Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

"And he [Abraham's servant] said, 'Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.'"¹

One of my favorite questions to ask seminar participants is: "How many have a difficult time making decisions?"

It's interesting to see how many hands are raised. The most common reason is a fear of making a wrong decision. Unfortunately, many opportunities are lost because of a failure to make a decisionâ€"which is itself a decision; that is, a decision not to make a decision! That can be a bad decision because, as a general rule, "Opportunities come to passâ€"not to pause."

One man said to me not so long ago, "I don't know where I'm going [with my life], but I'm in a hurry to get there." His problem seems to be his fear or reluctance to make decisions. So at the moment he appears to be going nowhere fast.

Some times I joke by saying that I wish God was on e-mail so I could get his leading real fast. Knowing that is not being realistic, every day I commit and trust my life and way to God, asking for his guidance in all that I do, and trust him to guide me and I act accordingly.

I like what Abraham's servant said when he was sent to find a bride for Isaac: "I being in the way the Lord led me."² That is, as the servant did his part, God did his.

I can't recall God ever leading me when I sat back and did nothing. When I trust God and act on the information I have (as little as that may be), he always opens the door to the next stepâ€"for me it's usually just one step at a time. Maybe, just maybe, if I saw God's entire plan ahead of time, I may be too afraid to take the first step. But I can trust God and handle one step at a time. When I first thought about writing a book, it seemed like an impossible task. A friend suggested I think of writing just one page at a time. I knew I could handle that. All we need to do is make the decision to take the first step. As another has said, "Beginning is half-done."

And as another has suggested, use the PAT method for making decisions; that is, Prayâ€"Actâ€"Trust!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me the insight to discern your leading and step out in faith trusting you to guide me one step at a time. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Genesis 24:27 (NKJV).
2. Genesis 24:27 (KJV).

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