At my stage in life, it feels like decisions like these are constantly before me. Sometimes I hate making all these decisions. I don’t know what the right decision is. I wish someone would just tell me what to do.

Many of us are scared of making decisions. We are traumatized by the idea that there is one right thing to do and if we do not find that one right thing, we will ruin our lives.

There are teachings that revolve around the idea of finding Jesus’ exact will. When this teaching is taken overboard, people become frozen and cannot make a decision until it is dead obvious what they should do.

Sometimes I do not want to make a decision because I am scared of messing up.

Recently I have seen more and more that young people are scared of commitment. This also plays into fear of making long-term decisions.

Responsibility is a valuable thing, and responsibility is a scary thing. Making a decision gives a person a certain amount of responsibility for their actions. Especially if things do not turn out just right, people often do not want to take that responsibility for themselves and their decisions.

Sometimes people think that they always deserve a clear sign from Heaven.

Now that we have looked at some of the negative ways to make decisions, let’s see what the Bible has to say about it.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Psalms 16:8

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let you requests be made known unto God. Philipians 4:6

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. Psalms 86:11

If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:20

So, what should guide the decisons we make?

From the verses above, God makes it clear that He will guide us if we seek Him. However, he tells us to walk by faith. God has given each one of us the freedom to make choices for ourselves.

God’s word is sufficient for us. He will never add or take away anything from His word. We don’t need to look for a sign or special message from Heaven. We need to read the Bible! It’s easier to look for a sign from Heaven then to logically and Biblically evaluate the situation and take a step of faith. God never said that life would be easy. Let’s take that step of faith.

Feelings of peace can be a way to know if we are making the right decions, but we all know that our feelings can lead us astray. Always make sure that what you are thinking and feeling lines up with the Bible.

A fear of messing up often stems from the desire to please God. Can we please God by DOING the right thing? No. We know that God loves us from day one and the only way to Heaven is salvation through Jesus Christ.

Never forget about the trustworthy people in your life. Be humble enough to ask for advice. Be openminded enough to take criticism. Be willing to accept what they tell you even if it’s not what you want to hear.

God cares about what we want to do! He has given us talents, hobbies, and things that we love to do for a reason. When you’re making a decison, take into account whether it is something that you want to do. God cares about what we love.

Remember that there may be more than one good option and God is simply giving you the freedom to choose which one you’d rather do. Things are not always right and wrong and black and white. There’s not neccesarily always one right choice.

In writing this post, I got some helpful thoughts from an Instagram post by @feminine_not_feminist. Here are a few steps that she recommends when making a decision.

1. Is this a sin? If so, it’s not God’s will
2. If it’s not a sin, is it wise? If unclear, critically evaluate the risks vs. the benefits.
3. What do trusted counselors in my life think?
4. Do I want to do this?

How do you make wise decisions? Give me advice in the comments because I still struggle with this.

Words by Kinza

P.E.A.C.E. Ministries stands for Preparing Every Adult and Child for Eternity. They are a mission located in Hanover PA where they spend each and every day ministering to the community around them through Bible Clubs in the winter, games and personal interaction with the children, VBS in the summer, and so many other ways of spreading God’s love.
Damarus, Daisy, and I had the opportunity to help teach VBS this summer; it was something that changed and challenged us in many ways. What did our week look like? Well, there were 5 of us teachers that weren’t from the area, so we, along with the PEACE staff, spent most of our days together doing community service, praying, a scavenger hunt where we 5 girls had to find various places in the city without the use of our phones and do random acts of kindness for people. Without a doubt, that was a highlight! We had to rely on people’s directions and hope for the best. It was good for us to get out of our comfort zones and talk to people. Another day, we invited a bunch of children to the PEACE center and had ice pops, a bounce house, and lots of fun games to play with them.

Teaching VBS was definitely an amazing thing to do! It was a good mix of fun and challenging. Some of my favorite times were a prayer walk, time spent praying in the square of the town, time with the other teachers, scavenger hunt, and the sweet little children from my class . The staff at PEACE Ministries are incredible people and the way that they took time to interact and spread Jesus to the people really blessed and convicted me. That is what Jesus said to do isn’t it? “Go to all the world and preach the gospel.” I would totally recommend teaching VBS if you get the chance!

-Daisy

The main part of the week was obviously centered around Bible school in the evenings. After picking up the children, we had a time of singing and devotional, then we went to our individual classes for a lesson and snack. The evenings went by so quickly, I wish I could have slowed it down! The last night, one little boy on my bus told me, “I’m gonna miss you guys.” The feeling was mutual. Often after we took the children home, some of us teachers would hang out till late at night playing volleyball, having deep theological discussions, praying in the square, and just talking. It was really fun to build relationships with our co-teaches and have the same passion for the children we were spending time with.
Over all, I would repeat the week in a heartbeat. Yes, when there are times when 100 children running around felt overwhelming, but I am so thankful for the wonderful people we could work with and the presence of God with us all throughout the week!

My week was so good! I was so encouraged by the staff at PEACE Ministries. Their passion for Jesus, prayer, and telling people about God was challenging to me. They gave us an excellent glimpse into their work and living in town. Being sent out on a scavenger hunt and forced to talk with people to find where we needed to go was a highlight! Just having my eyes opened again to the brokenness and darkness around us was good for me. I want to do better at having my eyes open and looking for ways to reach out to people that I meet up with.

-Damarus

Where do I start?! The week we spent with PEACE ministries was definitely a highlight of my summer! There is something about giving to other people that brings an incredible blessing back to you. I was so very blessed and encouraged by the other teachers and especially the house parents and peace girls that live in the city. They took very good care of us and helped us get excited about what God is doing in the hearts of the children and their families. The activities that we did during the day were highlights of mine, but also the connection with the children every evening was so fun! Children have a way of squirming their way into my heart; it was hard to say goodbye! I am very grateful for the opportunity that we had to help out with VBS and would do it all over again.

-Ginger

So I know its a week after Independence day and I’m a little behind for that holiday, but this morning I was thinking about freedom. What is freedom? How do we obtain freedom? I found some verses that talk about freedom, let’s check them out.

John 8:36- “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

In America, we have the Bill of Rights that states what freedoms we have. We are so blessed to live in a free country. But are we actually free? True freedom is found in Jesus Christ. We might have physical freedoms, but to be free from sin and death we must to turn to Jesus and only Him.

Romans 6:20- “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

Romans 8:2- “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

Written by Ginger