Hear God's Voice & Make the Right Choice

Too cheesy?

Welcome to our mini-study on making the right choices! Before we begin, I want you to know that this is not all me. I'm totally going off of a book by Elizabeth George titled A Young Woman's Guide to Making Right Choices. I looked it over as a possibility for us to study on Sunday mornings but the Lord just took me on a different path. With that said, I wanted to do it with y'all somehow so the blog is perfect!

We all know that life is full of choices. And some choices are good for some but would be bad for others. I've heard several testimonies of friends (and myself, hello!) who end up something like...

"I wandered off the path...."
"I fell away from the Lord...."
"I got sidetracked...."
"I strayed from the truth...."
"I went off the deep end...."
"I got sucked into the wrong crowd....."

Somehow, somewhere a wrong choice was made. Nothing big- maybe just a little lie. Then little by little these smaller wrong choices become easier bigger ones until one day, a girl realizes her life is a big mess. I DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN TO YOU! And if it already has, there's redemption and freedom in repentance and turning to the Lord for His forgiveness and wisdom for future choices. We're going to look at what God says about choices in the Bible and apply those Truths to our lives so that we can stay on the right path.

Alright. Each week I'll post 5 days of topics with things to consider. Your job is to go through the 5 days, study the verses, and follow the questions. Simple enough, right? I figured 5 will give you flexibility and you can decide when your 5 days will be depending on homework loads, practice schedules, etc. (A bit of advice: scan through every day before you start, especially the challenge at the end, so you have an idea of how the week's going to go.) Let me know how this format works for you, too. This is the first time I've ever done this. Do you like it? Does it work? I could always divide up the days and make 5 seperate posts but I figured that if I did it this way, you could highlite the text and print it off if you needed to instead of having 5 seperate things to look up. (Was that the world's longest run-on sentence or what? I'm glad I'm not in any of y'all's English classes!) At any time you may comment on what you're studying. In fact, why not make it a definite part of the study? At least once a week, post something God's teaching you from this. It can be a reflection of the week as a whole or just about one particular day that really spoke to you. Maybe God used one of the verses to speak Truth into your life. Give real-life examples of how He's shaping you to make right choices. It'll encourage everyone else to continue in the study and keep me from talking to myself! If that's clear enough, let's get started!

Day One:
First, let's look at Lot. He was Abraham's nephew. His story's found in Genesis 13. Read verses 5-13. What was the situation that made a decision necessary? (verses 5-7) What did Abraham propose as a solution? (verses 8-9) What choice did Lot make and why? (verses 10-11) Now quickly scan Genesis 19:12-29. What were some of the results of Lot's choice? Choices are presented to us everyday. Sometimes, the bad choices don't look bad at the time. What looks best isn't necessarily the best choice. Many times it takes discernment and wisdom. Remember, Satan tempts us daily. He wouldn't be very effective if all his temptations weren't appealing to us! He tries to make himself look good. Don't be deceived!

Day Two:
Moving a little farther into Genesis we see Joseph. His story starts in chapter 37 but we're going to look at a situation that happened a little later in his life. Read Genesis 39:1-10. [Warning: there's some sleazy stuff going on here!] Where did Joseph find himself? (verses 1-2, 6) What did Potiphar's wife propose and how often? (verses 6-7, 10) What was Joseph's choice and why? (verses 8-10) What a hussie! She probably thought noone was around so who would ever know? Right choices should be made even when noone is looking. Sometimes this is the hardest time to make right decisions but God sees all we do and knows all our choices. We should remember and resolve to please Him above all else. I love it how Joseph even refused to be with her (the hussie)! He completely removed himself from even being around the temptation so he would stand true through the test. James 1:2-4 and 12 promise that we will be rewarded when we persevere with good choices.

Day Three:
Next up is Daniel. He has his own book so you can go ahead and turn there. Read Daniel 1:3-8. Describe Daniel and his friends. (verse 4) Talk about studs! Anyone really wanting a boyfriend named Mishael right now? Okay, I digress. Anyways- they were in "training" under the king of Babylon. That's a nice way to say taken prisoner, drug away from everything you've ever known (family, homes, friends, etc.), stripped of your names, living in a foreign land, and being brainwashed to follow this new leader. Fun, huh? But Daniel did something that the king had no control over. What was it? (verse 8) That word "resolve" means "purposed & determined to set his heart". Daniel was pressured to live a certain way that didn't line up with God's standards. Sound familiar? But he purposed & determined to set in his heart that he was going to follow God, no matter what the cost. Good choices are usually made before they're presented. Make sense? You've got to decide before you even find yourself in a situation what you're going to do.

Day Four
Look up Joshua 24:14-15. The Israelites were just beginning their journey through God's Promised Land, much like y'all are beginning your journey with the Lord. There was some wishy-washiness going on (as always does) and Joshua took a stand. Choices are a matter of your will. You get to decide what you will or won't do, how you will or won't act. Are you choosing as Joshua did to serve God and God alone? How will you devote yourself to living your life God's way? What are you struggling with or facing that calls for better choices from you? Choose this day who you will serve. Once that decision's been settled, it makes it easier to choose because you already know Who you want to follow.

Day Five
Alright, time to move to the New Testament. Look up Matthew 4:18-20. Whose choice does it describe? (verse 18) What did they choose and how? (verse 20) How does it compare to the choice described in Matthew 9:9? Have you made this choice for yourself? This week you've looked at several examples from God's Word about choosing God's path above all else. God lays out several guidelines in Scripture for making right choices. Here are some verses that cover what we've talked about this week:

• Treat each day as being important. "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)
• Admit your need for wisdom...and ask for it! "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)
• Work at developing a deep respect for God. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10)
• Make sure you have a vital relationship with Jesus Christ. "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." (Ephesians 1:17)
• Be willing to pay any price for the truth. "Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding." (Proverbs 23:23)

Challenge for the Week
Take one of these verses and make it yours. Write it on a notecard. Put it on a sticky note on your mirror so you'll see it every morning. Keep a slip of paper in your pocket. Do anything so that it will constantly be in your face. Memorize it! (I personally like the last one, Proverbs 23:23. Talk about a great weapon to have when battling peer pressure! Don't sell the treasures Jesus has taught you just for some cheap acceptance from your peers that honestly probably won't last anyways.)