"For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly" (Proverbs 2:6-7 NKJV).

Today we’re faced with an awful lot of choices in life—we are flooded with options. The average grocery store carries 36,000 items. If you go to Wal-Mart you will find on the toothpaste aisle that Crest has a gazillion different flavors. The Revlon Company has 158 different colors of lipstick. The Levi corporation used to just make jeans, but now they make 70, 000 different products in all sizes, shapes and colors. Every year 200 to 300 new magazines come out. The problem with all of these options is that life can get confusing. Too many choices can be stressful. We all know if you make good choices it leads to success, but if you make bad choices it will lead to a life filled with scars. So the issue I want to look at today is how to make good choices! Life is a series of decisions—one right after another. Many of the choices we make can have major consequences in our lives. So how do we make good, wise decisions? I believe that there are 5 ways to test any decision:

First is the IDEAL Test. You need to ask this question—is it in harmony with God's Word? "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105 NIV). Ask yourself, “What does God say about this?” In life you will either listen to the world or the word. The world is constantly changing its opinion of what’s right and wrong. Fads come and go, but God’s Word is unchanging.

Second is the INTEGRITY Test. You need to ask this question—would I want other people to know? If I worry that other people might find out about a decision I’ve made then that is probably a pretty good indication that it’s a bad decision. Bad choices always lead to secrets. I start hiding it because I feel ashamed of the decision and I don’t want people to know. Just look at Adam & Eve in the garden. Whenever you violate your conscious, it’s always a big mistake. "The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out" (Proverbs 10:9 NIV). The book of Romans tells us that whatever is not of faith is sin. So if I can’t do it with a clear conscious and if I can’t do it in faith, then I shouldn’t do it because for me it’s wrong, even if God hasn’t clearly spelled it out in black and white as being wrong in His Word.

Third is the IMPROVEMENT Test. You need to ask this question—will it make me a better person? “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive (1 Corinthians 10:23 NIV). In life some things are not necessarily wrong, they’re just not necessary. Many of the choices you make in life are not going to be between good and evil—it’s not a choice between right and wrong. Many of the choices you make in life are going to be between what’s good and what’s best. So the issue then becomes, "Will this help me or will this potentially hinder me?"

Fourth is the INDEPENDENCE Test. You need to ask this question—could it become addictive? No matter how fun or pleasurable something is, no matter how many other people are doing it, if it has the potential to dominate and control your life then you should avoid it. Self control is one of the fruits of the Spirit and nothing should control your life except for the Spirit of God. "All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything" (1 Corinthians 6:12 RSV). Why should I NOT let anything dominate my life besides Jesus? Because it then becomes your god. The very first commandment says, "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." There are a lot of things that we choose to allow to dominate our lives—drinking—drugs—gambling—a career—a hobby—sports—a spouse—a child—a girlfriend or boyfriend. God says “You should only have one God and that’s Me. Everything else comes in second place.” According to some doctors there are now over 2000 classified addictions. You can become addicted to almost anything. So how do I know when something is dominating my life? Just ask the question, “What do I think about the most?” In the quiet moment when I’m relaxed, what does my mind automatically gravitate towards? God or something else?

Fifth is the INFLUENCE test. You need to ask this question—will it harm other people? This last question runs absolutely counter to the culture we live in. We live in an incredibly self centered society where everyone is only interested in living for numero uno. How many times have you heard this phrase in life? “Well, I’ve just got to do what’s best for ME.” God says, “I expect you to not only just think of yourself. I expect you to think of other people and every decision you make has consequences for those around you.” One day you are going to be evaluated. One day your life will be judged by how you treated other people. "Each of us will give an account of himself to God. So try to live in such a way that you will never make your brother stumble by letting him see you do something he thinks is wrong" (Romans 14:12-13 LB). Whether you like it or not, if you call yourself a Christian, people are watching you. So God says, “Don’t live a lifestyle that causes other people to stumble.” 

The mark of maturity is when you stop thinking so much of yourself and you start thinking about others first. I believe that it is the small decisions of life that make your character—that build your character, but it is the large decisions of life that reveal your character! We think it’s in the big crises that character is developed, but that's not necessarily true. Character is revealed in the big crises of life but it’s developed in the day to day small decisions of life. It is developed every moment of the day as I’m deciding between what’s best and what’s easy. When you boil it all down, it comes down to this—“What would Jesus do in this situation?” Our goal should be to become more and more like Him with each and every day.