Black and white, are decision simple or complex? Believers want to know if their decisions are according to God’s will and are they led by Holy Spirit when making decisions?  Christians believe that the Holy Spirit dwells in them and He leads us in our walk with the Lord as well as our daily activities.  Most of our decision are not black and white, therefore we often find ourselves in situations that are compromising or unclear.  How much of our decisions are based on our own strengths and how much of it is God’s direction? So, these types of questions often lead us into a confusing state which requires time with the Lord to decipher.

This Bible study focuses on several examples from scripture and the outcome/lessons learned.   We’ll look at the Bible to examine what scripture has to say about decisions, how to make them and various circumstances/scenarios that impact it.  We will also cover Favor to understand how it impacts the process of decision making and the outcome.

Decisions Based on Fear

We’ll start off by examining Abraham (Genesis 12:10-20) and the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 15:34-16:13) to see if their decisions were black and white.  Both walked with the Lord and were committed to serving Him, yet they made decision out of fear.   Let’s look at the decision Abraham made first.  Both he and Sarah (his wife), went to Egypt due to a famine and Abraham concocted a plan to save himself by pretending that Sarah was his sister.  In case the Egyptians found Sarah attractive and desired her, they would spare his life and treat him well.    Ultimately, Sarah was noticed by Pharoah and the scenario did play out just as Abraham had planned it out.  Abraham was treated well and was given many gifts; however, his deceitfulness got him into greater trouble.  As soon as the Pharoah took Sarah to make her his wife, Pharoah and his household were stricken with a plague.  Pharoah released Sarah and had them depart from Egypt.

The lesson we can extract from Abraham’s example is the following: His decision was not black and white, it was in the shade of grey and he made decisions that seemed to be solid for him, but later proved to be a horrible mistake.  You don’t need to resort to spectacular strategies when the Lord has promised that He will care for you.  In Abraham’s case, the Lord made a covenant with him, so why did Abraham fear for his life when the Almighty was already overseeing his safety?  Secondly, in all circumstances, God will use the circumstance for His glory’s sake.

In Samuel’s example, the Lord commanded Samuel to anoint a new king; one of Jesse’s sons.  King Saul had disappointed God, and it was time to replace him.  Samuel trembled at the thought of anointing a new king while Saul was still alive.  He pleads with the Lord, and God devises a plan to bypass the problem.  The Lord tells Samuel to take a heifer and say that you have come to sacrifice to the Lord.  Samuel does exactly what the Lord prescribed, and he is spared from King Saul’s wrath.

So, lesson here is when in fear and in a situation that is potentially harmful to your life, you must go to the Lord first.  In the case of Samuel, he too, like Abraham feared and didn’t trust the Lord initially.  So, God gave the perfect solution and solved the problem, again all things happen for God’s glory.

Favor and No Weapon Forged Against Us Will Prosper

Esther and Joseph are two great examples, both address the factors of favor and the understanding from Isaiah 54:17 that “no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD”.

The story of Esther (Ester 2:10 and 5:1 through 7:7) is truly remarkable.  King Xerxes called for all the beautiful maidens to come to his palace so that he may choose one as his queen.  Ester was required to participate in this “contest” and the King chose her as his queen.   Now, Mordecai (Esther’s uncle), devised a plan and told Esther not to reveal her ethnicity.  He didn’t want the king to know that she was a Jew.

As time progressed, an evil man by the name of Haman was filed with anger against Mordecai, so he manipulated the king to create an edict to kill/annihilate all Jews.  Queen Esther was forced to act quickly and to win the King’s heart to nullify the edit.  Ultimately, Haman’s strategy failed, and he was the one who was impaled.  The lesson here is that the Lord will not allow for evil to prevail over His believers, and He will always protect them.  God reversed the evil plan and the death that was supposed to be brought on to the Jewish people was averted.

Joseph shares a similar story as he was sold into slavery by his brothers and taken to Egypt.  Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him, and rather than kill him, they “got rid of him”.  Joseph goes through turbulent times, going from one situation to the other.  He is put into prison because Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of rape.  Twice in his life, evil circumstances threatened to destroy him, but the Lord prevailed.  Once again, we point to Isaiah 54:17 and know that God is overseeing our lives and He is in control.  Eventually, Joseph is released from prison because he was able to interpret Pharoah’s dream.  He finds favor with Pharoah and rules in Egypt as the equivalent to Prime Minister in today’s standards.

The lesson learned from Joseph’s example is the favor of God is on His believers, and he looks after His children.  God will grant us favor (only if we obey Him – Psalm 5:12, Psalm 90:17, Psalm 84:11, Proverbs 3:1-4), and in various circumstances, peoples’ hearts and minds may change unexplainably, as you find people coming to your aide or things happening supernaturally.  This is only explained through favor.

No matter what the situation, we must first seek the Lord’s guidance through prayer.  A great example of this was in the case of Samuel.  When he was faced with a difficult task, he immediately went to the Lord and sought His guidance.  Difficulties in life are abundant, and without the Lord we can’t overcome these problems on our own.  Favor plays an important role in helping us to overcome our issues, but it all begins with your relationship with the Lord.  So, life’s decision aren’t black and white and it does require careful thought and prayer.  Before you conjure a plan, which takes you deeper into sin and separates you from God (potentially), please reach out to the Lord and wait for His perfect plan.  For those who want to receive the Lord, please pray this prayer:  Lord Jesus I know that I am sinner and I ask you forgive me of my sins.  I believe that you were crucified for my sins and through your blood I have redemption and salvation.  Please come into my heart and I receive you as my God.  I pray in Jesus name. AMEN