This is a helpful tool that we encourage people to use when facing difficult decisions. The basis for this tool comes from our good friend in Myrtle Beach, Okey Landers III.

Avoiding “Fleshly” Decision Making in Thinking about Your Summer

1.) What does the Word of God say about this (decision/opportunity)?
- Is this opportunity in line with the Word of God? (2 Timothy 3:16)
2.) What do the people of God say about this?
- What do the Christians in your life think about this? What does the counsel you are receiving about this look like? Are other believers weighing in on this? (Psalm 1)
3.) What is the Spirit of God saying about this?
– Do you have a peace or feel assurance from God about this? (Psalm 143:10, Daniel 2:22)
4.) What do circumstances or providence say about this?
- Could this be a real possibility? Try not to let small things detain you. If the answer to the previous questions is a confident “yes”, ask God in His divine providence to remove or provide for circumstances that that may hinder you from moving forward in this opportunity God may very well be calling you to.

There are always so many circumstances that can get in the way of Godly decision-making and with so many good opportunities how are we supposed to know what God really wants for us anyway? Take some time to pray through these four questions with regard to your summer. God is in the business of removing obstacles, so don’t be afraid to ask and trust Him to do it.

You can download this in a pdf document here

From first importance blog

“What one thing about God in Christ speaks directly into today’s trouble? … Just as we don’t change all at once, so we don’t swallow all of truth in one gulp. We are simple people. You can’t remember ten things at once. Invariably, if you could remember just ONE true thing in the moment of trial, you’d be different. Bible “verses” aren’t magic. But God’s words are revelations of God from God for our redemption. When you actually remember God, you do not sin. The only way we ever sin is by suppressing God, by forgetting, by tuning out his voice, switching channels, and listening to other voices. When you actually remember, you actually change. In fact, remembering is the first change.”

- David Powlison

Darlene Diebler Rose was a missionary to Papua New Guinea. In this recording, she tells her story of being a prisoner of war to the Japanese. She tells of losing her first husband, being beaten and tortured, almost beheaded, and how the Lord provided for her through all of it. She was not allowed to have a Bible while she was held in prison, so she relied on scripture and hymns that she had memorized to help her through all her hard times. “The Lord will never leave nor forsake you” was a truth that meant much to Darlene during her time in SE Asia. It is amazing to hear how she talks about her relationship with the Lord. You can tell, as she talks, that she really believed that the Lord is close to her all the time. This story is a very challenging, yet encouraging one that is well worth an hour of your time to listen to. She also wrote a book called Evidence Not Seen

 

 Testimony - Darlene Diebler Rose [67:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We found this web site through a link on Justin Taylor’s blog. He put a link to a blog by a guy named Timmy Brister.  His blog contained lots of gospel centered articles.  On this page, there are articles by Tim Keller, D.A. Carson, Jerry Bridges, John Piper, and others.  It is definitely worth checking out.  Click here to access all these articles.

More gospel-centered articles can be found here