2 options & 1 tough decision

Having trouble making a decision?  Don’t worry, you’re not alone.  Way back in Elijah’s day, the people of Israel had a dilemma on their hands as well and didn’t know what to do.  There were 450 prophets of Baal and only one prophet of God – Elijah.  They were trying to decide who to follow: Baal or the Lord.

God gave Elijah revelation on what to say.  In other words, God gave Elijah divine wisdom and all the people there agreed it was a good and sound idea.

I Kings 18
21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

There’s God’s wisdom in action!

James 1
6 But let him ask in faith [believing], nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Ephesians 4
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Ephesians 4 is in the context of the 5 gift ministries to the church – perhaps seeking their council can help.

Often times, fear can be an impediment to decision making, but God has an answer for that too.

II Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Psalms 34:4
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

I John 4
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.

Consulting multiple, objective & authoritative sources of information is always a good idea.

Proverbs 11:14
Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Getting a second or third opinion is often a very wise move, as many of us know from experience. If you get a medical diagnosis, or a car mechanic says you need to spend $850 in repairs for example, then seeking wise council can make the difference between victory or disaster.

Confusion is another obstacle when it comes down to the wire to make the right choice.

I Corinthians 14:33
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

James 3
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

If you are confused, you may simply be lacking a key piece of information, or the data you have may be false or incomplete.  If there is confusion, then consider the possibility that Satan may be involved.  You may need to rebuke him in the name of Jesus Christ and claim God’s protection and wisdom on what to do.

Philippians 4
19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
20 Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Ultimately, many times when we are stuck between two options, one is from God and the other is a counterfeit from Satan.  That is when we need an accurate knowledge of God’s word in order to tell the difference between the two.

Sometimes, the difference between two options appears to be razor-thin, but that’s not too much of a difference for God.  Just look how precise God’s word is!

Hebrews 4:12 [amplified bible]
For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the [g]breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.

God’s word is sharper than a razor, so use it and his wisdom as your guide.

Matthew 7
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

By the results we will know whether or not it was the right decision.   We don’t want cool sounding theories, but the proof is in the pudding!

James 3 lists the 8 characteristics of God’s wisdom so that you can recognize it if you see it.

James 3 [amplified bible]
17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure (undefiled); then it is peace-loving, courteous (considerate, gentle). [It is willing to] yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits; it is wholehearted and straightforward, impartial and unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering, and insincerity).
18 And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God’s will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].

But watch out for this trick!

Job 13 [amplified bible]
20 Only [O Lord] grant two conditions to me, and then will I not hide myself from You:
21 Withdraw Your hand and take this bodily suffering far from me; and let not my [reverent] dread of You terrify me.
22 Then [Lord] call and I will answer, or let me speak, and You answer me.

We must remember that the devil knows the bible better than most people do. Unfortunately, he will twist or distort it to his advantage.  In Matthew 4 for example, the devil purposely misquoted some verses in psalms in order to deceive Jesus.

Basically, Job asked God for only 2 things.  Satan, our personal spiritual adversary, knows this, so he may offer you 2 of his answers!

Sometimes, you may get into a situation where you are given an ultimatum, and both options appear to be wrong or bad in some way. If this is the case, then Satan could very well be the one offering you the options. He is the one who has rigged the game in his favor.

In those situations, you must  rely upon God and his wisdom to pull you through.

For example, my chiropractor, before he got into the profession, got ulcerative colitis and was told that this was an incurable condition.  It’s classified as an auto-immune disease where the body attacks itself for an unknown reason.  In this case, his colon. He was given many different drugs, but he had several very serious side effects, lost a lot of weight, had a lot of bleeding, but only got worse.

He was told he had to have his colon removed or die.  But the consequences of having his colon removed involved permanent sterility, chronic pain and discomfort, constant infections, a colostomy bag and other major problems, so he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, between 2 bad options.

He decided there had to be a better way, and there was.  He believed there was a better way and God provided his answer.   For him, it was chiropractic.  He had a severe curve in his lower back that was pinching off the nerves from his spine that went to his colon.

After several months of treatment, he steadily got better and was completely healed.

When we are walking in God’s light and wisdom, we will not be caught in the dark with a dreadful disease that the world says is incurable.   Like they said in the TV show the x-files, the truth is out there…

Psalms 91
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence [disease] that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

I Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer [allow] you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Definition of “a way to escape”

HELPS Word-studies
1545 ékbasis (from 1537 /ek, “out from and to” and bainō, “move forward, march”) – properly, moving out from and to the outcome (new destination); departure; (figuratively) “the (successful) way out” which also goes on to what is new (desirable), i.e. the Lord’s outcome (1 Cor 10:13; Heb 13:7).

This word is only used 3 times in the bible.  In verse 7, its translated “the end”.

Hebrews 13
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Church leadership, the 5 gift ministries, if they are using God’s wisdom, can be your way to escape.

Beware of the tempter, who may be giving you one or more of your options.

Matthew 4:3
And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

The tempter is one of the many names of Satan, revealing one aspect of his nature.

James 1:13
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

It is good to know that God is on our side…

Look at how Jesus Christ came out of a very tough situation victoriously!

John 8
1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Had Jesus Christ did what the old testament law said or came up with his own interpretation of the law, he would have been defeated.  He was torn between the only two options he was given, but he went outside the box, outside the 9 dots, and reached into God’s infinite reservoir of truth to defeat the enemy.

Psalms 147:5
Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

More details on the 8 characteristics of God’s wisdom

Romans 8
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.