“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11. 

Have you ever struggled in your life to make decisions? Sometimes, we just stop midway, mortified, worried and tensed, wondering if we are on the right track.

Most of us Christians have a deep and long standing fear about the major decisions that we make in our lives. Are they the right decisions? Does God stamp the seal of approval on my plans? Will it backfire? A multitude of such thoughts cross our mind all too often, and make us question our choices in life. So, how do I know if the decision that I made is the one approved by God?

Here are certain definitive ways by which we can conclude that our decisions are putting us on the precise path that God had sculpted for us.

Commit your decisions to God

Whether it is a mundane decision, or a life changing one, we just commit every decision to God, and ask his silent approval before moving forward with that plan. Involving God in every decision making process, will clear all obstacles, and help us get a wide angle view of the entire sketch that we have laid out to pursue. Every choice that we make is a major choice in our life. We must look at it from a Christian perspective in order that the decision is made in Christ. It is helpful to remember that God’s plan for us will never let us turn away from the commandments, scriptures, or the word of God that we follow. If our decision qualifies these criteria, rest assured that we have taken the right decision.

Our decisions reflect our values

Every one of us gains certain values in life, which act as a guiding force to tread through the right path during our time on earth. These values, though unseen, are the reference points which we unknowingly turn towards, when we make major decisions in life. The decisions that we make reflect these values that we have gained through the spiritual experiences that we have been put through by God. These values also reflect as to how important God is in our lives. A good value system, coupled with a strong and unrelenting faith that God is with us in every twist and turn of life, will help us take the right decisions in life. Faith can move mountains; the decisions that we make in good faith can move Himalayan obstacles from our path, and help us to reach our destination in no time.

Every decision must glorify God

Our life on earth must be to glorify God, and His sacred teachings. When our decisions are based on glorifying God, we carve a solid path to Heaven, which is our eternal abode, and ultimate destination. We can never go wrong here. 

A silent seeking of approval from God, before every decision we make, will help us listen to that calm voice within our minds as to which path we must tread. Think for a minute if your decision is taking you a step closer to your eternal destination, or making you lag behind in your journey to the Promised Land. We must consider every decision making of ours as an opportunity to glorify God, and move a step closer to touching the hem of his garment. 

Can you see God’s face in the horizon when you make a decision? 

Power of prayer

The power of prayer is abundant and all enthralling. When we soak in divine prosody, we are engulfed by the divine presence of the Lord, and we bask in His divine glory. God’s wisdom transforms us and shapes our thought and act, so that we are guided to take the right decision according to His will.

King Saul, the first king of Israel , and King David his successor are best examples as to why we must pray and look to God when we are in crisis. When Saul was faced with difficult situations, he invariably made all the wrong decisions, despite being wise, and intelligent. Why was he making all the wrong decisions? Saul lacked intimacy with God and did not aim at glorifying God while making major decisions. However, we see that David seeks God’s approval before every decision he made. He is also a great example of having faltered, and turned back to God for guidance.

When we seek guidance from God through prayer, we are directly connecting ourselves to His divine power, and being guided by the Holy Spirit in gaining wisdom to make the right decision. Therefore, every decision making process should be an act of prayer, seeking God’s wisdom for the plans that we make on earth. When we seek God’s guidance, our Heavenly Father pours His wisdom on us like manna.

Seek the support of spiritual mentors and elders

Proverbs 12:15 Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to advice.

Along with prayer, wisdom, and values, we must also look towards seeking the support of Spiritual mentors, and elders, who follow the word of God, and have had a fulfilling life on this earth. Their words of wisdom, laced with the goodness of the scripture, and cemented with the years of solid experience in this world, will help us in taking the right path that God wants us to tread through.

A spiritual mentor must be chosen with care. He/she could be a spiritual father, or a lay person, or family member who has a good standing in society and, who follows the word of God closely, and has gained respect among the multitudes for his/her wisdom and faith.

Never make decisions in haste

Proverbs 14:15- The simple believe everything, but the clever consider their steps.

The best decisions in your life are those that are taken after a lot of thought. A decision that is taken after relentless prayer, guidance, and reflection, and based on Christian values can never make you falter. When we make decisions, we must take time to pray, seek guidance from others, reflect on the decisions we have made, and ask ourselves if these decisions bring us closer to God, or not. All these reflections cannot be made in haste. They must be taken with time, after ascertaining if we are making the right choice before God.

Our life choices must always lead us to God. If we find that our decisions are tampering with our prayer life, our purity, and our spiritual life, be warned that it is not God’s plan. Anything that makes you stray away from God must immediately warn you that you have taken the wrong path. 

We must also keep a close watch as to how others react to our decisions in life. If the majority of the people that you hold in high esteem, and are high in spirituality look at your decisions with approval and acceptance, it is a good sign that you have made the right choice.

Let us all seek God’s approval and make him a part of our decision making process in order to be guided by the light that transforms the world.

Amen