Making Wise Choices
**Are you living in an abusive situation? One of our e-mail mentors would love to talk with you personally. http://christianwomentoday.com/chat/askus.html
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Lisa fell head-over-heels in love with Brad, a man she worked with. Her best friend, Kimberly. exclaimed enviously, “Wow! You sure have one great guy there! He’s so handsome, all the other gals are jealous of you. Better hang on to that guy!”
However, her mother perceived things in Brad that concerned her. “Honey, I think you’d better slow down in your relationship with Brad,” she said. “You’ve known each other for only a few months, and now you’re talking about marriage. But I don’t think you’d be happy with Brad. I’ve noticed he flirts with other girls. He’s inconsiderate of you and has a temper too.”
“But Mom, we love each other!” Lisa exclaimed. “And he wants to marry me!”
So Lisa listened to her heart and her friends and married Brad. And she became one of many women who have married controlling, abusive, and cheating men and spent years regretting it.
It’s not just young women and men who make mistakes in judgment. I get letters from hurting women of all ages who are still doing so.
“How can I keep from making another big mistake?” they ask.
How can we avoid making mistakes? If we’re Christians, we have a supernatural source of wisdom: God. We can seek His will not only on big decisions, but on seemingly small ones, too. He is interested in every detail our lives. As we pray, he will guide.
How does God guide his children? He does it through the following:
Circumstances – What opportunities are available?
When I had to decide how I would support myself and my younger daughter, I had two choices: I was offered a full-time office job downtown, or I could take a big chance and become a full-time writer. Because of some scary experiences my fearful little girl had had, I felt it would be better for her if I stayed at home. So I sought the Lord for direction.
God’s Word – His word is a lamp to our feet. Ask Him to direct you through your reading of the Bible.
If I took the office job, I’d have a steady income. But if I became a full-time writer for the Lord, I would spend my time glorifying Him and helping others to know Him as their Savior. First Corinthians 10:31 reminded me, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Although I knew God could use me where ever He lead me, this verse stirred by heart in the direction of writing.
Leading of the Spirit – John 16:13 says the Holy Spirit guides every willing heart up the right path.
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”
As I prayed, I knew the Lord was leading me to step out by faith and be a full-time writer for Him—and He would supply all our needs. I did—and He did!
As you face decisions today trust the Lord to line up these three things as you seek His wisdom. Look at your circumstances, ask Him to guide you through His word, and listen to the voice of His Spirit as you spend time in prayer seeking His will.
He will lead you!
~Lord, lead me in the way I should go. Help me to seek our Your direction through Your Word and through listening prayer. Help me to do your will. Amen.
Questions: How can we improve our relationship with the Lord so that we can know His leading? On what occasions should we seek God’s leading? How can we keep from making foolish mistakes?
About the Author: http://talk.thelife.com/experience/devotionalforwomen/authors/muriel-larson/
Tags: abusive, cheating, choices, controlling, decisions, judgment, temper
11 Responses to “Making Wise Choices”
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Amen, Bettye! You are, indeed, a woman of wise counsel, grounded in His Word! Praise Him for His gift of spiritual understanding as you search the Scriptures for His instruction and guidance, and for His grace to live it out! God bless! :)
The Word says “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and He delight in his way (Psalm 37:23). I pray in Jesus’ Name that He order my steps in His word and let no sin dominate me (Psalm 119:133). It is also written I will instruct you and teach you in the way you shall go: I will guide you with mine eye(Psalm 32:8). So we should seek Him on every occasion big or small, all are important to him. The Lord is not salck concerning his promise ( 11 Peter3:9). I think we can imporve our relationship with the Lord by having faith that never gives up, I want to be willing to hang onto the horns of the alter until the answer come and not allow doubt and fear to creep in. God have not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and love, and of a sound mind (11 Timothy 1:7). Bringing our mistakes, bad choices to the Lord is an on going process, he said He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him (Psalm 91:15). The best way is to commit our works and ways to the Lord (Proverbs 16:3). “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life. nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things tocome. Nor heights, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love od God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38,39). God bless you all mightily! Bettye
[...] Devotionals: Being a Chooser ~ Philippians 3:20-21 ~ Making Wise Choices [...]
Dear Susan, do not fear making mistakes, as we ALL make them throughout our lifetimes! Fear not learning from them, instead! If you are a Christian, Susan, you have all that you need, dear one, for making right choices! The Holy Spirit in you longs to direct your path, to give you wisdom, to guide your decisions! Surround yourself with spiritually mature Christian women, from whom you can learn and grow in your faith. If you set your heart on glorifying God in this season of singleness, He will bless you with the man of His choosing! As He has given you a longing to be a Christian wife, you can trust Him for His provision, in His time! I will encourage you, Susan, as I did our daughter, in finding your mate — do not marry a non-believer, and make certain that your future husband submits to Christ’s authority in his life! This is very important, as we wives are commanded to yield to our husband’s leadership in the home. If our husbands are Christ-followers, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to follow our husbands’ headship. However, if our husbands are not believers, or are spiritually immature or in rebellion, honoring our roles can be quite challenging! Pray often and regularly to the Lord, Susan, trusting Him to light the way and order your steps. And know, my sweet sister, that God is not limited by our mistakes, for He is God, and He can redeem our poor choices, as we confess and seek His forgiveness and restoration! God bless!
God bless you, dear Maia, for your humility and compassion! We ALL have made choices in life that we did not send through the filter of God’s Word! None of us is perfect, dear one, but when God has convicted us of our sin (anything that is contrary to God’s Word is sin), He reveals the Truth to us, and therefore, He expects us to proclaim the Truth! When we denounce our sin as God has revealed it to us, God will take our sin and use our testimony to exhort others who might be so tempted! If we truly love our brothers and sisters, why would we be silent about the Truth? To withhold the Truth is not to love, for to allow a brother or sister to remain in darkness, when you have been shone the light, is unloving. Your efforts to comfort those women who are hurting and praying for the wives in abusive marriages is a beautiful reflection of the love of Jesus! Your tender sensitivity is surely a blessing to those whom the Lord brings along your path!
THE LORD CAN DO ALL THINGS WE JUST HAVE TO HAVE FAITH IN HIM
Hi Susan. If you’d like to talk privately with an online mentor regarding these sort of life issues (a mentor who is familiar with these sort of difficulties) please consider visiting this link:
http://christianwomentoday.com/chat/askus.html
I’m a single lady aged 26 years old and i’m scared of making mistakes in life especially when it comes to marriage issues. i’m getting concern about my age. I feel that is hould be in a serious relationship now but i’m not. i feel lonely in my heart but i don’t want to mess in life. i want to wait upon God but i’m running short of the grace of God.what do i do. kindly help me. I’m bornagain. God bless you.
Really good devotion today I can relate to so much of it….I have been through a few bad relationships and it took me years to find forgivness for myself, I knew God forgave me but I had such a hard time forgiving myself….I know the bible says devorice is wrong and in this day and time the world sees it as the easy way out and many christian too…..I don’t have the answers for the women that ask should I leave or stay, or for the ones that have left, I myself made some huge mistakes, but with time I have found God has forgiven me, and little by little I have been able to witness to those women that are hurting, yes consequences I have faced many for wrong decisions but I must move foward. I pray for all the women in abusive relationships that God will protect and guide them. Blessings!
I believe that God gives us wisdom only as it is revealed and/or supported by the Scriptures. If our decisions are contrary to biblical principles, then we are at risk of experiencing unfavorable consequences and losing God’s blessing. I believe it is biased to suggest that women, who choose to stay married to “controlling, abusive, cheating husbands” are unwise, as there is nothing in Scripture to support that. While it would be unwise to marry such a man knowingly, even unknowingly, I cannot find a verse that advises or recommends divorce for such difficult marriages. Adultery may be offered as a valid, biblical reason for divorce, but it is not commanded, nor necessarily encouraged. Forgiveness is commanded, regardless of whether or not divorce is sought. When physical safety is a risk, a separation is advisable, but generally it is for a limited period of time, and for the purpose of self-evaluation and reconciliation, with the added benefit of counseling. There are several women in the Bible who endured painful marriages — Leah, Abigail, to name a couple — and they were blessed by God for their faithful perserverance and trust in Him! We are told, as followers of Christ, that we are to be obedient, and trust God for our needs. We are also told that we will suffer for following Him. I strongly believe that too many Christians choose to divorce according to the world’s parameters, not trusting God to sustain or deliver them, then validating their decisions with psychology, not theology.
Thank you Dr. Muriel for your article on making wise choices, it was indeed a great blessing! I believe believers can avoid a lot of heartaches if we can take out time to diligently seek God’s face for directions before we make decisions. Sometimes we are not willing to accept God’s choice for us, even when we seek His face. My prayer this morning is that God will give us the grace to follow His leading, knowing that His choice is the best and that He can never lead us astray!