How to Make Wise Decisions

Every day we have hundreds of decisions to make. Most of them are small, like what to have for dinner or what color shoes to wear to work. However some decisions are major such as a career decision,  a home purchase, or a relationship decision. These are times we need wisdom, knowledge, and God's guidance.

In some situations such as business decisions, good decision-making is a learned mental skill. Professional football coaches get really good at making decisions in the heat of the moment with limited information. They are mentally trained at making multiple quick decisions. They evaluate the facts, combine it with their experience and execute a decision. Done.

Making Personal Decisions 

These are often more difficult to make because the heart and the mind are both involved. We are torn between conflicting values and it takes quiet time alone with God to get clear on what is most important to us. We want to do the right thing but often we are unclear as to what that is. This is where God and Scripture come in.

Use the Word of God
When I am unsure of a decision, I go straight to the word of God.  It helps me to step outside my emotions and take an objective look at the situation. As a long-time student of the Bible, I am familiar with the principles and ideas in most of the books. A good place to start is the book of Proverbs. There is much wisdom in this book regarding the major facets of life including relationships, finances, child-rearing, lending, and communication to name a few. Write down all the verses pertaining to the issue you are facing, pray about it, and you will get clarity on what to do.

Reverse Your Process 
Many people, however, have this process reversed.  Instead of asking and seeking God's will regarding their decision first, they often make the decision and then, when things don't work out, they talk to God about it. This is not the way it works, folks. God wants the best path for us, but we must make the diligent effort to determine what that is, trusting that God ultimately knows better than we do. He sees the future and we only see with limited vision, often colored by rose-colored glasses or past-experiences. 

God wants the Best for You. 

Don't be afraid to seek his advice and guidance while you are talking to your friends. God is faithful to answer our prayers and guide us in the right path. Let peace be the umpire of your decisions. Where there is no peace, there is no green light. Don't settle for less than God's best. Ask yourself "Is this the best thing for me?" and then listen to that still small voice. 

For Reflection
What decision is keeping you up at nights? God wants us to make good decisions, not ones we will regret. Did you know God promises to guide and direct our steps? All we have to do is ASK. "If anyone of you lacks wisdom, ask God, for he gives it freely and without reproach." (James 1:5). We are not alone in our decision-making. We have a supernatural force that wants to help us make good decisions. 

If this post has encouraged you, do leave a comment and share this post with your friends. Many people would love to know how to make better decisions. My book, "Take Back Your Life: 5 Keys to reclaiming your Personal Power." , will give you practical advice on how to make decisions about your daily life so you can enjoy more peace, less stress, and more joy. 

If you'd like to join our community and receive my weekly posts, enter you email address in the box provided. You'll also receive a copy of my free e-guide entitled "7 Steps to Finding Your Spiritual Path". 

Stay tuned for more on igniting the power within and until next time, keep looking up!

Ariel Paz 

"The Secret " Law of Attraction - Is There Anything to It?

I'm sure you've heard of the huge success of the book "The Secret" and it's corresponding philosophy called the "Law of Attraction".  "The Secret" has sold over 6 million copies and in fact, both Oprah and Larry King discussed it on their shows. So what's all this hullabaloo about anyway?

The law of attraction is the name given to the belief that "like attracts like" and that by focusing on positive or negative thoughts, one can attract things into one's life. This philosophy of thought originated with the New Thought movement that spawned such religions as Religious Science, Unity Church, and the Church of Divine Science. It is based upon the belief that people and their thoughts are energy and that like energy attracts like energy. Interesting, huh?

Yeah, that's what I thought when I came upon some fast talking dude on a youtube video last night extolling the benefits of this process, and well, I just had to blog about it at 4:30 am.

Let's just assume for a moment that there is some truth to this whole phenomenon. Let's say we are made of energy and so are our thoughts and we do tend to attract what we think about. This concept is actually somewhat biblical when you read the Apostle Paul's advice to think on things that are true, noble, right, pure and lovely (Phil 4:8) and to have done with all evil thoughts. However, that is where the resemblance stops.

Coming from a Christian perspective, my question is this: "Where does God's will fit into the picture?" Sure, we can think about all kinds of things we want to attract into our lives, and they may or may not manifest themselves. In fact, Wayne Dyer, the international speaker and best selling author has a book on this topic called "Manifesting Your Destiny: The Nine Spiritual Principles for Getting Everything You Want". Now, isn't that a catchy title? It would capture most anyone's attention.

It seems to me that the law of attraction is all about ME ME ME - what I want, what I desire and leaves God completely out of the equation, right? Now, I admit, it is tempting (notice the use of that word) to believe we can THINK things into our lives, and we may well be able to do so. However, I believe we are playing with FIRE when we try to take things into our own hands, outside the will of God. Remember the story of Sarah and Abraham and look where that one poor decision got us - years of Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

I don't know about you, but I want the BEST that God has for me AND I am willing to put ALL my trust in HIM and no one else, including my selfish wants & desires. What about you? What are you desiring in your life? What are you willing to do to get it? Will you compromise and settle or will you trust in God?  Psalm 37:4 says "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Love to hear what you have to say about this post. I'm sure it will stimulate some discussion. Until next time, keep the faith and keep looking up!

Whose Will Is It?

Ever have your mind made up to do something or go someplace, make all the plans, and then have it all fall through at the last minute? How do you explain these frustrating disappointments? Fate? Timing? Or could it be God's will?

Now, I know a lot of people poo-poo the very idea of God even caring about what we mortals do down here on earth. But I know differently. Here's a situation that happened recently and you tell me what you think.

It had been a rough day, starting off with my computer not working. Isn't that a fun way to start the day? "Oh my, here we go again," I thought. "Wonder what happened to the connection this time." So the first half of the day was spent troubleshooting what the problem was with the network connection. By lunchtime, I was thinking "I need to do something fun tonight". Now I usually go out to dinner with my son, but that night I felt like going country dancing. After several attempts at communicating and getting agreement with a friend, the plan was in place and I was looking forward to a fun evening.

Took a shower, got all dressed, did the makeup and hair routine, and was ready to head out the door when that small inner voice said "Take the recycling out on the way". I have learned, after many years, to heed that still small voice immediately, so I grabbed the bag of plastic containers and locked the door behind me. Coming back to my car after dropping the recycling in the dumpster, I noticed my left rear tire was extremely low.

"Guess I have to go to the gas station and get air in the tire now," I sighed. It was a bitter cold night. At the gas station, the tire would not inflate. "That's odd. I wonder what's wrong." Thankfully, I cannot remember the last time I had a flat tire. Undaunted, I decided to see if Sears Auto was still open. It was not. The sad realization that I was not going dancing that night finally sunk in.

"Lord, you know I wanted to go dancing tonight. I've had such a tough day." But it was not meant to be. I have to say I was not a happy camper. Can anyone relate at this point?

So what do we usually do next? You can answer that for yourself. But before my thoughts went down that negative track, I caught myself. "You know, this could have been a lot worse. You could have been on the highway and had a blow-out in this freezing cold weather. Then what would you have done?" Dismay and disappointment gave way to gratitude and praise. "Thank you, Lord, for your protection tonight. Thank you for keeping me safe. Thank you for telling me to take the recycling out." In Psalm 121:7-8, we are promised that "The Lord will keep you from all harm. He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."

Thankfully, also, the friend I was meeting was still at home, finishing dinner. As I related the situation, my friend jokingly says "So I guess this was not God's will?" I cracked up. This was such an unexpected comment and it definitely lightened the situation.

"That's my take on it," I replied.

So what is your take on it? I am sure something like this has happened to you. How do you explain it? Until next time, let me encourage you to see things from a different perspective. What may look like a disappointment may well be the Lord's protection on your life. Send me your thoughts and in the meantime, keep looking up!

The Power of Attraction

So you've all probably heard of the best-selling book called "The Secret", right? The premise of the book is that we can "attract" wonderful things into our lives merely by thinking about them. Thinking about them draws them to us; everything from riches, to good relationships, to good health. Now there is something to thinking positive thoughts, and visualizing what you want in life. With that, I totally agree. I don't want to burst your bubble if you read the book, however, there is a big BUT in this whole concept. The BUT is God. We can think about something all we want, BUT if it's not God's will for us to have it, we aren't going to get it. Period, end of story. I can dream of winning the lottery, making a million dollars or whatever, BUT God may have other plans for me. He only gives us what we can handle and some of us may not be ready to handle a million dollars :) Spend, yes, but not handle it wisely. The book has sold millions of copies world-wide. Do you believe in God's will? Or are you in total control of your destiny? Drop me a note - I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Until next time, stay positive and keep looking up