Life Changing Decisions

Have you ever been so enthusiastic about a decision you made, this decision even pumped you up and you already started dreaming of its successful, pleasurable and glorious outcome. However, you realized along the way that the decision you made was not an easy one, the hurdles and challenges that accompany the decision you made were seemingly unbearable but you know you were right when you made the decision. What then do you do when the decision you made is not going as planned?

Many biblical role models like Abraham, Ruth, Esther, Rebekah, Shiphrah and Puah, faced life changing decisions. Abraham had to make the decision to abandon his people and family and move to an unknown land; a decision that will take him away from his people forever (Genesis 12:1-5).

Like Abraham, Ruth had to make the same decision to abandon her people and their gods to follow her mother-in-law Naomi and her God (Ruth 1:16).

Esther had to make the decision of risking her title and position as queen for the survival of her people (Esther 4:16).

Rebekah made the decision to follow a complete stranger and left her family to go marry a man she had never met before (Genesis 24:58); what if this man she risked everything for was not her ideal husband?

Shiphrah and Puah made the courageous life changing decision to disobey the instructions of the great pharaoh by not killing the male babies born to Hebrew women (Exodus 1:16-17).

Even today, believers in Jesus Christ all over the world are making life changing decisions; some have given up everything to become missionaries for the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ, some sacrifice huge sums of money every year to support the church and the spread of the gospel, others have chosen to shun the ways of the world and bear the insults from unbelievers standing firm in purity and holiness and keeping away from the corruption of this world.

We can realize from the above examples that making life changing decisions involve some key factors; believe, trust, obedience, submission and fear of God.

We cannot make life changing decisions by our own wills or else we are going to give up along the way when challenges come because such decisions were not grounded on the right foundation. Therefore to make life changing decisions, we must not rely on our limited understanding, our wills, emotions etc. but on the supreme God who sees the end from the beginning. We must submit every decision we want to make under the leadership of God who is able to guide us to our desired haven and give us much more (Ephesians 3:20)

When we make life changing decisions directed by God, we get so many rewards. Today Abraham is called the father of nations because of the decision he made to obey God. Esther and her people were vindicated by God because her decision was surrendered to Him. Ruth is part of the ancestral lineage of Jesus Christ because she decided to submit her decision to God. Rebekah was blessed in marriage; her husband loved and cherished her immediately he saw her. Shiphrah and Puah were blessed with children of their own because they made the decision to fear God and not man.

Decisions are very necessary in the life of every human; we make decisions almost every day from the goals we take time to set to random decisions we have to make on short notice. No decision is void of challenges and test however, the outcome of every decision we make will depend greatly on who we relied on before we made it.