Decided

This is past tense of the word decide means to come to a conclusion or choice of direction or action. I make lots of decisions every day – many are small, like choosing which coffee cup to use for my morning coffee, to significant business decisions.   There are other decisions that get made for me because they involve others and they involved situations that are beyond my control. When fighting a health battle, there are some decisions to make, but there are some that are made for you because of the situation after tests reveal what you’re up against.

I do think that there are decisions that I make as I start my day that can set the tone for my day ahead. I can decide to be grateful. I can decide to be humble and kind. I can decide to have a great attitude.  There may be some decisions that I make today that can determine my future for years to come.  I have to gather as much information as I can and carefully weigh the choices before me and then make a decision.

The situation was bleak at a particular point in Judah’s history. The king’s mother has taken over the throne after he was killed.  She then kills all the heirs to the throne so that she could rule without threat of being deposed.  She missed one of the kings sons, because his mother and nurse hid him in the temple of the Lord. Check this out…

¹In the seventh year of Athaliah’s reign, Jehoiada the priest decided to act. He summoned his courage and made a pact with five army commanders: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri. ² These men traveled secretly throughout Judah and summoned the Levites and clan leaders in all the towns to come to Jerusalem. ³ They all gathered at the Temple of God, where they made a solemn pact with Joash, the young king.

Jehoiada said to them, “Here is the king’s son! The time has come for him to reign! The Lord has promised that a descendant of David will be our king. (2 Chronicles 23:1-3 NLT)

This wicked lady ruled for 7 years. There are times a decision might take a long length of time to get really clear. There are other times when 7 years is way too long. There are some decisions where 7 minutes is too long.

There is great power in a decision. When my mind is made up and a decision is clear, my convictions begin to settle in. I will be the first to admit that I’ve made my share of bad decisions before. I also can drop an anchor on other decisions because I’ve weighed all the options carefully. I’ve sought wisdom from the Lord. I’ve sought the counsel of wise and experienced people and then decided.  I have leaned into this great axiom – “When your values are clear, your decisions are easy”.

I want to start my journey each day spending time with the Lord in His Word. I gain great insight into His heart and His call upon my heart. This time gives great clarity to my values and my belief system. I trust in the Lord with my whole heart and I need Him to help me with life decisions that happen daily or even hourly. His Presence in me through His Spirit is incredible and powerful. I need Him as I make many decisions throughout today.

Pressing On!

Dwayne