By George Keralis

As kids that grew up in Casper, WY from the 1960s through the early 1990s, many of us marched with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps.   All of us remember the words we heard each time we stood on the starting line for competition.  “On the starting line from Casper, WY, the Troopers!”  For the next eleven to twelve minutes every thought and movement focused on one idea: presenting the best show possible to win.

While the starting line on the field of competition was the doorway to the field, the corps’ leadership drew the starting line for the corps months earlier by making decisions about the music, the design of the performance and the performers.  The leaders left nothing to chance.  Nothing successful or fruitful happens in life by accident.  It was no accident that the corps became national champions.  It all started with leaders making decisions at the starting line.

Making the right decisions and then following through with those decisions lays the foundation for success and fruitfulness.  Where is the starting line for making good decisions in churches and para-church organizations?

As leaders in the church, the starting line begins with two questions.  Who is in charge here?  Is it the Lord or us?  Both questions deal with control.  Will we take the lead and attempt to control events, or will we allow God to take the lead and control events?  Will we allow our preconceived ideas to lead us or will we honestly seek the will of God and His guidance in all matters?  Yes, in all matters.

Like shoestrings that hold our shoes tightly against our feet, two events tie everything together in the Old Testament, creation and the exodus from Egypt.  Both events are purposefully mentioned or alluded to multiple times throughout the entire Old Testament.  In these two events, we see three attributes of God that should settle any fears that we may have about letting God take the lead and control the events.

  • God is omniscient.  He knows what will occur from the beginning to the end.  The name that He takes in Revelation 1:8 demonstrates His overarching knowledge.  “’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”  The Psalmist wrote and sang of God’s knowledge (Psalm 139:1-6).  The apostle Paul praised Him for His knowledge and wisdom.  “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33).  Why would we make decisions without consulting God or limiting His involvement from the beginning?
  • God is omnipotent.  He created our universe, our world and each of us.  The twenty-four elders of Revelation 4:10 cast their golden crowns before the throne of God and say, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:11; cf. Genesis 1:1; Acts 14:15; Revelation 10:6; 14:7).  Exodus records His orchestration of the events that led to the release of Israel from Egypt (cf. Exodus 15:1, 21; 2 Kings 17:7; Job 38-41; Jeremiah 11:7).  Why would we make decisions without relying on God’s power to orchestrate events?
  • God is omnipresent.  He is everywhere at the same time.  He sees all and knows all.  “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13; cf. Psalm 33:13-15; 139:1-16; Proverbs 15:3).  God knows all and has all wisdom.  God is all powerful.  God is everywhere watching everything.  Why would we make decisions without acknowledging God’s universal presence?

How do we begin to include God at the forefront of the decision-making process?  By practicing the disciplines of a Christian life, we include God in all that we think, say and do.  Practicing the spiritual disciplines puts us in a good frame of reference to recognize God’s leading in making decisions.

  • Reading the Word of God regularly shows us how God worked in the lives of past generations (Psalm 48:13; 78:1-8; Romans 4:23-24; 15:4; 1 Corinthians 9:9-10; 10:6, 11; 11:2.  By reading God’s Word, we have a frame of reference to guide us in making similar decisions as those that have gone before us.
  • Seeking God’s guidance through prayer is an open invitation allowing God to lead in the decision-making process.  Read the advice of David to his son Solomon.  “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.  If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever” (1 Chronicles 28:9; cf. Judges 20:23; 1 Kings 8:38-40; Proverbs 2:1-6; Isaiah 55:6-7; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7-8; Acts 1:24; Romans 8:27).
  • Fasting, a much-ignored discipline, brings us closer to the thinking of God.  Matthew 6:16-18 (cf. 9:14-15) speaks about fasting in terms of “when you fast” not “if you fast.”  The assumption is that we will fast.  We see evidence of fasting in anticipation of consulting the Lord as to a decision that needs to be made on behalf of God’s people (Judges 20:19-28; Acts 13:2-3; 14:23).

Let me challenge you to start any decision-making process by first seeking the will of the Lord in that decision.  What does the Bible say about the decision you wish to make?  Have you sought God’s counsel through prayer and fasting?  Whether you are making decisions as an individual, a couple or a church governing body, spend more time seeking God’s will before you make that crucial decision. 

We spend too much time in board and committee meetings discussing decisions among ourselves with little or no emphasis on seeking God’s guidance in those decisions.  I challenge you to pray more seeking God’s guidance through Scripture reading and fasting.  I challenge you to change the way you make decisions by making corrections on the starting line.

What ideas do you have that would help others to make better decisions from the beginning?  What leadership concerns would you suggest that we address in this blog?  Your voice is important.  Thanks for reading. Leave your comments below.

As iron sharpens iron, so a person sharpens his friends — Solomon