Even as believers we sometimes make the mistake of not considering things from a spiritual perspective when making decisions. We tend to make decisions by leaning on our own understanding of things and logical thinking. It is understandable that is the process the unsaved used to evaluate decisions but that should never be how we believers do. Excluding the spiritual side in decision making can lead to major problems since our sinful flesh is left unchecked. Making decisions based on human intellect alone can lead you into big problems. Consider Eve. Did you ever notice how Eve made her decision to eat the fruit?
8 The Lord God planted a garden in Eden … 9 The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil … 15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” … Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Gen 2:8-17, 3:1-6 – underline added for emphasis)
Eve evaluated the fruit with her senses and her intellect but never from a spiritual perspective. First, she evaluated it by her senses and determined that it looked good and would taste good. Next, she evaluated it intellectually thinking it would make her wise. She never evaluated eating it spiritually. She did not consider the fact that God commanded them not to eat it. She never thought about the consequences God said would come if they ate it. She just went ahead and ate it since it passed the senses and intelligence tests without thinking about it from the most important perspective … the spiritual one. That poor decision let to her and Adam’s banishment from the Garden, physical death, and sin entering the world.
Don’t be like Eve and try to navigate this world or temptations using only your human senses or wisdom. Follow the advice of God’s Word:
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. (Pv 3:5-6)
Do not rely on your own understanding. Instead, turn to God and ask for His guidance.
You must start off by evaluating things spiritually. Ask yourself things like – Does God forbid this in His Word? How would doing this impact my relationship with God? Is doing this thing “walking in God’s ways”? Is this thing making me more like Jesus and closer to God or less? Pray for guidance.
Think spiritually as you navigate this life, make decisions, and face temptations.
Think about it
What is the first thing you do when faced with a large decision? Do you weigh pro’s and cons and depend on your own intellect to figure it out?
Do you make decisions thinking about things from a spiritual perspective or only from an intellectual one?
Do you really think you are smart enough to make the right decision always? Do you know the future? Have you ever realized that something might look or sound good but not be good?
Do you seek God for His advice? Do you wait to get it before moving forward?
How do you think you should be making important decisions?
BIBLE DEVOTIONS FOR LIVING 