Walking with the Wise #169: Good & Godly Decisions

“The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,


but the folly of fools is deceiving.”
—Proverbs 14:8

Not a day goes by where we are not faced with a multitude of decisions, each one more difficult than the one before it, and it’s not always easy to discern which way is best. The only proper course of action is to look at the Word of God and see what it says. However, there are times when we aren’t quite sure what the Word says about our specific situation, so we do the second best thing—seek counsel from others. And this is where things can become even more difficult, when the counsel we receive differs from person to person. I’ve met many people in my life and sought counsel from those coming from all kinds of backgrounds—Christian and unbelievers, old and young, men and women. And I can honestly say that wisdom is truly multifaceted.

While the counsel of believers differs vastly from that of unbelievers in scope and standard, we must remember that believers can be foolish. Not all Christians possess wisdom, and even godly people disagree. Several years ago, I was faced with making a choice about something financially. I saw a friend of mine, who is a Christian, making some financial decisions that others deemed to be dangerous. It looked as if God was blessing my friend, so I made a choice in line with his philosophy and what I wanted. It became apparent, however, that as time passed and the economy changed, my friend was in over his head and his gamble failed, thus sending him into a disastrous spiral of financial collapse, saddling him with a great amount of debt for years to come. It wasn’t until after his financial collapse that I saw the error of my own way. If I had only listened to those whom I knew to be wiser and more in line with the fear of God, I would have acted differently and thus prevented my own financial problems.

You see, my friend was foolish, and I was deceived by his foolishness because it appeared that he was successful. If I would have acted prudently and had considered the possible end result of my actions, I would have made a far different choice. But I was deceived—by my own heart and my fleshly wants, along with my friend’s sinful choices, and made a terrible choice that seriously affected my future.

How are you making decisions? Are you acting prudently? Or are you giving in to your own fleshly wants and sinful choices? Listen to the Word without reservation and don’t entertain fools! Don’t listen to them, no matter how good they may look, or how blessed they may seem. Time will tell, and all choices will be revealed for what they really are—honoring to God’s Word, or sinful at its root.

May the Lord enable us to make good and godly decisions that are in line with His Word. And may we not listen to fools, but only to God’s Word for the furthering of His kingdom and our unbridled joy. Amen.