DECISION-MAKING. Seeking the will of God in the midst of carrying out the work of God. Many leaders at many levels face this challenge.

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1 DECISION-MAKING Psalm 25:12 (GNT) Those who have reverence for the Lord will learn from him the path they should follow. Seeking the will of God in the midst of carrying out the work of God. Many leaders at many levels face this challenge. The psalmist reminds us that discerning God s will and discovering God s direction come when we are in relationship with God a close relationship. We recognize who God is and place ourselves in worshipful submission to him. Out of relationship comes discovery and learning. From our learning comes clarity about the direction God is leading us. All leaders are responsible to continually make decisions that impact others. Making the right decisions is a competency that leaders desire to grow and develop. What key leadership decision have you made that negatively impacted the organization or ministry you led or the people you had responsibility for? What did you learn from this decision? How did it prepare you to make a better decision in the future? Share a positive leadership decision a right decision you made at the right time. What key components went into making the correct decision?

2 ENCOUNTER The book of Proverbs provides wisdom for planning and decision-making. This wisdom can help leaders as they look to move their ministries in a positive direction. Take a few moments and read through the following verses. Proverbs 14:15 (HCSB) The inexperienced one believes anything, but the sensible one watches his steps. Proverbs 15:22 (CEV) Without good advice everything goes wrong it takes careful planning for things to go right. Proverbs 16:3 (NIV) Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:9 (CEV) We make our own plans, but the Lord decides where we will go. Proverbs 20:18 (MSG) Form your purpose by asking for counsel, then carry it out using all the help you can get. Read through them a second time. Then read them a third time. Which of these statements is most helpful to you as a leader? Why? How has your decision-making incorporated this wisdom, or how have you ignored it sometimes with less than positive results? If you were to choose one of these verses as the foundation for your decision-making in the future, which one would it be?

3 EXPRESSION Myron Rush, in his book Management: A Biblical Approach, states: The Christian leader s decision-making process is unique in that it is based on the realization that God does have a specific plan for him or her and that plan can be known. Therefore, in order to make right decisions, the Christian manager or leader must understand how to know God s will. 1 Understanding and discerning God s will is the foundation and framework from which decision-making happens. Often, Christians think discovering God s will is like a game of hide and seek, and they mistakenly believe God is trying to keep his will from us (or to frustrate us as we try to find it). God s will can be discerned. It comes through listening to God and using Scripture as a guidebook for growing deeper in knowing God, so we can have greater clarity, rather than confusion. Rush provides a process for knowing God s will. 2 It is a process that I (Tom De Vries) have returned to again and again to discern God s direction for my life as a leader or to make a strategic decision in ministry. Rush s process is adapted here: 1. In order to know God s will, you must first be committed to doing it. God isn t interested in wasting his time communicating his will to people who are not interested in doing it. Romans 12:1-2 tells us that we need to commit ourselves and offer ourselves up to be used by God in ways that please God. 2. Recognize that God has a specific plan for you and your organization. For I know the plans I have for you, Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) reminds us. If we have committed ourselves to God, God will communicate his will to us. 1 Myron Rush, Management: A Biblical Approach (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 1983), Rush, Management: A Biblical Approach,

4 3. God communicates his will by giving us a desire to do what God wants done. Philippians 2:13 (NIV) says, For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. God promises to put his will in us and then give us the capacity to be able to accomplish it. 4. If the desire is God s will, we will have both peace about doing it and the power to achieve it. If we have the desire, but not the resources, it may not be God s will for us. If we have the desire and resources, but still don t have peace about the decision, perhaps we shouldn t pursue it. As Rush concludes: Any desire that is God s will is accompanied by the resources to achieve it and the peace to pursue it. 3 What are some ways you have discerned God s will for your life or for your ministry or organization? When were you unsure of God s leading but went forward anyway? What was the result? From these insights about discerning God s will, what can you glean for discovering both God s leading for you and your leadership in the future? IMPACT You can use these four questions for making decisions and determining God s leading: 1. Am I committed to doing God s will in this situation? Recognize that God has a specific plan for you and your ministry or organization. 2. Are the desires of my heart to pursue this particular course of action? God communicates his will by giving us a desire to do what God wants done. 3 Rush, Management: A Biblical Approach, 95.

5 3. Does God provide the power and resources to accomplish it? If the desire is God s will, God will provide the resources to accomplish it. 4. Does God give me peace to continue working on the project and to make the necessary decisions to achieve it? God promises us peace as long as we are operating within his will. We are unable to discern or discover anything without first bringing our prayer, intercession, supplication, plans, dreams, and visions before God. God is the starting point of all that we do and all that we desire. We must seek God first in discovering that starting point. We are often good at praying, but not so good at listening. God promises to listen to us, but are we willing to listen to God? If we are unwilling to listen, we will not discover God s will, nor will we find God s loving response in answering our prayers. As we seek, pray, and discern, God plan and purpose will be revealed. As we work for God's good pleasure, God s plan and purpose will be realized. With dedication to discovering our hope and future (Jeremiah 29:11), we also commit to discern and pursue God s leading in our church for God s glory and the extension of God s kingdom. How have prayer, discernment, and seeking God first been part of your decision-making process? When you get stuck or in trouble in your decision-making, where do you take shortcuts in the process? How do you allow others to participate in decision-making in your organization or ministry? REFLECT One of the primary reasons we don't seek counsel from the wise people around us is that we already know what we are going to hear and we just don't want to hear it. Andy Stanley 4 4 Andy Stanley, Ask It: The Question That Will Revolutionize How You Make Decisions (Colorado Springs: Multnomah, 2014), 150.