Daily devotion – Obedience is needed not permission.
Decision Making When There Is No Decision to Make
Decision-making is something we all face. Some decisions are difficult, while others are quite straightforward. Yet many people make life more complicated than it needs to be.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to look to the Bible for guidance in making godly decisions that honour and please our Lord.
However, there are many matters on which the Bible speaks so clearly that there is really no decision to make. God has already spoken. The Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, and countless other passages plainly teach us about loving the Lord, avoiding idolatry, telling the truth, not stealing, not coveting, forgiving others, and many other aspects of godly living. In these areas, what is required is not another decision, but simple obedience.
Sometimes people create dilemmas that need not exist. For example, someone may ask, “Is it okay for us to live together before we are married? We are planning to get married anyway.” Scripture calls sexual relations outside of marriage fornication, so there is no decision to be made.
Another person may ask, “Should I begin a relationship with someone who is not a Christian?” Yet God’s Word clearly tells believers not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Again, there is no decision to make because God has already given His answer.
What often happens is that people give themselves permission to “decide” about something that God has already settled in His Word. They treat God’s commands as though they were merely suggestions. But where God has spoken clearly, our responsibility is not to debate His will but to obey it.
At times, people ask for prayer regarding situations that do not really need prayer as much as they need obedience. Instead of asking God whether they should do something, they first need to ask, “What has God already said in His Word?”
This is why every decision should first be measured against the Scriptures. Before taking another step, we should establish whether God has already declared His will on the matter. We do not need to pray about whether it is right to steal something that belongs to someone else. God has already answered that question.
As believers, we often make life unnecessarily complex. This week, do not give yourself permission to deliberate over something that God has already made clear. Where Scripture speaks plainly, choose obedience over debate.
Proverbs 3:5–7
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.”