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When You Don’t Know What to Do

Have you ever felt stuck between choices, like you’re standing in a fog and unsure which way to go? That sense of paralysis is not only frustrating, it can also be spiritually dangerous.

In 1 Kings 18:21, the prophet Elijah confronted Israel and asked, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him.” That same question reaches across time and speaks to us today. When we hesitate to make godly decisions, we fall into what I call the trap of indecision.

Indecision Is a Trap

Elijah’s confrontation happened during a time of drought, both physical and spiritual. The people were torn between following God and serving Baal. They wanted the blessings of God without giving up the idols that distracted them.

That same divided heart still shows up in our world today. Many of us are torn between faith and fear, truth and comfort, conviction and convenience. We want peace, but we often resist the choices that lead to it.

Indecision keeps us misaligned. It is like walking with a dislocated joint. You can move, but not without pain, delay, or confusion. Until you decide, you are limping spiritually.

Why We Stay Stuck: Fear of Consequences

So why do we hesitate? Most of the time, it is fear.
We fear choosing wrong. We fear what others will think. We fear what obedience might cost.

James 1:5 reminds us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach.” God does not mock our uncertainty. He meets it with wisdom if we will ask in faith and not doubt.

When we refuse to decide, we are not waiting on God’s timing. We are ignoring His voice. Indecision is not neutral. It is disobedience disguised as delay.

The Valley of Decision

In Joel 3:14, the prophet declares, “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision.” That is where so many people live, caught between conviction and compromise.

But Scripture adds, “The day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.” In other words, our indecision does not stop God’s timing. Judgment and consequence still come.

Every choice reveals what or whom we truly serve. Joshua said it clearly, “Choose this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

Asking for Wisdom and Acting on It

When we ask God for wisdom, we must believe that He will answer. Then we must act on what He says.

Faith is not just believing God can guide us. It is obeying once He does. Jesus said in Matthew 7:24, “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Wisdom is hearing and doing, not just listening and waiting. If you have been praying for direction but have not moved, today is the day to decide. God honors movement made in faith more than hesitation rooted in fear.

Dying to Self Brings Clarity

True clarity comes when we die to ourselves. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.”

When you surrender your will, your comfort, and your control, you remove the biggest obstacle to peace. The double-minded person in James 1 is not confused because God is unclear. They are confused because they are torn between self and Spirit.

When you die to self, the tug-of-war ends. Your yes to God becomes your firm foundation.

Counting the Cost and Trusting the Outcome

Every choice has a cost. Luke 14:28 says, “Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost?”

Obedience might cost you something now, but indecision will cost you more later. The peace that follows obedience always outweighs the pain of surrender.

When you make your decision in faith, built on God’s Word and not your feelings, you are building your life on the rock. The storms will come, but your house will stand.

Next Steps: Moving from Indecision to Faith

1. Ask God for Wisdom
   Pray specifically about the decision you are facing. Believe that He will answer, and trust that His wisdom will bring clarity.
2. Write Down What You Hear
   Record what you sense the Lord is saying through His Word, prayer, or counsel. Seeing it written helps confirm your next step.
3. Choose Obedience Over Comfort
   Do not wait for perfect conditions. Act on what God has already revealed.
4. Die to Self Daily
   Make it a habit to surrender your plans, preferences, and pride. Living for Christ starts with dying to self.
5. Stand Firm in Faith
   Once you have chosen obedience, do not look back. Resist the temptation to doubt or second-guess what God has spoken.

God does not leave us in confusion. He leads us through it.
If you feel like you are in the valley of decision today, know that His wisdom is available, His grace is enough, and His path is clear when you decide to follow Him fully.

As Elijah asked, “How long will you falter between two opinions?” The time to decide is now.

Where to dive in:

(00:08) Decide
(12:32) Valley of Decision and Consequences
(22:40) Seeking God’s Wisdom for Decision Making
(36:51) Choosing to Live for God
(44:18) Deciding to Live by Faith
(57:07) Choose You This Day
(01:05:51) Finding God’s Guidance Through Faith

Full Transcript

This transcript is auto-generated and not perfect. We hope it blesses you.

00:08 – Jaime Luce (Host)
Welcome to the Jaime Luce podcast. Thanks for tuning in. Today we’re going to be reading out of first Kings. I am going to be giving you a lot of scripture today, but I am talking today about a very specific topic that, um, I think is so relevant to the times that we’re living in right now. If you are at all concerned with where we are as a people, where we are as a nation, where the world is, then I think I have a word today from the heart of God for us, and my hope is that this will challenge you, it will encourage you and it will give us direction for tomorrow, for the next day, for our future. God’s word is always a lamp to our feet, a light to our path. He shows us the way to go. Jesus is always the answer. No matter what we face, no matter how difficult, no matter how seemingly impossible, all things are possible to him who believes. So, if you’re ready to see what god has to say today, that’s what this podcast is about. If you’re new to this podcast, we just love the word. We love the word. We love to find out what god has said, who he is, what, what his thoughts are toward us, what he wants for us, what, what he wants from us, what what this life is supposed to be about, our purpose and meaning in this life, and today really fits in with that theme. So I’m calling today. It’s time to decide. It’s time to decide.

01:57
Indecision is a trap. Indecision is a trap, and there are many reasons why we find ourselves in a place of being indecisive, and it could be in small things, it could be in large things. You could be standing, you know, at your favorite coffee spot and looking at the menu and you’re just like I don’t know what I want, and having so many options leaves us in a place of indecision. I don’t know what I want and having so many options leaves us in a place of indecision. That could be because there are so many options, that could be because we’re tired. That could be because we think that, because we’re looking at a large menu, that somehow we’re going to want something different than we wanted the day before. And if you’re like me, you’re a creature of habit you just get the same thing every time, so there’s no need to look at the menu. But, um, this is a real important issue and we’re about to find out why real quickly. So indecision is a trap. It’s time to decide.

02:52
Let’s go to first Kings, chapter 18. And what we’re looking at here is Elijah has already said that there will be no rain for three years. Ahab during this time, king Ahab has tried to find him, has sent messengers into every surrounding nation looking for him, um, and has not been able to find him. And we are this chapter. Chapter 18 is when the Lord speaks to Elijah and tells him go present yourself to Ahab. Um, it’s going to rain, but there are a sequence of events that need to take place here.

03:32
So he appears to Obadiah and it’s a comical story. I say comical now, it wasn’t comical for Obadiah because he was terrified that his life was in danger and he had a right to feel that way. He was not making a mountain out of a molehill. But when you read the dialogue between him and Elijah, I could just picture him in a frenzy saying are you crazy? Are you kidding me? Do you realize what you’re asking me to do? And so many times I think we feel this way. God has something that he wants us to do and we kind of freak out. Are you kidding me? I know I can’t do that. That’s no, this is, I can’t do this. And um, so this is what has happened. And Obadiah says okay, I will tell King Ahab that you’re here.

04:30
Um, king Ahab comes, he sees Elijah, he calls him the troubler of Israel. And Elijah confronts him and says no, I’m not the one who have troubled Israel, you are. And he tells him and gives him a set of instructions. And what’s interesting is that King Ahab actually followed these instructions. This is someone who could easily have just said I’m going to kill you. But he to start, um, in verse uh 20, and it says so Ahab sent for all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. You know, let’s back up just so that you can hear his instruction.

05:18
This is Elijah talking now. Therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table. So he’s saying get all Israel and get all these prophets from these other gods that you’re serving and meet me on top of the mountain Verse 20. So I have sent for all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel and Elijah came to all the people and said how long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him, but if Baal, follow him? But the people answered him not a word, and I really I hope that you can already hear the heart that this is being said.

06:29
Elijah has a valid complaint. He is the prophet of God. He can see plainly what the issue is and the reason that Israel is having the trouble that it’s having. The obvious answer is that God had always told them that they were to serve him and him only. We know that, clear back from their deliverance out of Egypt, that they were to have one God and serve him alone. And he told them if you don’t drive out all of these enemies from amongst you and you don’t get rid of all of these other nations from amongst you, then they’re going to have an effect on you and draw you away to their gods.

07:11
Now we are actually seeing this happen in real time in the United States. There is an influx because of the open border policy that took place in the last administration and there are millions of people here who did not come here because their desire was to become American, to live the American dream, to assimilate into our culture, to learn our language. That’s not what we see happening. There are many states right now who are actually operating in certain areas under what is called Sharia law Sharia law that is separate and different from the Constitution and the American way of life. It is different from our laws. There are people doing patrols in neighborhoods in vehicles that look like police vehicles but they are not, and they are policing, so to speak, um areas to make sure that they are falling under Sharia and not under our laws. And the idea of some is to go into businesses and say, if you do not convert to this, if you do not follow these ways, we will adversely affect your business.

08:47
Um, I mean, we’re seeing this in real time that that the warning that God gave is actually what had taken place. And now you have Israel, who was in trouble, and it’s because they’re serving other gods. They have listened to those who came in or refused to leave, and they are now serving the gods of Baal and Asherah and they are not serving God. And so Elijah is saying I know what the problem is, and he has a question for them, and he says how long will you falter between these two opinions? Do you ever and this is a real question for you Do you ever feel like you’re um, you’re on a merry-go-round, that you are on this thing and you can’t get off, that you are being pulled it like you’re in the middle of a tightrope and you’re being pulled in two directions? Or or maybe you feel stuck and you can’t get out of the situation that you’re in? I mean, these people were in a drought. They definitely feel stuck. They’re being confronted by Elijah, elijah to say do you realize what’s going on? You are not committed to either of these things. You’re not committed to God, you’re not committed to Baal and Asherah. There’s, there’s a mixture going on. There’s, there’s a problem. There is, there is indecision happening and he’s calling them to make a decision. He’s saying you are faltering between two opinions. You’re saying, on the one hand, I feel this way, but, on the other hand, I feel this way and you’re not making a stand, you’re not taking, you’re not taking your authority on one side or the other.

10:44
Could it be that the reason we feel stuck right now, the reason we’re in a maybe in a personal drought, on the merry-go-round and we can’t get off feeling tugged in multiple directions and don’t know which way to go, confused on the possibilities in front of us, overwhelmed by so many different options that we don’t know what to choose. Are we hearing so many voices that we don’t know what is right, which way to turn, how to think about something? Could it be that the problem is not external, not the people around us, not the government we’re in, not the issues that are facing our nation or country? Could it be that the problem is actually internal and you really need to ask this question of yourself. If you’re, if you at all, are feeling any of those things that I described, this is time for us to do some personal inventory, and it is only things only change when we truly see what there is to see and make decisions about that. Okay, so if this is an internal problem, there’s a reason. I want you to think about this for a minute. Whatever you’re facing, whatever decisions that you have not made a decision on, whatever you’re vacillating between, whatever has got you stuck in this middle place, you need to look at see why it’s difficult to make the decision, and it’s not because there are so many options. It’s because, when you think of one or the other, or both.

12:32
There is a fear. There is an underlying fear, and it is not simply the fear that if I choose this, it might be wrong. It’s. If it’s wrong, what then are the consequences? What am I truly afraid of?

12:51
The decision that you’re having difficulty making is because of fear. You are fearing something, you are fearing consequence, you are fearing outcome, and that’s an internal issue. That’s not an external issue. That’s an internal issue. What, um, what are we? You have to look at what am, what are we ignoring? If I’m, if I am having difficulty and follow follow me, if you can with this if I’m having difficulty making a decision and I feel like it’s caused from confusion, there’s something.

13:41
If I have not made a decision yet, there is something I’m ignoring because I don’t feel enough urgency to make the decision. So I’m ignoring some. I’m ignoring something. I’m ignoring some signals. I’m ignoring some information. I’m ignoring some information I’m ignoring. I could be ignoring that time is running out, that by lost time I can never get that back. Opportunities, open doors actually might be closed doors. I might be ignoring the fact that this decision has much longer term effects than I’m giving to it to make the decision.

14:32
Maybe I feel like I am, I lack wisdom to make this decision, but by not going and seeking out that wisdom, I am prolonging the decision. What, what is that going to cause? So we have to do some self inventory, because indecision, I’m going to tell you right now, indecision is a trap. It’s a trap to keep you stuck, to keep you vacillating, to keep you wavering, to keep you in the middle, to keep you unable to go into whatever new territory or whatever thing that God is calling you to, new territory, or whatever thing that God is calling you to. Maybe you could picture it this way Um, when I was reading this text, um, immediately the thought came to mind of Joel, chapter three.

15:12
So why don’t we turn to Joel, chapter three, and we’re going to look at verse 14, joel, chapter three? Um, and actually I’m going to back up. I’m going to start with verse. Well, I’ll read you 14 and then we’ll go back. Verse 14 says multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. Let me say that again multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

16:09
If we go back up to verse 12, it says let the nations be wakened. Well, we hear that a lot right now. Right To be awake, not woke, but be awake, not woke, but be awake. Let the nations be wakened and come up to the valley of joshua fat, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Let me I had wrote a note and I want to be able to tell it to you because this was important.

17:00
The word Jehoshaphat there, when it says the valley of Jehoshaphat, the word Jehoshaphat there, when it says the valley of Jehoshaphat, the word Jehoshaphat actually means Yahweh is judge, god is judge. And we just read in verse 12 that says let the nations be wakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, to the valley where God is judge, where Yahweh is judge, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Now we jump, you can. We can read 13, put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come go down, for the wine press is full, the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of the Lord is near. In the valley of decision.

17:50
What is the instruction that we see here? It is to wake up and make a decision. Wake up and make a decision. Why? Why is he saying wake up and make a decision? Is he saying wake up and make a decision Because judgment awaits. There is a judgment that’s coming.

18:10
I’m I’m sure that you have um heard the example stuck between a rock and a hard place. When I picture a valley, I literally picture in my mind I don’t know about you, but like a mountain on one side and a mountain on the other side, and in between is the valley. And to me that’s the picture that we see when we are vacillating, when we’re in the valley of decision between two opinions. We read Isaiah how long will you falter between two opinions? And to me it is that I am stuck here because I have not made a decision, and that decision the Lord is literally giving them this picture when he says wake the nations up, come to this valley. It’s time to make a decision, because I’m going to judge. I’m going to judge, and this passage that I’m reading from in Joel is actually prophecy. This is end time prophecy, stuff. And God is saying when you’re in this valley, for the day of the Lord is near, in the valley of decision we’re drawing near.

19:31
Indecision is a trap that will bring about a judgment of sorts. It could be judgment for bad decisions, it could be judgment of righteous acts and righteous doings. We’ve all seen court scenarios where you have somebody that we’re depending on the answer here and depending on what the judgment is that comes down. Someone’s either going to to rejoice or someone’s going to be really upset. Judgments are consequential. They are consequential. Indecision brings a judgment and a consequence. Um, I hope I’m making this clear. Let’s go to james, chapter one, james one. It’s right after the book of Hebrews, and we’re going to look at verses five through eight.

20:35
And I was thinking about why is it that we struggle so much to make decisions and why is it that, um, the decision seems so, um, elusive, it it feels like we don’t have what we need to make the right decisions, because those decisions truly are consequential. And so, to make a sound decision, to make a right decision, to make a righteous decision, what is necessary? So, if you’re stuck today and you don’t know what decision to make, there is something, there is a substance. I guess that’s the right word that is necessary, that you may feel like you don’t have this component I should say component to make a wise, righteous decision that produces right outcomes and right judgments.

21:43
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22:40
The scripture says if any of you lacks wisdom, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of the Lord, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. It will be given to him. Did I give you the reference for that? James one, we’re reading five through eight. James one, five through eight. Okay, let’s continue. Verse six but let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. Okay, I’m gonna help you.

23:28
If you are struggling to make a decision, I’m going to give you that. There is help found in these scriptures, right here, verse 8. Well, let’s first verse 7, for let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Wow, so the key to making a decision is first asking God for wisdom.

24:04
Now, that seems simple, but you’d be shocked how many decisions we make without even for a second stopping to consult the Lord. We need to ask him first. He tells us that we’re not supposed to lean on our own understanding, that we acknowledge him in all our ways. All our ways, not the ones that we think that, not just the ones that we think. We, you know, we don’t have any clue about all our ways. That means that if, if, I think that, um, whatever the issue is that’s come up in my head, that I just know the answer. I just know, if you know, just because you think you’re smart enough to know, I don’t know that that’s good enough. Now, if you know, because the first thing that pops up in your mind is God’s word on the matter, god’s scripture Well then, yes, then you have sought him. You already know his mind on that. You good to go.

25:05
But what about the things that there isn’t a clear scripture for? That you don’t realize that God will give you wisdom out of his word, but maybe it doesn’t spell it out the way that you think you need to know or understand. We need wisdom to be able to ask properly, because he’s flat out telling you if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask. And then he turns around and says but let him ask in faith. So there is a a full commitment that needs to be made, Once we have received wisdom, to fully accept the answer that God has given us. The key to making a good decision is to ask for God’s wisdom and then fully commit to that decision in faith, because when you don’t, the consequences are such that you will never receive what you ask for and you will vacillate in confusion back and forth and are then subject to the judgment that is found in that valley of indecision. Are you seeing how all of these tie together? I hope that you’re getting the picture here.

26:31
If any of you lacks wisdom and the reason we don’t make decision is, somehow we’re feeling like that we don’t have enough information to make that decision, you don’t need more information, folks, you need wisdom. You don’t need to know a little bit more about it. I mean, maybe you should get more information on it, but that’s not the problem. You need the wisdom of god to make a decision that you are committed to. Have you ever made a decision where you’re? You made it, but you’re not confident in that decision and you’re worried about it. You don’t have peace about it, and it’s not that you don’t have peace because you think it’s the wrong decision. It’s because you don’t know. This is exactly what this scripture is talking about.

27:21
Let me read it again. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach. You don’t have to be embarrassed about not knowing the answer and it will be given to him. It will be given to him, but let him ask in faith, meaning when you’re asking the Lord and he responds to you, however and who through ever he does, and whatever word he might give you, however, god responds to you, you have to receive that word in faith, meaning you are confident in God’s voice.

28:00
The only way to get real confident in God’s voice is to spend lots of time with him. Spend lots of time with him that you know his voice. When you’ve heard him, you’ve heard him. It doesn’t matter. We walked by faith and not by sight. So it doesn’t matter what I’m seeing, it doesn’t matter what I’m hearing from other people, the noise, the chatter, the confusion that’s going on out in front of me. I have tuned my ears to his voice and when I hear from him, I am asking, and I am doing so in faith, with no doubting.

28:29
For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. Have you ever been driven? Driven doesn’t. I’m not talking about the kind of driven when people say that they’re very motivated. Driven is like forced, this kind of driven by the wind, tossed the wind. When you’re driven by it, it means you’re not wanting to go necessarily in that direction, but you are being driven, you are being forced, there is a pressure that is put on you and if you’ve ever had to make decisions where you were just pressed, you were just forced into this decision and you didn’t believe it was the right decision, you’re just, you’re just vacillating, you’re just back in. You have no peace. That way, make it you’re. You’re still in the valley of decision, because once we decide, all of those factors that would knock you around disappear, all of those things fall off. When you know what God has said and your faith has latched onto what God has said, then you’re not movable. Then the wind can beat on you and it won’t matter.

29:39
First Kings Well, let’s go back. First Kings, 18, verse 21. How long will you falter between two opinions? I, I, I like that. The word here is falter, because to falter, you automatically know it’s, it’s you have, you’ve missed it somehow. You are faltering, it’s not working. We understand what that word falter means, but I like the way this is New King James. The word falters in the New King James, but the King James uses the word halt, and so I wanted to look that up.

30:21
I wanted to look this word falter, this word halt, up, and in the Hebrew. I won’t say the name right, so I’m just going to spell it for you it’s P O S H I M. In the Hebrew it means to be lame, to limp, limp by, to dislocate Boy. When I heard the word dislocate because it was obvious when something is um limping along, we know exactly what that looks like, right, somebody who’s limping. They have to go slower. It’s more pained, it’s not easy. They’re limping along. We understand what that word means, but the word dislocate Now, if you’re thinking of a skeletal body, to dislocate something is very painful but it also means you can’t use that limb. You can’t if it’s dislocated. You can’t use that limb until it’s put back in its place. That that word dislocate literally means that it’s not in the right location, it’s been dislocated.

31:26
And indecision. When we are halted between two opinions, when we are faltering between two opinions, it means we end up in the wrong place, we are dislocated. You will end up not where you should be. You won’t. You won’t be in the right place at the right time, with the right people for the right purpose, with all the right you know um things necessary for you to get it done. It’s, it’s a. It’s a when you’re stuck between this rock and this hard place. When you’re in this valley of indecision, life is very difficult. You will limp along in this valley of indecision. Life is very difficult. You will limp along in this valley of indecision.

32:10
To dislocate can mean to disturb the normal arrangement or position of something. So you know, if I have my house in order and I don’t know, and I’ve gone to bed and somebody has moved things around while I was asleep and I have to get up in the night, I’m going to run into things, bump into things, fall on things, hurt. I could possibly hurt myself, I could fall down because things were um positioned in the wrong place. They were dislocated to disturb the organization it is. It is to um to disrupt it’s. It means to move from its proper place or position.

33:01
Have you ever heard somebody say stay in, stay in your own lane. And they’re saying that because it means I’m starting to get into something that’s not my territory or I’m I’m trying to move into a place that not only will that take me longer and disrupt my race, but that’s going to disrupt the race of the person whose lane I’m I’m stepping into. It’s a disruption to be dislocated. It’s like if you were in a military regime and you are not in your proper position, people get hurt. Not only will you possibly get hurt, but people around you are going to get hurt. You need to be in the right position.

33:42
Position, so indecision. Then we can say that it misaligns you. If you are not making a decision, you will be misaligned. It can cause you to limp along in life, to not be a conqueror, not able to run your race, to live disturbed and then to be a disruption. It can pull you out of your rightful position. Indecision is a trap. I’m going to keep I’m I I’m hounding that. I’m going to keep hounding that indecision is a trap. The prophet Elijah asks how long will you falter between two opinions? To falter, to misstep? It’s a mistake to remain in indecision.

34:38
Look at the state of our country, where we’re at right now. We have to decide to wake up and make decisions, to make necessary decisions. It is absolutely necessary that we do this. If we don’t, if we continue to let things just be faltering and we’re tossed back and forth I mean, look at us we’re being tossed back and forth, as an American people, by these ideologies back and forth of a clear, decisive decision to move forward. If we don’t, if we don’t move forward, if we don’t make a decision, a decisive decision, then judgment is sitting there waiting for us. We read that the valley of decision, god is near. The valley of decision, god is near and ready to judge. In the valley of decision, we must choose what or who we will serve. We must make a definitive decision.

35:40
When I was studying for this, the Lord just kept bringing different examples to my mind in scripture. One of them is in Joshua, chapter 24, and you will. This will be very familiar to you. This is verse 15. And this is Joshua speaking to the children of Israel and if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day. He’s saying make a decision today Whom you will serve, whether the gods which your father served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. He’s saying there’s where you came from and the land that you’re going to. You’re in the valley of decision, he says. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. He’s telling them you’ve got to, you’re in between. You’ve got to make a decision. I’m telling you who I’m serving. I’m telling you the decision I’m making, but there is a decision to make.

36:51
We must choose whether to live this gets personal now Whether to live for ourselves, for our own agendas, to live for this world, for selfishness, or are we going to live for God? Are you have to choose? Are you going to live for yourself or are you going to live for God? We may not have, though. There is bail worship going on right now in the United States. There are other gods being served right now in the United States, and this we have been, um, we are what they call the melting pot, and there are many other cultures that have come here and they have not chosen to serve the God that this country was founded on, and they serve all kinds of gods. But this is personal. Even if you think you’re not serving other gods, you may not realize, um, that just because it’s not a named God, like like a bail or an Asherah, we we don’t realize that we can serve ourselves as God. We can lift ourselves up above God and then know if I have lifted him, lifted myself above God. I’m serving me, I’m serving my agenda, I’m I’m. I’m serving my likes, my interests, I’m serving my appetites, my, my desires. I’m serving my appetites, my, my desires.

38:38
Recently we have seen in um, in social media and all over the TV, a lot of video clips now of Charlie Kirk. Because Charlie had a message about in everything, living his life for Christ, not just at home with his family, but also in his politics and in his decision making for his life, the things he would be involved in, the things he would do. And I’ve been watching a lot of these and I have heard this several times now by people who had known Charlie personally. One in particular I was watching the other day and um, and I’ll read you his quote in just a minute. But this is this is what they are saying of Charlie. They were saying that, though Charlie’s death was more than tragic, was more than tragic, he already had died. That he wasn’t just assassinated that day, that he wouldn’t have thought of his life being lost that day, that Charlie had already died the day he gave his life to the Lord, that he had fully surrendered his life to God, every decision that he would make, everything he would do, every word he would say. He had decided when he gave his life to Christ. That I am now dead to myself and I am alive to Christ and one of his mentors, who was a good friend of his, frank Turek, who is, uh, the I don’t know if you would call him the CEO, I don’t, I didn’t look that up, but he runs Cross Examined and you can look him up on YouTube and whatnot.

40:15
He was also with Charlie the day that he died. He was the man sitting standing next to him and, in fact, false reports were given that he was involved in, you know, throwing up signs for the shooter and he actually was videotaping live showing his children where he was and how many people were there. It weren’t the guy wearing the white hat that was. That was Frank Turek. He was a very close friend of Charlie’s. They traveled together all over the place and, um, he was considered Charlie, considered him a mentor of his, and this is a statement that he made on a recent podcast.

40:58
He said being a Christian cause. This is something that Charlie understood and lived by. Being a Christian is being a Christian 24-7, 365 days a year, in every area of our lives, including how we vote and including how we engaged, how we get engaged to love people through the political process to ensure that they are not hurt by bad laws. So, politically speaking, he was explaining that Charlie didn’t just live his life for Christ at home, or if he was at a church service, but he lived his life so that it, the love he had for people, drove him to go talk to those people in love so that they would know truth, so that there would be laws passed and they would have knowledge to vote in a way that would help them and not harm them.

42:08
It was Diedrich Bonhoeffer who said when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. It’s our, our invitation to pick up our cross daily. I have to. Paul said I die daily. I die daily and truly that’s what’s necessary, because only once do you die for your, do you die in your physical body, so to speak. But you, you only have an opportunity to make this choice. There’s no other way to get to this place.

42:50
This, this is a if you are living your life calling yourself a Christian, but you are very much alive, meaning you are very much alive to yourself, to fulfilling whatever makes you happy, um, you could even actually think that you’re very selfless and you are living your life to make other people happy, but by making them happy. That means you don’t confront them, you don’t tell them the truth, you, you aren’t honest with them. Well, that’s not really love, that selfishness. I don’t want to feel bad and I want you to love me and I want you to not think ill of me, so I’m not going to tell you what you need to know so that this relationship won’t be disturbed, and then I’ll feel better because this relationship isn’t disturbed. Disturbed but that’s not loving them by telling them the truth, so that they don’t end up in hell one day. We have to love them enough that we have died in that process. It’s not about us, it’s not about um, it’s not about us, um, dying for you know, whatever cause or whatever might be um, um, okay, I need that part edited out. I lost my train of thought there. So, nathan, we’ll have you edit that out.

44:18
I’m going to go back to the Bonhoeffer quote. It was Diedrich Bonhoeffer who said when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. And truly that is necessary, because only once do you die to yourself, your desires, your ambitions and this world. Can you live? You can’t, um. How do I want to say that you can’t fully live for Christ. You can’t be fully alive for Christ until you have fully died to yourself. You can’t fully live for Christ until you fully die to yourself. And so that’s why he makes this statement Christ is calling us to die to us, to die to our own desires, to die to our own fleshly wants, our cravings.

45:30
If we don’t die to ourselves, there is a consequence, and that consequence is that we will. Every time there is a decision to make, we will vacillate. We will think, yeah, I know God wants this, but I want this. Yeah, I know being a Christian means I should choose this, but I want that. And there will be this ping pong match perpetually in your life If we don’t truly die to ourselves. It makes it so much easier to make decisions If I look at that decision first through God’s wisdom and I say Lord, in this choice that I have, is one of these choices an obvious choice that brings glory to God or glory to myself.

46:28
Now, not every decision is like that. This is, you know, whether you like a blue car or a red car, god probably doesn’t care at all, though driving a red car might produce more tickets because you’re more obviously seen. Who knows I mean, but there could be consequences to that right. But it’s not. Everything is not. Everything is about God, and I’m not talking about that. But I am talking about the kind of decisions that really you know, the ones that keep you up at night, the ones that bother you, the ones that you’re ignoring, the ones that you’re pushing aside, the things that cause you to live in the valley of decision.

47:08
Well, is the problem in making the decision a problem of deciding for yourself or for the Lord? Because if that’s the decision, then we need to be thinking about what Joshua said. You really have to come to this place. You have to decide. Who are you going to serve. Are you going to serve yourself or are you going to serve the Lord? Are you going to serve yourself or are you going to serve the Lord? Are you going to serve the God your father served? Are you going to serve? You know who the world is serving right now. Who are you going to serve? That decision is yours, and we don’t get to say I didn’t make a decision. We don’t get to say that I didn’t make a decision. We don’t get to say that we have to count the cost of those possible decisions. I have to. Even if I’m choosing for myself, I have to say, lord, what is this going to cost me? What will this cost me if I choose myself? Will it cost me my relationship with you? Will this relationship cause me to be further from you or closer to you? How will making this decision Affect my relationship with you? We have to count the cost.

48:25
In the book of Luke, chapter 14, verse 28, it says for which of you intending to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it? It would really, I saw this up close and personal because I was recently in Florence, italy. I saw this up close and personal because I was recently in Florence, italy, and I had watched a historical program before going and learned about the historic Duomo that was built, this cathedral for God that was built and I think I’ve I said this on a previous podcast but the original builders got to a certain height and they couldn’t go any further. And they couldn’t go any further and the, the, the people who came after them, the, the Medici family who came after them. One of the sons said why would they do this? Why would you start something you know you can’t finish. And yet his father’s response to him was they did think it would be finished, but they knew it would come with those who understood more after them and they were banking on the generations that came after them to have more knowledge and more ability to finish the project, which they then actually did, actually did. And when you see it in person and realize the time in which it was built and what they had as tools at that time more, more, what they didn’t have as tools at that time you understand the gravity and the vast massiveness of the project. It’s just. I mean, it towers over the entire city, it is just massive. And they counted the cost and they understood a very valuable lesson about their place and their position. They knew that their position was scaffolding, so to speak, because you have, during a building project, there is scaffolding that goes up to build a certain section, but then you take that scaffolding down and then it goes up in another position.

50:43
It like how Paul describes our body, that there are different parts and they are fitly joined together. They, they all have their own purpose, but one doesn’t do everything. Not one part does everything in scaffolding. You don’t need scaffolding Once that portion is finished, you don’t leave the scaffolding up on. A project’s done, you take it down. It’s not necessary anymore.

51:10
Each phase, each decision, each thing that we’re doing that God calls us to, like God might be calling you to a decision and you think God, but I can’t see the end of this. I mean it’s. It takes faith and vision to see what God is calling us to and and we have to understand, like like the disciples, that they would change the world for thousands of years after them, that this wasn’t. We have to think beyond our finite time on this earth. We are living and making decisions for eternity. For eternity, and the decisions I make now affect those who come after me, my children, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren. We are products of decisions that were made before we were here. Your decisions have consequence, long-term consequence, and we learn this many times by making decisions that have caused us grief and pain for many years that we learned the consequences us to understand that the more that and more quickly we come to a decision, a right decision, a wise decision, using wisdom, that in that, in that decision-making process, if we have done that, we can trust God with the part we can’t see.

52:51
That’s why in James. He says you have to decide and you have to do so in faith. You ask God and you do this asking by faith, so that you’re not tossed to and fro because of the things you can’t see, the things you can’t know. It’s not usually the things that we can see that we worry most about. It’s the things we don’t see that we worry most about. We tend to think that if it’s something we can see, that means that we have some sort of control, that maybe we can do something about it if we can see it. But if we don’t know what’s coming, we don’t know how to prepare, we don’t know what to do, we don’t know. We feel like we have no control over those situations. So we have to count the cost of the decisions. We have to count the cost and understand that there is a judge who will judge. There will be consequences to these decisions and if we’re to do as James one told us and ask for wisdom, it is the only way to ensure that we are building on the rock and not on the sand.

53:55
I’m referring to Matthew 7, verses 24 to 27. I’m going to read that. Everyone, then. This is Jesus speaking. Everyone, then, who hears these words of mine and does them. And I could be easily quoting from James again be a. Don’t be a hearer, only be a doer of the word, he who hears these words of mine and does them. It’s not enough to hear a good message about it, it’s not enough to read the Bible about it, you have to actually do it, actually do it. He who hears these words of mine and does them will be this is a definitive will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain fell. I mean, these are, these are things that are definitely going to happen. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house. Beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock. What was the rock? Hearing rock, hearing these words of mine and doing them? And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

55:47
The reason Charlie Kirk was never afraid was because he was already dead. He’d already counted the cost and he built his life, his family and his organization and ministry on the rock. If we are still afraid, it’s because we haven’t died yet. We aren’t dead yet. If we’re still afraid we aren’t dead yet because I’m afraid of what’s going to happen to me, then I’m fully alive. If I’m dead, I have no fear. We still, if we still have all our desires intact, all our wishes alive and a bunch of opportunity on our mind. We are living in the place that Elijah and Joshua spoke of. There’s more scripturally. There’s more. Paul talks about this quite a bit and it would be really a really good idea. If you’re struggling with decisions, it would be a really good idea to read more about Paul talking about what it is to be alive, to be dead to ourselves and alive to Christ.

57:07
So today, I want to ask you a very serious question. I want you to seriously consider this question how long will you falter between two opinions? How long will you be halted between two opinions? Our world desperately needs to make this decision. Judgment is sitting right there. Jesus is sitting right there. He’s getting ready to judge. We will all and Charlie talked about this we will all. One day stand alone before the judge. One day, stand alone before the judge, before Jesus alone. Not somebody standing with us, nobody to say yeah, but to, or it was there, no, it’s us.

58:03
We are accountable for the thoughts we allow ourselves to think. You can’t help it If a thought comes in, but the scripture teaches us that we take every thought captive. It’s our responsibility of what we do with the thoughts that come, the actions that we take, the things that we allow ourselves to meditate on. That is our responsibility. Worried about is of no eternal value, or is it consequential to our eternity? Is it consequential to our eternity? How long will you falter between two opinions? And I would say to you what Joshua said choose you this day, who you will serve.

59:02
Choose this day If you don’t want to be stuck anymore between a rock and a hard place. It’s time to make a decision, even if it’s truly a decision Now. If you are serving Christ, you’ve already made that decision. You’re serving Christ and you just need to know time to make a decision, even if it’s truly a decision now. If you are serving christ, you’ve already made that decision. You’re serving christ and you just need to know how to make the decision you. You need to ask for wisdom, and by faith, you need to receive that wisdom and make a decision by faith and and if it’s by faith, you won’t be vacillating. Now, if you need strength, ask for strength. If you need courage, ask for courage. If you know what you need to make the decision, ask for it, but know that you make it in faith, so that you’re not tossed anymore, that you’re not being thrown around and beat up by the wind and the waves and the rain. Choose you this day. Whom you will serve. If it’s the Lord, then serve him fully, and if it’s you, then choose yourself. But remember that our day before the judge is coming, but remember that our day before the judge is coming, and if you have not chosen, then you actually have chosen by omission. Omission is a choice, indecision is a trap.

01:00:30
Revelation 22,. Let’s turn there, and I will end with this, revelation 22, and we’re going to look at verses 8 to 20, 22, 8 to 20. Now I, john, saw and heard these things, and when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me see that you do not do that, for I am your fellow servant and of your brethren, the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God. And he said to me do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand, and this is the verse I want you to really hear. And this is the verse I want you to really hear.

01:01:39
He who is unjust, let him be unjust still. This is by when we come before the judge. This is the way it will be. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him be righteous still. He who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold I mean you can clearly see by that scripture there were those who had decided which which way the filthy, the unjust, or the righteous and the holy. And behold, I am coming quickly and my reward is with me. The judge will judge and the consequences will either be for you or against you. To give to everyone.

01:02:35
According to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are those who do his commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexual immoral and murderers and idolaters. And whoever loves and practices lies, I, jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things. In the churches, I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star. Bright and morning star and the spirit and the bride say come and let him who hears say come and let him who thirsts come, whoever desires let him take the water of life freely. For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone adds to these things, god will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book I’m sorry of the book of this prophecy. God shall take away his part from the book of life, from the holy city and from the things which are, which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things says surely I am coming quickly. Amen. Even so, come, lord Jesus.

01:04:40
It’s time to make a decision. He was speaking to the church In verse 16, he said I, jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things. In the churches, folks, we have to decide and be ready, those of us in the church, let alone the ones outside the church, yes, but I’m talking to the one side, inside the church. Have we died to us? Have we died so that we are fully alive to Christ? Are we not dead yet? Let’s make the decisions going forward. Let’s make decisions. Indecision is a trap. Let’s make a decision is a trap. Let’s make a decision. Let’s get out of the tug of war. If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask, and God will give freely. Indecision is a trap. So let’s decide.

01:05:51
Let me pray for you, father.

01:05:51
I just thank you for your word. I thank you for the instruction of your word, for the wisdom that you are so willing to give. I pray today that, whatever decisions people are facing, that they will get a clear direction from you, that they can, by faith, lay hold of that decision, no longer be worried and scared about the possible outcomes, that they would know by faith they have listened to you, that they are not just hearers of the word but doers, and that they will receive a great reward for making the decisions that they should be making. Give them grace. Let your goodness and your mercy go with them, god. May they know your peace. In Jesus’ name we pray Amen.

01:06:36
Thank you so much for taking time with me to dig into the word, to dig into sometimes the very meaty things of the word. I pray this was an encouragement to you. Maybe it was a help in knowing the direction to go. God has answers for you. We just need to let him direct us to them. So thanks again for being with me today. We’ll see you next time. Bye-bye.