Seize the Moment – Day 749
How to Make Good Decisions!
1 Samuel 13
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, April 5.
Leaders must cultivate the capacity and bear the responsibility of being decisive in moments of great stress. Decision making requires a person to be able to effectively assess a situation, evaluate potential courses of action, weigh the pros and cons of each, make the best decision with the information available, and execute the decision with confidence. As a military officer, the Army trained this model into me until it was second nature, first in the classroom and then out in the field. When military leaders make bad decisions, there are grave consequences.
King Saul was in a difficult military situation. He was outnumbered by the Philistines and his own soldiers were hiding in the mountains and trembling around him (5-7). He let the stress of the moment overwhelm him and the fear of his soldiers override his decision-making process. He made an impulsive decision that showed his heart and his lack of faith in God. In 1 Samuel 13:13-14, Saul hears the consequences for the decision he made:
Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
Seize the moment and train effective decision making by getting God’s Word into your mind and heart! Follow the wisdom of Joshua 1:8, given to a successful leader: “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”