there's an authority higher than your craving you look to him to align your plans with his to trust the Lord with every bit of your heart and when you do that when we submit to him everything we acknowledge we to him what does he promis to do to make our path straight pretty good guarantee not to make your path smooth or to make your path easy that's not a promise but to make your path straight to make your path clear to show you the way trust in the Lord with all your heart lean not to your own understanding submit to him in all your ways I promise you he will direct your path and make it straight that's how to approach what he says that's how to make wise decisions but of course if you are looking to wreck your life do just the opposite instead of trusting the Lord with all your heart only trust him with certain parts or only trust him with all your heart temporarily until it gets difficult then you bail out instead of Leaning not on your own understanding lean on what it is you want more than anything else that'll get you in trouble you've heard this advice listen to your heart trust your gut follow your nose and it does sound good there was an old song written by a songwriter by the name of Rich Mullins and he wrote and said they say boy you just follow your heart but my heart just led into my chest they said follow your nose but the direction changed every time I turned my head they said boy just follow your dreams but my dreams were only Misty Notions but the father of Hearts the maker of noses and The Giver of Dreams he's the one I've chosen and I will follow him and that's good advice amen you know and we've all done it you know at times you can follow your heart you can follow your gut and there are a lot of us that will tell you that that does not always end well I can tell you there have been times when my heart led me to make a foolish Choice whether it's dating relationships whether it's purchases I've made whether it's big decisions or things that came out of my mind and I've done something wrong with my mouth I've made a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion maybe I've done something impulsive that seemed right in my heart at the time but turned out not to be the best call how about you yeah you know I didn't know what I know now see so here's the truth our hearts as romantic as it sounds to follow your heart our hearts aren't as totally reliable as sometimes we wish they were Proverbs 21 says a person may think their own ways are right but the Lord weighs the heart so so he knows what's really going on inside and I think the truth is a lot of us we know the truth too or look at this passage from Proverbs 14 it says there's a way that appears to be right but at the end it leads to death or destruction those are strong words so be careful the writer of Proverbs says be wise you know if you want to wreck your life just trust yourself take the path that appears to be right to you rather than actually digging it and finding out for yourself now there's so much more we could say about that but here's what I want to do I want to look at an example before we close kind of a case study of somebody facing a LIF defining decision and see what we can learn from it just do it very brief of course the person I want to look at is Jesus himself so in Mark chapter 14 we find Jesus face to face with one of these LIF defying decisions he's had this wonderful min history for three and A2 years he's made a lot of people angry but he's made thousands of people well throughout the region they've heard him talk about a new way of living a new kind of relationship that they could all experience with God a new kind of Grace not legalism a fresh start that's now available from Heaven by Jesus and Jesus is coming face to face with this moment when he's going to have to deliver on that promise this call this Mission and he's ultimately been called to do it now he's got to make the decision because he wasn't just called to come and teach he wasn't just called to come and heal he said I came to seek and save that which was lost so after dinner one night in Mark 14 Jesus's heart's kind of heavy because he knows that the next day is going to change everything it's that night of the Last Supper when he's eating with his friends at dinner and they leave dinner to go out into the garden and when it comes to big decision you know it comes to asking for wisdom God promises that if we ask for that wisdom he'll give it without finding fault so ask God for wisdom first well Jesus goes into the garden to pray to ask for wisdom and his pals are walking with him but they have no idea what's going to happen they're just yakking together about stuff maybe talking about what they're going to do tomorrow what they had for dinner or how the Jerusalem Jaguars are going to do in the game tomorrow or did the Cowboys draft right are we going to see any growth there maybe they're just talking football who knows okay I just made that up that's not in the Bible just seeing if you're listening okay so they're just yaking but not Jesus Jesus is quiet because sometimes you know when you got to make a big decision you don't want noise you're focused it's all you can think about I personally do best when I'm a alone and quiet and that's when that's when I hear the Lord the best or he speaks to my mind now I know the choice is like that but I think he solidifies it when I'm quiet and I'm asking him to to help me make the right decision well that's Jesus and they can sense it something's not right so they ask him what's wrong he doesn't say anything but he goes out into the garden to pray all by himself he's wrestling with this choice this decision he's standing face to face with this decision will he go along with the father's plan in his life or will he not will he protect his life will he focus on his own Comfort or is he willing to lay down his life to die so that others could be forgiven and saved now Jesus knew what the father wanted him to do he already defined that when he said I've come to seek and save that which is lost he knew what to do and it's something I've actually learned in my own life that a lot of times we know exactly what the right thing is to do we just don't want to do it something in US knows exactly what the right thing to do is the problem is sometimes the right thing isn't going to be easy maybe we're in a relationship and we know it isn't the kind of relationship God has in mind for me or maybe we're considering a business decision and technically it's legal but ethically it's sketchy or we know that our lives have got to be about more than just acquiring stuff getting more and more for ourselves we know the right thing to do the question is do we have the courage to actually do it those are the kinds of Life defining decisions that really matter the kind of Life defining decisions Jesus is facing will I give my life to forgive their sins or will I go in a different way and the weight is so heavy on Jesus that he's facing the Bible says he literally begins to sweat great drops of blood which which is actually a medical possibility rupturing the capillaries under your skin where you can be under such durest such stress that blood will actually seep from your pores that's how intense this is and maybe some of you have been in those intense places maybe not where you sweat blood but you know what it's like do we keep do we keep them on life support or do we disconnect them do we declare bankruptcy or not should we try this risky experimental procedure or not should we divorce or not so whatever it might be those are the times when everything's on the line that's a life definining decision it's exactly what Jesus is on his knees wrestling with and he's very open and he says I don't want to do this father if it's possible let this cup pass from me okay now I see how he's thinking have you ever when God faced you down with a decision said oh man I don't want to do this shoot I do it all the time what are you talking y'all look so holy if you really wanted to do what God wanted you to do some about half of you would tithe but you're not you know what God says but you're not see so in other words I don't want to do this but he says nevertheless not my will but your will be done I'll Trust You Lord with all my heart I won't lean to my own understanding I I will submit to you I will trust that you will make my path straight and of course not long after that there's a sound of a crowd out in the garden pretty soon the flicker of torches is seen and this mob comes and grabs Jesus and many of you know the story in that moment he makes his decision they grab his hands they tie them behind his back and think about this those same hands that had formed the Earth that made this beautiful planet on which we all get to live those same creating hands of Jesus that healed thousands of people and work so many Miracles are now all tied up and he's LED away to a series of mock trials and all kinds of abuse and betrayal ultimately leading him to be murdered on a cross so he's made his choice his life defining decision was to lay down his life for you and for me to die in our place to forgive all the ways we can wreck Our Lives to forgive and help fix those things that was his life that was his defining decision and you know why he he did that well because he trusted the father's will with all of his heart his life wasn't going to be about him it was about what the father wanted and secondly because he loved you he knew if he didn't do this you don't have a snowballs chance in gehenna of eternal life he knew it and it was the only way out and it just wasn't pleasant but he decided to do it and he died so he could redeem all the ways you can wreck your life and some of you have invented a whole lot of them but he still loved you and he said you're worth it you're worth that decision so I'll endure whatever I'm going to endure out of love for you out of the chance that somehow you and I can have a relationship begin that somehow you would trust me to to walk with you to guide you through life he said he made that life defining decision out of love for every one of us and so that life-defining decision that Jesus made wasn't just about his life it was about our lives it wasn't just about his story his story can change our story and that's why this matters we can now be forgiven we can now find new purpose we can find hope we can now experience guidance guidance and wisdom and his power through his holy spirit trusting Jesus is the most significant lifechanging decision you will ever make it is the one decisions that will determine your eternity that One Forever And by the way when you you make it it doesn't mean magically you start behaving perfectly of course not we still find ways to wreck Our Lives it doesn't mean that things will always go smoothly see the straight path God had in mind for Jesus was not going to be an easy one H but that path is defined by Jesus so when we approach one of those major decisions it's not about what do I want what are my hopes what does my heart say it's about what do you want want Lord for me show me your way whether it's a relationship or a career or school or financial decision what would you have me do and here's a good news when you're wrestling with it and you will Jeremiah 29:11 God says my plans for you are good not evil to give you a hope and a future I'm not going to make you do something I didn't design you to do I'm not going to make you marry somebody ugly if you follow me I'm not going to put you in something you hate that's not going to be what happens my plans are good to prosper you to give you a hope that's the plan of God that's why I don't have to be afraid of his will but it was part of my fear in my early life if I gave my life to Jesus oh he's going to wreck it well I'd already wrecked it he was going to fix it but I had to give it to him so it wasn't just what would make me happy it was what might make you happy father so so when we come to the forks in the road we don't have to be afraid of those moments we don't have to be worried that if we did the wrong thing somehow we'll screw it all up that we'll wander so far away nothing can be healed but God promises to walk with us to guide us even when we take a wrong turn along the way to bring Grace into our lives to bring us back on track and some of you know what I'm talking about because you know some of the creative ways to wreck a life but you also know that you can never wreck your life so bad God's grace can't reach it and transform it you can never make so many mistakes that his grace can't forgive and heal you and restore you that's good news that's the only news we got we're travel agents of good news we don't book guilt trips some of us know that because we've been there we've done that we've experienced his incredible grace and mercy so we're learning to follow his guidance and I'll tell you it's very very freeing to come to Forks in the road make a major decision choice and to know that God has me in mind that he will lead me he'll take care of these decisions he knows I'm trying to make the right one and even if it turns out not to be the right one he will still work in my life to make it right he can work everything for good to them that love him now there are other people in this room and watching online who have never experience that you've heard people talk about it but you've never taken the chance to actually trust the Lord with all your heart not just a little bit in peace but with all your heart and in these moments I want to invite you to do that this is your day this is your moment and sure you've made some wrong choices some wrong decisions along the way hey join the club with the rest of us the good news is there are plenty of ways to wreck your life but as I said you can never wreck it so bad that God can't fix it that he can't forgive it and give you a fresh new start and today could be that day day for many of you where you decide to put your life into his hands in that way and I just have the sense there are people who need to do that this weekend maybe in this room maybe watching online and as much as we're learning from the wisdom of Proverbs that it's what's more important than learning the wisdom that's contained in these words of Proverbs is embracing the wisdom that he wants to give us to do it in our lives today embracing the grace he has in mind for us today so maybe you need to do that so I'm going to ask you to do that if that's you this could be the day you decide to put your life all of your life in God's hands you know you're saying Lord I'm not exactly sure what all this means but I'm willing to take a step that way because I need your help fixing what's been wrecked in my life and I believe your grace can do it you know in the Bible when people made that decision it wasn't private it wasn't between just them and God they made it public they told people about that decision say went public and this beautiful picture of baptism of being lowered into the water buried and then coming up raised in his likeness of Resurrection gave a whole new fresh start and perspective to the people that accepted Jesus it didn't save them but it identified them with his death burial and resurrection and he cut away that flesh spiritually in a spiritual circumcision so that they're rising to to newness of life and maybe you need to do that if you haven't done that yet it's a great way to express that decision of trusting Jesus we have baptisms coming up the end of August August the 25th we'd love to have you be a part of that but today you could make the most important decision of your life don't screw this one up this one has eternity hooked on it bow your head with me Lord thank you so much thank you for your grace thank you for the fact that some of us have invented ways to wreck our lives and yet even with the rubble that's been left behind you are still able to step in to restore to heal to rebuild and forgive that's your specialty so I thank you Father thank you for the decision you invited us to make to embrace your offer of Grace a fresh start a new beginning whether it's someone in this room or somebody watching online you can just pray this prayer in your heart Jesus I give you my life Jesus today I give you all of my life not my will but thy will be done and if you never prayed that prayer I want to pray for you would you just with heads bowed nobody's going to bother you just slip a hand up and take it down nobody will bother you let me know God I say thank you God bless you God bless you thank you I see some hands there same if you're watching online today is the day God for those in this room facing big decisions I ask that you will give them the courage to lean not to their own understanding but to trust you in the process to look to you in this process and I pray you will make their path straight and show them your way bless them today I pray thank you for the gift of eternal life in jesus' name amen God bless let's give God a little praise offering he's he's for you not against you