Devotions with Pastor Blake Owings

Decisions 
 
Did you know that the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions every day? These could be something simple like figuring out what to have for breakfast or what pen you want to sign that document. They could even be more complex like trying to decide what car to buy or whether or not you should have a difficult discussion with a friend/co-worker. You would think that with all the practice we have making decisions that we would be experts by now. However, I would argue that most of us (including me) have a difficult time making some decisions. 

We are surrounded by a multitude of different voices (family, friends, social media, politicians, celebrities, advertisers, etc.) each trying to influence our thinking. It becomes overwhelming to figure out which voices we should and shouldn’t listen to. So what do we do? Who do we listen to?

We find the answer in James 1:5 “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” Let’s read that again! “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” If you need help knowing what to do in life you simply have to ask God! He loves us so much that if we are willing to go to him when we need wisdom he will give it to us. 

But when we ask God for wisdom, we need to make sure we pay attention to the following verses James 1:6-8 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. When we request wisdom from God we have to put all of our faith in Him. We can’t ask God for wisdom and then go off and also rely on Bob to fix our problems for us (sorry Bob). We have to be all in for God.

What decisions do you have to make today, this week, this year? What voices are you allowing to influence you? God’s or someone else? Remember, our God is a generous God. If you need wisdom he will give it to you!

Pastor Blake