Seminary Viewpoints

The Will of God in Decision-Making, Part II: 15 Popular–but Suspect–Methods

This Viewpoint blog post is a companion to the March 17 episode of the Theologically Speaking podcast featuring BJU Seminary professors Billy Gotcher and Stuart Scott.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5, “we are always confident…: for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Believers today are often not as confident in seeking God’s will. The difficulty of walking by faith based on His commands and principles often leads to mysticism taking hold in both the culture and the church, for example in the nature-focused “enchantment movement.”

One needn’t dive into “enchantment” to spot popular—yet equally suspect—methods of seeking God’s will:

1. Scripture Verses Taken Out of Context: Some Christians go as far as opening a Bible, putting a finger on a passage with specific relevance to a biblical figure or historic circumstance, and applying it to a personal situation. It’s not how God wants us to consume or use Scripture—but precisely the way Satan does (and did in tempting Christ).
2. Personal Advice: Even a godly prophet like Nathan can give bad advice, as in blessing David’s desire to build a temple contrary to God’s intention. An individual can advise out of his own wishes. Or a seeker can “forum-shop” to find someone who agrees with his view.
3. Circumstances and Results: In Joshua 9, Israel was deceived into covenanting with Gibeon based on “circumstantial” evidence, without consulting God. Christians can gaze admiringly at a speaker before a stadium of followers, when consulting the Word would reveal false teaching. On the flip side, wrongly assess years of a dedicated missionary’s work on a frontier field that seemingly show little fruit. We cannot judge by results alone.
4. “Open or Closed Doors:” Scripture four times records “doors opening” to Paul (Acts 14:2, 1 Corinthians 16:9, 2 Corinthians 2:12–13, Col. 4:3). Yet these Spirit-inspired references are not to self-directed, run-of-the-mill or even life decisions, but rather God-ordained opportunities to share Jesus, for which we are right to pray today.  Even then, doors can “open” or “close,” yet we make right decisions to go different directions anyway, as Paul once did.
5. Signs: Christ harshly criticized Jewish leaders and masses demanding (yet ignoring) signs, a means of validating Him no longer needed with the completed Word. Don’t rush to take a natural occurrence or coincidence as expressing His will.
6. Isolation: Some people “get away” to make big decisions—contrary to Proverbs 18:1 (“Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment”) and 11:14 (“in the multitude of counsellors there is safety”). Paul Tripp points out, “No one is more influential in your life than you are, because no one talks to you more than you do.” Imagining a false narrative isolated from others’ perspectives can lead to following selfish desires.
7. Testing God: Gideon laid fleeces; Jonah forced God’s hand. While He patiently made His will clear to both men, the Creator of 2 trillion galaxies is not obligated today to bow to one puny human’s demands for “proof.”
8. Dreams: Again, God once spoke through dreams, but as Charles Spurgeon declared, the belief today that “dreams, and even apparitions… are to be looked for, and to be expected, is a thing as far from truth as the east is from the west.” Dreams would “prove nothing whatever except that … your imagination was morbidly active.”
9. “Waiting on the Lord:” This popular concept is based on a Hebrew word translated as “wait” but, per Strong, connoting “faith and trust in God’s timing and provision” as we move forward. “Waiting” can become a copout, like stalling over a ministry opportunity we’re unenthusiastic about; or “just waiting on the Lord” to get married, with the implication that the right partner will be dropped like manna from heaven.
10. Conscience/“At Peace:” The conscience is a guard of our hearts, not a guide. It doesn’t produce light but rather lets in Scripture’s light. Our feelings of “peace,” in turn, may be informed by worldly ideas we allow in. The key: make moral decisions informed by Scripture and affirmed by conscience.
11. Faith v. Reason: Often we’ll hear a leader or congregation “claim,” for example, the purchase of property “by faith.”  True faith moves forward not based on our desires but rather on what God says—in this case Scriptural stewardship principles.
12. Devices: God did in the Bible guide through the casting of lots but today has spoken through His Son (Hebrews 1:2) and completed Word. Surely a coin flip can determine sides or order of play in a game—else it might never start—but neither coin flips nor, say, rock/paper/scissors are reliable to make a life choice.
13. Fasting: Once more, the Bible offers instances of and instruction on prayer with fasting, a form of self-denial intensifying our God-focus. But if a decision turns out well after fasting, was that of Him? One might be thinner but still not on solid ground biblically.
14. Misusing Prayer: Prayer is indeed commanded as a means of connecting with God. But while many Christians learn that prayer is about “listening,” the Bible terms used are about us talking and having God’s ear—while He has our ear as we “take heed unto His Word.”
15. Feelings/Desires/Impressions: Finally, there is Christians’ most common decision-making misstep: trusting feelings, impressions—or even a perceived audible “voice.” (“God told me last night.”) The danger: “putting God’s name on” subjective, self-generated impressions or even possibly hallucinations.  With revelation complete, the Lord has ceased speaking: such thoughts must be checked against Scripture, the only sure authority. Specifically, Paul’s references to being “led by the Spirit” (Romans 8:14, Gal. 5:18) relate to God’s Word leading us on a path to holiness.

So how should pastors lead their flock into correct decision-making?

Teach:

1. Humble submission to the authority of—and applying clear teaching and commands of—God’s Word.
2. Testing thoughts and conclusions against its principles as well as a multitude of godly, Scripturally knowledgeable and trustworthy counselors.
3. Informing ourselves as to pros, cons and alternatives.
4. In the end, making decisions, based on this input, that we believe please God.

Colossians 1:10 instructs: “walk worthy of the Lord, in all pleasing Him….” Then we can be confident in knowing that, per Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.”

Other Resources:

1. Tim Challies, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment; “Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity” 
2. Kevin DeYoung, Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will
3. Gary E. Gilley, Is That You Lord? Hearing the Voice of the Lord: A Biblical Perspective
4. Stuart Scott, Biblical Manhood
5. Paul Tripp, “Talking to Yourself” (article); How People Change (book)