A choice made between alternative courses of action in a situation of uncertainty. The act or process of deciding; making a judgment; the act of or need for making up one's mind.
1) The power of decisions
a. Yesterday: past decisions make us what we are.
b. Tomorrow: future dreams give us hope.
c. Today counts: the most important day of our life.
2) Spiritual growth is a choice that changes everything.
a. I choose to not give into sin.
b. I choose to submit to the authority of Christ.
c. I choose to grow inner character that is reflected through my outer person that pleases Christ and points others to Him.
(Character is doing the right thing the right way.)
3) We don’t have the power to live for Christ, until we make a decision to reject sin and give our body to Christ. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself” (Luke 9:23).
4) We cannot overcome sin if we never make a life-choice to be victorious. “Thanks be unto God who always causes us to triumph in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
(We cannot manage what we don’t have.)
5) Satan’s decoys
Many wrongly think you automatically grow spiritually, as you grow physically. But physical growth takes food. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).
If we don’t make a choice to grow, we will start out at the bottom and stay there.
6) Knowledge decoy
Many think spiritual growth comes from knowing information.
a. Spiritual growth comes to every part of our life. It must be integrated and inter-connected. “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52).
7) Satan’s lures (enticements)
a. The flesh naturally resists discipline and hard work. “Much study is a weariness of the flesh” (Ecclesiastes 12:12).
b. Pride. “I have more understanding than all my teachers” (Psalm 119:99).
8) Our spiritual growth determines the effectiveness of our life.
Spiritual gifts without spiritual growth = little outer fruit
Spiritual growth without spiritual gifts = little inner fruit
a. To do more for God, we must be more.
b. To grow a ministry, the leader must grow.
9) Choosing to grow in Christ.
a. I will set growth goals and choose to reach them.
b. I will develop a growth plan and will work my plan.
c. I will change what keeps me from my goals.
d. I will develop growth partners and put myself in growth situations.
(We cannot be tomorrow what we will not do today. Today counts!)
e. I will grow in some area every day.
f. My love for God will increase.
g. I will get my daily directions from God.
10) Live by principles (a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior).
11) Decisions are a tool available to us that can change our entire life. Deciding and taking action creates the momentum necessary to produce drastic change.
12) Making a decision based upon truth, cuts off all other possibilities.
13) Making a decision means: to make a complete commitment to achieving a desired result.
14) The love of God (our love for God) should be the motive behind every decision we make (Matthew 22:37).
15) The glory of God should be the end or result of every decision we make (1 Corinthians 10:31).
16) To make truly godly decisions, we must come to know and love God for who He is.
17) We can only come to know God by knowing and believing in His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
18) After receiving Christ, the main business of the Christian life is sanctification; to grow into the likeness of Christ.
19) As we seek to become more like Christ, our desires will be sanctified.
20) As we meditate on the Word of God, our minds will be transformed (Romans 12:2).
21) In the end, our decisions are determined by what we desire most.
22) As our desires change, our decisions will change also.
23) The heart is inevitably drawn to what we value most (Matthew 6:21). Ultimately, our greatest desire ought to be for God Himself (Job 23:12).
