THE MASTERS LIST Dean W. Masters

God's Top 10 Answers to Your 'Why' Questions
Cindi McMenamin

Admit it. You have lots of WHY questions for God.

Why am I going through this situation?

Why did You let that happen?

Why didn’t You allow me to experience that blessing?

Although it is human nature to question and try to find the reasoning behind
God’s ways, I truly believe most of our “why” questions result from
ignorance
about Who God is or a lack of
faith in what He is doing.

After more than 30 years of discipling women, I’ve come up with what I call
“God’s Top 10 Answers to Our ‘Why’ Questions.” They are not in any
particular
order. But they are all based on Scripture and what it tells us of God’s
character. If He were to speak audibly perhaps His answers to your questions
would
be:

1. Trust Me. I have My reasons.

We don’t really like this answer, because we want God to explain Himself. We
want to see the reasons and exercise our option to agree or disagree with
God. Yet God points out in
Isaiah 55:8-9 :

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,
declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my
ways
higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts“
(ESV).

I can’t help but feel that is God’s way of saying “Because I said so.” But
like a loving parent, who may have said that to you when you were a child,
He
knows what He’s doing and Scripture says His ways are perfect (Psalm 18:30)
and therefore He never makes mistakes.

2. So you will grow.

In James 1:2-4 , we are instructed: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you
meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith
produces
steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be
perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” God wants you to be perfect and
complete.
So He will, at times, allow you to go through hardships to grow your
character.

3. You never asked.

Because God knows all that we need we expect Him to give blessings that we
haven’t even asked for. Yet God wants the relationship. He wants you to ask,
and keep coming back to ask again.
James 4:2 says:
“...You do not have because you do not ask” (NIV). I know so many women who
ask “Why won’t God give me a husband?” but they’ve never really asked Him
for
one. They also ask “Why can’t I have a baby?” but they haven’t been asking
God the same question. Sometimes He wants to work within us and to begin
that
work, we need to start the conversation.

4. You’re asking for the wrong reasons.

“God, why can’t I win the lottery?” “God why won’t You give me this
high-paying position?” “God why didn’t you let me win that?” Yes, James 4:2
says “You do not have because you do not ask,” but the next verse clarifies
that statement further: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask
with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures”
(James 4:3
). God will not be a party to our selfishness. So if you are asking for
something for
you, God’s answer might be “You’re being selfish.” Try asking for something
for
Him. Or, try asking for something that Jesus would ask for (which is the
literal meaning of praying for something “in Jesus’ name”) It puts a whole
new
spin on the equation. And it may eliminate your “why” question altogether.

5. So you’ll rely on Me.

Without a job? Without a spouse? Without hope? Face it, when we don’t have
what we want or need, it makes us desperate. God wants to be the One we are
desperate for and I believe He will allow whatever it takes to make us fully
dependent on Him.
Deuteronomy 13:4
commands us to “follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep
His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.” Nothing
makes us cling to God more than when we are desperate for something. Be
desperate for Him. And He will become your answer.

6. Just Wait.

So often our “why” questions are premature. We get impatient because we can’t
see an end result, but God works on an entirely different timeline than we
do. Psalm 84:11 says “no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk
is blameless.” So if you are walking uprightly and it seems like God is
withholding
something good, it either isn’t truly good for you or it isn’t time.

7. I have something better in mind.

Sometimes our “why” is because we believe God is giving us second best, or
He’s forgotten about us altogether. But Jesus said: “If you then, who are
evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father
who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
(Matthew 7:11
). Could God be waiting to give you something better than you’ve thought to
ask for? I know it’s difficult to endure something when you are hoping for
something better. But keep your hope
in God (not in what you’re hoping from Him). He is far better than the most
loving of earthly parents. He sees what’s best for us eternally, not just
temporally.
And He is a God who loves to bless His children.

8. I’m protecting you.

The Psalmist said “My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your
saving acts all day long – though I know not how to relate them all” (Psalm
71:15,
NIV, emphasis added). Do you believe that God is saving you all day long
through what He brings in and out of your life? God may say “no” to save you
from
something hurtful or He might allows something you don’t like because it’s
keeping you from something worse. God knows our weaknesses when it comes to
temptation. He knows our tendency for failure when it comes to our
relationships and He sees what’s ahead and we don’t. I remember the day I
had to start
praying “God, don’t let me near this if I will prioritize it above You” or
“God, please allow this but only if I will remain humble and give the glory
to You.” He protects us physically, as well as morally and spiritually and
like any good Father, He knows what is best for His children.

9. I’m making you more like Jesus.

We love to quote Romans 8:28 : “And we know that for those who love God all
things work together for good, for those who are called according to his
purpose”
and then we look for the good so we can hold onto it. But I truly believe
that verse, taken in context with the next verse tells us the “good” that
God
is constantly working on in terms of why He allows – and doesn’t allow –
what He does: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed
to the image of his Son...” (verse 29). Sometimes the “why” is simply
because God wants to make you, through your circumstances, more like His
Son.

10. Because I love you.

God loves us too much to give us exactly what we want. I thought I wanted a
certain man when I was in college, but God knew better. I thought I wanted
at least three children, but God knew better. And today, instead of asking
“Why couldn’t I have these things?” I find myself, instead, saying “Thank
You,
Lord, for knowing what was best for me.” God is loving. He is good. And if
He “did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will
He
not also with Him freely give us all things?”
(Romans 8:32
, NASB). If God has not delivered on something you wanted or has allowed
something you don’t understand, His answer might best be “Because I love
you.
And one day you will understand.”

Can you trust this God upon whom you have piled your questions? Then say
this prayer from Your heart as a way of letting Him know you are His and You
trust
Him with whatever He has in mind:

Lord, thank You that in spite of your “no” or “wait” or even Your silence,
You know what is very best for me and You promise to work for my eternal
good,
not just my temporary satisfaction. Thank You that in all all situations, in
all pain and pressure and circumstances beyond my control, You are making
me more like Christ, as I give up my will and surrender to Yours.

Scripture says without faith it is impossible to please You so I choose to
believe that You have it all under control. Thank You for being a good,
loving,
all-knowing and ever-present God who will not let anything touch me that
hasn’t first passed through Your loving hands. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Cindi McMenamin is a national speaker who helps women and couples find
strength for the soul. She is the author of 15 books including,
When Women Walk Alone
(more than 125,000 copies sold), and
When God Sees Your Tears
. For more on her speaking ministry, or free articles to strengthen your
soul,
marriage
, or parenting, see her website
www.StrengthForTheSoul.com .


Jesus Wept

John 11:30-37 (HCSB)
30 Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where
Martha had met Him.
31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got
up quickly and went out. So they followed her, supposing that she was going
to the tomb to cry there.
32 When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and
told Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died!”
33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, He
was angry in His spirit and deeply moved.
34 “Where have you put him?” He asked. “Lord,” they told Him, “come and
see.”
35 Jesus wept.
36 So the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Couldn’t He who opened the blind man’s eyes also
have kept this man from dying?”

Lazarus died and Jesus waited for three days before going to his home. He
was very good friends with Lazarus, Mary and Martha. They had seen the
miracles that Jesus had
performed. Mary and Martha knew that if Jesus had been there he could have
healed Lazarus so he would not have died.

Jesus might have been sorrowful for the death of Lazarus and that would have
shown His human side. But if He knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from
the dead why would He be so sorrowful as to weep? The verses above tell us
that He was angry in spirit and deeply moved. Why is this? Why would He be
angry in this case? This can be answered with one word:

UNBELIEF

These people did not fully believe in what Jesus could do. This at first
made Him angry then made Him so sad that He wept.

Near the time of Jesus’ crucifixion He wept over Jerusalem because of the
unbelief in that city. Many people there had seen what He had done but did
not believe He was the Messiah.

Could Jesus be weeping now as he sees what is going on in this world at this
time? Does he weep; when we say, “I know the Lord can do thus and so.” But
don’t believe he will do it for us? Does he weep when he hears us say that
you have to follow certain steps to have him do a miracle for you? We need
to believe that Jesus Christ can work and does work in His time and in His
way.

May we say, like the father of the demoniac:

Mark 9:24 (HCSB)
24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe! Help my
unbelief.”

by Dean W. Masters

3 Reasons Why Not to Stress
Kelsey Moore

Stress.

We hear that word a lot in our society today.

It’s a word used to describe how we feel when we have a lot on our plates,
along with many expectations. Tests, deadlines, tension, jobs, and our
futures
are only some of the things that overwhelm us. This generation is anxious
and stressed, that is including me. In fact, stress has become a common and
usual
emotion for just about everyone.

As I have gotten older, I have realized that stress and anxiety have been
trying to take over my life. And for the most part, I had been letting it do
just that.

It had been taking my joy away. It takes away the time I get to spend around
people. It minimizes the time I could have had to trust in God. Worrying is
the lie that God doesn’t have a plan. It is the lie that He has no control,
and that He is not able to do more than we could ever imagine. It is the lie
that keeps us from trusting in Him. It is the lie that keeps our
faith from growing.

Here are three things that God showed me through His Word, His promises, and
through others, about stress and anxiety.

It’s Not Worth It

Worry and stress is a lie. It’s a lie that the enemy subtly planted in my
heart and it began to take over my thoughts, the thoughts I could have used
to
trust God. It took over my time and my energy, time and energy I could’ve
used to worship Him.

What the enemy doesn’t want you to know about worry is that it takes away
and steals, but it gives nothing in return.

It’s a waste of time.

It is a way for the enemy to waste our time, instead of trusting God.

Stressing accomplishes nothing good.

God Didn’t Create Anxiety

Like I said before, stress is a lie, and it is not from God. It is not His
plan for us to stress. His plan is for us to learn to lean on Him when we
are
not strong.
John 14:27 says,

“I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give
is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Jesus did not come to bring fear. When He came, He brought peace. God’s
peace is unique. It has the ability for us to remain calm in the midst of
the storm.
It gives us the ability to have assurance in Him.

He Will Rescue

Because God did not create fear, He is able to rescue you from it.
Isaiah 46:4 says,

“..I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

God is ready.

Let Him take control.

1 Peter 5:7 says,

“Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you.”

God doesn’t just want your trust because He is the King, but because He
actually loves and cares about us. He doesn’t want us to worry over what we
can’t
control.

One of my favorite songs, No Longer Slaves, talks about how God has freed us
from our fears. This is my favorite line in the song:

“You split the sea
So I could walk right through it
My fears were drowned in perfect love
You rescued me
And I could stand and sing
I am a child of God.”

He has redeemed us from all of our fears and anxiety.

We are free indeed.

This article originally appeared on TheRebelution.com
.Used with permission.

Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Growing Urgency"
March 12, 2017
(Jesus said) "Let these words sink into your ears: the Son of Man is about
to be delivered into the hands of men" (Luke 9:44).
Read Luke 9:37-45

Coming down with His three disciples from the Mountain of Transfiguration,
Jesus encounters a demon that His other disciples are unable to cast out.
With
divine might and majesty, Jesus overpowers the demon and sends him away. The
crowd is completely amazed and stands marveling at what God has done. Jesus
knows His disciples are still clinging to hopes of an earthly kingdom, and
He doesn't want them to get swept away by the excitement of the crowds. So
He
turned to talk directly to them. To get their attention He could have easily
said, "Listen carefully." Instead, He says something even more striking:
"Let
these words sink into your ears."

And what are the extremely important words Jesus has to tell them? They are
these: "The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men."
Despite
their dreams, and the hope of the crowd following them, Jesus' suffering is
close at hand. He is "about to be delivered into the hands of men."

But Jesus reveals one more painful fact about His coming suffering He did
not reveal the first time: it will come about through an act of betrayal. Of
course, Jesus knows the identity of His betrayer, but He withholds that
information, for now. Not only will He be rejected and, consequently,
subjected
to violent brutalities and death, but treachery will be connected with these
events as well.

The disciples fail to understand and are afraid to ask Jesus anything about
it. The suspense is building as Jesus' destiny-and our salvation-draw near.

THE PRAYER: Almighty God, Your Son single-mindedly set His steps to fulfill
Your plan to save the world. Give me an unwavering faith to follow Him all
my days. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Numbers 5-6; Mark 13:1-20
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Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all
rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).

Change Their World. Change Yours.
This Changes Everything.

KenBible.com

New Post on KenBible.com - Holding Nothing Back
----------------------------------------------------------

Holding Nothing Back

Posted: 08 Mar 2017 09:55 PM PST

Philippians 2:1-18

Father, I want to live today out of the
the living wisdom of Your Son Jesus,
the constant presence of Your Holy Spirit, and
the loving compassion that flows freely from You.

Enabled by these resources,
help me pour myself completely into the welfare of Your people, especially
those who live around me,
those You have entrusted to my care.

As I serve them in Your name,
give me the mind and Spirit of Christ.
He willingly gave up
all His glory,
all His rights, and
all His advantages.
He emptied Himself,
taking upon Himself the status of a servant.
He clothed Himself in
our lowliness,
our helplessness,
our suffering.
His obedience went all the way to a brutal, humiliating death.
He held nothing back.

Father, as Christ obeyed, help me to obey
wholeheartedly,
eagerly,
in faith,
without fear or hesitation.
Help me to make Your purpose
my only purpose.
Today help me pour myself out completely
as an offering to You,
for the welfare of Your dearly loved children.


"It Is Normal to Feel Lonely" || 02/17/2017
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It Is Normal to Feel Lonely
February 17, 2017

Read: Psalm 6

Every night I flood my bed with tears. (v. 6)

Loneliness is a universal human emotion. The very young can be lonely when
they feel they don’t fit in at school or with friends. The very old can feel
lonely following the death of a spouse. It is normal to feel lonely at one
time or another.

The Bible acknowledges the full range of human emotions. The book of Psalms
especially can be a guidebook for what it means to be human. Everything is
in there—joy, rage, anguish, happiness, satisfaction, lament—you name it,
you can find it in the Psalms. Why? Because God prefers honesty. Look at
Psalm
6. We don’t know if David was physically ill when he wrote this, or if this
was an expression of his emotional state.

We do know that David had times of both great anguish and great joy. He
famously “danced before the Lord with all his might” (2 Sam. 6:14), and also
fell
into despair following the death of his son Absalom (2 Sam. 18:33). David
was like you and me, experiencing highs and lows, and sharing them honestly
with
God. It is okay to be human and to express our emotions. Toward the end of
Shakespeare’s play King Lear, a character says, “The weight of these sad
times
we must obey, speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.” Speaking what
we feel may include saying, “I’m lonely.”

There is no shame in admitting you feel lonely. God wants honesty. —Jeff
Munroe


Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - A Word With You
A Word With You
Beyond the Walls - #7853

Once upon a time there was a machinist who lived with his wife, his
four-year-old son, and his new baby boy in this cheap apartment on the south
side of
Chicago. He spent a chunk of his meager earnings on alcohol and cigarettes
and gambling, and then the bottom dropped out of his life. His baby boy died
suddenly at the age of only six months. He was crushed. I mean, his grief
was inconsolable. This machinist (John was his name) took his one surviving
boy
to church. John didn't go in-no. He didn't go to church. But he did wait out
in front in his car, smoking his cigarette and reading his Sunday paper.
Until
the day that one of the men of the church looked outside and noticed the man
in the car. He didn't wait for John to come in. He went outside to John's
car, introduced himself, asked a few questions, and then invited him in.
Well, when John said he wasn't dressed for it, the man told him it didn't
matter
how he was dressed.

The little boy gave his heart to Jesus in that church. And only a few months
later, his Dad started coming to the men's Bible class. And one Christmas
Eve John tearfully walked the aisle, accepting Christ's forgiveness for his
sins. He would grow in Christ and ultimately he'd become a deacon, then the
chairman of the deacons, and then an active Christian lay leader. The little
boy was me. The machinist in the car in front of the church was my Dad.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Beyond
the Walls."

We were the un-churched. We were the lost. But someone went outside the
walls of the church to reach my father. Because he did, my father is in
heaven
today. There are more people than ever like my father; they will never know
Christ if we wait for them to come inside the walls of the church. We'll
have
to go out where they are if they're ever going to have a chance at heaven.

This is not a new idea. In John 4:4, our word for today from the Word of
God, the Bible says, "Jesus had to go through Samaria." It was there that
Jesus
encountered the woman at the well and led her out of a life of promiscuity
and emptiness into a new life in Christ. And ultimately she went back and
told
her village about Jesus and they all came to Him. John 4 tells us that "many
of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the woman's testimony."

Now why did Jesus have to go through Samaria when Jews did everything they
could to avoid going through Samaria? Because Samaria is where you go if you
want to reach Samaritans! If you want to follow our Master, we'll need to go
where the lost people are. Most of them don't ever plan to go to our
religious
meeting to listen to our religious speaker talk on a religious subject in a
religious place; which is usually how we go about trying to reach them isn't
it? It's no wonder they're still lost.

If we want the lost to be at our outreaches, we need to have some of those
outreaches in places they will come to-neutral places. And you've been
strategically
placed right in the middle of some spiritually dying people. You work with
them, you live near them, you're in some group with them, you go to school
with
them, and you recreate with them. You are God's program for rescuing the
lost people who are around you. That's why God placed you there, to save
some
lives. See, you already are where the spiritually dying people are! You
don't have to go where they are. You're there!

It's very possible the reason my Dad is in heaven today is because someone
left where it was comfortable and someone went outside the walls to reach
him.
That's where an awful lot of lost people are, and that's where they'll have
to be reached; including people you know very well.

By the way, as you're listening to this, you might be my Dad, because you've
never experienced the love and the forgiveness of Jesus Christ for yourself.
And your heart's ready for that. You want that. This is what you've been
looking for all your life. Maybe that's why this broadcast today; this is
how
He has come looking for you where you are.

Don't you want to be where He is forever? Would you tell Him today, "Jesus,
I'm yours"? And I'd love to show you the way that my Dad and I both found
Jesus.
It's right there on our website and it will tell you how you can know Him
for real. ANewStory.com-that's the website.

Jesus goes where lost people are, and we have to do that. Going outside the
walls may be the only hope for a lot of people in your town-for someone you
know and for someone you love.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc. ·


Here’s My Heart—O Take and Seal It
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BIBLE MEDITATION:
“With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy
commandments.”
Psalm 119:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
In 1758 Robert Robinson wrote a hymn that echoes in my heart from time to
time:

“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.”

Do you ever wander from God? Then you know how it feels and how hard it is
to return. If you feel far from God today, I implore you with all that I am
to return to Him with all your heart.

ACTION POINT:
Make Psalm 86:11-13 your prayer today, “Teach me Thy way, O Lord; I will
walk in Thy truth: unite my heart to fear Thy name. I will praise Thee, O
Lord
my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify Thy name for evermore. For
great is Thy mercy toward me: and Thou hast delivered my soul from the
lowest
hell.”

Discover Jesus | Donate | Today's Message
Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

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Isn’t It Wonderful How God Leads?

George Young was a carpenter. He and his wife were dedicated to following
the Lord wherever He led. "He does the leading," they often said, "and we do
the following." God led the Young's to the rural Midwest, and they traveled
from church to church in revival efforts. Their finances were always tight,
but "through the many years, we never went hungry!" as Mrs. Young said years
later. "Oh, sometimes we didn't have too much of this world's goods, but...
we always had so much of Jesus."

Finally they saved enough to buy a small piece of land on which George built
a cottage. Though humble, it was the fulfillment of a life's dream, and when
they moved in they dedicated the house to God and sang the Doxology. But
some time later, when the Young's were away on a ministry trip, a thug who
had
been offended by George's preaching set the house on fire. Returning home,
the Young's found a heap of ashes. All their worldly goods and cherished
possessions
were gone.

As George gazed at the ruins, he recounted the precious possessions fire
could never destroy - his family, his relationship with Christ, his
ministry,
his eternal home. There and then, the words of a hymn began forming in his
mind. Within a few days, he had written all three stanzas of the great hymn
"God Leads His Dear Children Along." The chorus says...

Some thro' the waters, some thro' the flood
Some thro' the fire, but all thro' the blood.
Some thro' great sorrow, but God gives a song
In the night season and all the day long.

Years later, music publisher Dr. Harold Lillenas decided to track down
George's widow. Driving to the small Kansas town where she resided, he
stopped for
directions and was alarmed to hear that Mrs. Young was living in the rundown
county poorhouse. Lillenas was deeply troubled that the widow of the author
of such a powerful hymn about God's guidance should spend her final days in
the poorhouse.

Mrs. Young only smiled and said, "One day God took my sweet husband home.
Oh, how I missed him, for we had always served the Lord together. In my
heart
I wondered, where will God lead me now? Dr. Lillenas, God led me here! I'm
so glad He did, for you know, about every month someone comes into this
place
to spend the rest of their days, and Dr. Lillenas, so many of them don't
know my Jesus. I'm having the time of my life introducing them to Jesus! Dr.
Lillenas,
isn't it wonderful how God leads?"

David Jeremiah
www.davidjeremiah.org

7 Ways to Make Bad Decisions
by Ron Edmondson

I’ve made lots of bad decisions in my life. That includes my time in
leadership—both in business and ministry, but I’ve also made plenty of bad
decisions
in family and personal situations. None of us set out to make bad decisions,
but sometimes the way we make them can significantly increase or decrease
the chance the quality of our decisions.

Granted, I’ve learned from every bad decision I’ve made. And I’ve even
repeated a few of them a few times—and still learned something. But, as much
as
I can, I want to make better decisions—the first time.

In my experience, there are a few common factors that lead to me making a
bad decision.

Here are 7 ways to make bad decisions:

Make them too fast – I’ve learned that haste does indeed make waste. I make
lots of decisions each day. I would be a poor leader if I couldn’t make most
of them quickly. I’d always be stalled from my potential. When the potential
outcome is significant, however, the more time I can give to it the less
likely
I am to make a mistake—certainly the ones that could have been avoided with
more thought. Learning when to wait, seek God, the counsel of others, and
for
better personal discernment is part of maturing, but can help us avoid some
of the more costly bad decisions.

Make them too slow – Equally true, there are times when a fast decision is
easy; even prudent. If I know the right answer—if it has a Biblical basis,
for
example, or my conscience is clearly convicted—but it is simply hard to
implement, I’ve learned that waiting seldom makes the decision easier and
often
only complicates the process. I’m more likely to make a bad decision the
longer I wait.

Make them to keep people happy – The right decision is seldom the popular
decision. People pleasing as a decision motivator rarely accomplishes
matters
of worth. It often makes the worst decision of the options available.

Make them when angry – I don’t know about you, but I don’t think clearly
when my emotions get in the way. If I’m angry—or emotional in any other
way—I
tend to overreact or under react. Emotionally based decisions, especially
immediate decisions, are often ones I tend to regret later.

Make them alone – “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they
succeed.” (
Proverbs 15:22
) A part of leadership involves standing alone at times, but rarely are we
really alone. We should always walk in the counsel of God’s Spirit, and, in
my experience, even when I have to make the decision seemingly alone—if I’m
making wise decisions—it’s not really that I’m alone. I’m just ahead of
where
others know we need to go, but haven’t yet been willing to go. Building a
collaborative environment as much as possible helps me avoid bad decisions.

Make them reactionary – Ultimately we want to work from a plan. We want to
make decisions before the decision is needed. We want proactive
decision-making.
That’s obviously not always possible, but in my experience, I’m more likely
to make a bad decision when I’m reacting to a situation, rather than having
thought about the scenario and my response beforehand.

Make them out of fear – We are called to walk by faith, yet fear is often a
more powerful initiator. But I’ve learned, when I decide because I’m afraid
to—or not to—do something, I almost always make a mistake. Following my
faith gut, even when afraid, is part of leadership. And part of life.

I’m sure there are many other ways to make a bad decision. These are some of
my personal examples.

Which of these get in your way the most in making good decisions?

What are some ways you end up making bad decisions?

Ron Edmondson pastors Immanuel Baptist Church.