On a daily basis we are bombarded with decisions. What to wear, what to eat, how to act, what to do, who to interact with, etc. And that doesn’t even include the plethora of decisions we make pertaining to our electronic devices!
The topics of self-control, willpower, and decision making have been a source of conversation for researchers, psychologists, and therapists at an ever increasing rate. As with most things in our society currently, the question is “How can we get more?” – self-control and willpower in this case.
What has come to be believed is that we have a self-control/willpower tank, if you will, that gets depleted throughout the day. The more decisions you make that require self-control, the more the tank depletes. For one, this is why it’s way harder to avoid the junk food and dessert at the end of the day.
It has been found that the more we reduce unnecessary decisions in our daily life the easier it is to maintain self-control and willpower for decisions that are more important.
Paul gives us a good template when making decisions, as he states in 1 Corinthians 10:23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.
We would go a long way in life if we kept that verse in mind during our decision making process. Is this beneficial? Is this constructive? If the answer is no to either question then we would be wise to avoid that situation.
That sounds so cut and dry and easy doesn’t it?!
Now how about the decision to follow Jesus? That is a much larger decision than ‘Should I answer my notification during an office meeting?’. (No, you shouldn’t by the way!)
The bible is riddled with accounts of people unsure of which god to follow, our Heavenly Father or other god’s of the time. This is also true today. We can’t follow two Gods – our Lord and ________.
[ctt template=”4″ link=”3dJcH” via=”yes” ]Be honest. What aspect of your life are you letting get in the way of your decision to fully follow Christ?[/ctt]
Take the time to read the below bible scriptures and truly focus on what they are saying to you. Some passages may touch you differently than others. Writing down the verses in your own hand is helpful for some individuals. Possibly looking up the verses in your own bible may be beneficial. I use a NIV bible translation. Or reading them over and over to commit to memory. Whatever method works best for you to experience God’s words and feel closer to Him.
Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Joshua 24:14-15
“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the god your forefathers served beyond the River, or the god of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
1 Kings 18:21
Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God follow him.”
Hebrews 11:24-26
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
I pray that this post and the above scriptures move you in your decision making for this day and all your days to come.
God bless!
Melissa
This is so very good! I have often been known to be “indecisive” about the small things in life. Actually up until I started my Blog I wasn’t even sure about stepping out and make the final decision to write. God just kept impressing on me about stepping out and fully giving everything to him and so I did. Now that I look back I wish that I had just listened sooner, but in all actuality, everything fell in my lap at the perfect time. Great post!
God can make the best out of every situation if we let Him! So even our hesitancy can become opportunity to learn and grow in other ways as well! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
God can make a testimony out of our experience and we can help someone else with what we go thru
Very true! We absolutely can let our growth be a light for others to glorify God! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
I was praying just this morning the one simple thing – “God, give me the strength and energy to do what You want me to do, and the energy to do the things I need to do” – and it works!
That is a wonderful prayer and one very similar to what I pray every morning! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Melissa, I love your insights. We are bombarded every day to make decisions and you are so right when we are tired at the end of the day we have a very hard time exerting self control, whether it be with our families or say no to snacks or taking that much needed walk. It is a good thing to get off the phone, the computer, etc and just get away for a break. My hubby and I try to do that each semester for a weekend, just so the two of us can reconnect and reduce the need to make choices. Ha, ha. Great post. Thanks for sharing. – Amy
http://stylingrannymama.com/
Thank you for your kind words! Life would be so much simpler if we would reduce the noise around us and focus in on God and His desires for us. I’m glad you and your husband get some time together! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
I have read before that our decision making ability gets weaker as we go through our day each day. So true! I loved all the verses that you shared here. Such a great collection to remind us to be sure that we are making solid decisions for the Lord and His will in our lives.
It can definitely be hard to do if we don’t make an effort to reduce the noise that surrounds us. Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
“It has been found that the more we reduce unnecessary decisions in our daily life the easier it is to maintain self-control and willpower for decisions that are more important.” This is so true! We crowd our lives with so many decisions that we end up exhausted every day rather than walking by the Spirit from a position of resting in Him.
You’re right. We confuse our priorities and get sucked into situations of immediate gratification. Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
I admit I’m indecisive often because there are too many decisions. (you should have seen me when we built our house)
Thanks for pointing out these verses!
Oh! That’s a lot of decisions to make! I’m going to say that situation is completely understandable! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
I like the straight forward challenge of digging into what is holding us back from Christ. That is a good question to ask throughout many stages of life.
Unfortunately it is not a question that is asked often. We tend to like to blame others, even if we don’t realize it. And at times, even blame God for leaving us, when really we have let other things get in the way. Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!