Six Steps for Wise Decision-Making

[Six Steps for Wise Decision-Making]( Current Teaching Series [Created to Dream]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Six Steps for Wise Decision-Making]( By Rick Warren — 04/12/2023 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= “A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use God’s wisdom are safe.” Proverbs 28:26 (TLB) In this series, we’re learning how God takes us through the Six Phases of Faith—a dream, decision, delay, difficulty, dead end, and deliverance—over and over again throughout our lives to grow our faith and develop our character. The second phase God uses to grow your faith is when you decide to follow the dream you believe God has given you. Nothing happens with your dream until you move forward in faith! God gave Moses the dream of leading the children of Israel out of 400 years of slavery—but Moses had to make the decision to confront Pharaoh. God gave Noah the dream of saving the world from the flood—but Noah had to make the decision to build the ark. God gave Abraham the dream of building a new nation—but Abraham had to make the decision to leave everything and go out into the unknown. Just like these people in the Bible, you’ll never realize God’s dream for your life until you come to the stage of decision-making and choose to step out in faith. There is a simple, workable plan for making wise decisions that will keep you on track pursuing God’s dream for your life. 1. Pray for guidance.Before you do anything else, get God’s perspective on the issue. “A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use God’s wisdom are safe” (Proverbs 28:26 TLB). 2. Get the facts.There is no contradiction between faith and fact. Find out everything you can before you make a decision. Proverbs 13:16 says, “All who are prudent act with knowledge” (NIV). 3. Ask for advice.Talk to somebody who’s made a similar decision and to friends who know your weaknesses. “The more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win” (Proverbs 24:6 GNT). 4. Calculate the cost.Every decision has a price tag; it may cost you time, money, energy, reputation, talents, or resources. Proverbs 20:25 says, “It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows” (NIV). When people pressure you to make a decision, it’s okay to say, “I’ll get back to you.” It’s more important to make a wise decision than a quick decision. 5. Prepare for problems.In faith, expect the best. Expect God to work in your life. But also prepare for the problems that are part of every decision. Solomon said in Proverbs 22:3, “A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences” (TLB). 6. Face your fears.Perfectionism paralyzes potential. God has always used imperfect people in imperfect situations to accomplish his will. Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (TLB). In spite of your problems, doubts, or fears, trust God and start moving in the direction of your dream. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - Do you hesitate to ask God for direction about big decisions? Why or why not? - What is the difference between taking a leap of faith and taking biblical steps to make wise decisions? - Which one of the six steps from today’s devotional is the most difficult for you? Ask God to help you trust him for every step of your journey of faith. The post [Six Steps for Wise Decision-Making]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= [Get Created to Dream when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( God has a dream for your life—and it’s far greater than anything you could ever dream up on your own. Discover God’s dream for your life and how to overcome the many barriers you’ll encounter as you pursue it with Pastor Rick’s brand-new book, Created to Dream: The 6 Phases God Uses to Grow Your Faith. This life-changing book reveals the process God uses to fulfill the custom-made dream he has for you and the faith-building phases he’ll lead you through as he does—just as he did for so many people in the Bible. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 6 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series Created to Dream. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: How God Builds Your Faith Message 2: God's Dream for Your Life Message 3: How to Make Wise Decisions Message 4: Delayed by Design Message 5: How to Deal With Difficulty Message 6: From Dead End to Deliverance [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( Rick Warren is the founding pastor of [Saddleback Church]( one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller [The Purpose Driven Life](. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created [The PEACE Plan]( to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 23182 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, United States