01 12 20
Series - Best Decade Ever!
Sermon: The Art of Making Great Decisions
Welcome to a whole new decade!
The Art of Making Great Decisions
I’m gonna tie great decision making to the concept of farming and planting seeds and working with God to come to a great harvest. In my work today I’m considering seeds to like ‘decision’.
How many seeds are in an apple?
We overestimate what we can do in a year and way underestimate what we can do in ten years.
So, what your life will look like in January 12, 2030 is largely predicted by what seeds you plant now on January 12, 2020.
Principle # 1 for making great decisions.
Begin with the end in mind.
If you want a rocking life in 2030 it starts now, seed by seed, decision by decision.
Choose the seeds you plant carefully for they will one day be your harvest.
Seeds = Decisions
Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. —Proverbs 29:18 [KJV]
Without revelation people run wild, but one who listens to instruction will be happy.
—Proverbs 29:18 [HCSB]Proverbs 29:18 (HCSB)Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God]. —Proverbs 29:8 Amplified Bible
What I had missed about this verse for years and it really messed me up and delayed the game for me was the idea that the vision for our lives must come from God, not just from our own imaginations. We work with HIM to build our futures the way a farmer works with Him to reap a harvest.
Farmer Dale Rushing
In reality you are the farmer of your own life. Your life is not all about what you can do by yourself by what you and God can do together.
What harvest would you like to have in your life in 2030 in the following areas?
-Family Life
-Finances
-Fitness
-Career
-Friends
-Recreation, Adventure and Travel
More specifically what seeds do you want to plant NOW to insure the HARVEST you want ten years from now?
Good seed or bad will both yield a harvest.
Good farmers know that harvest comes AFTER planting.
Seed time is NOT the same as harvest time – there is often a hard summer between.
Patience and faith are the farmer’s friend.
Good farmers are great decision makers.
They think long term and they think ‘slow’.
Principle #2 for the Art of Making Great Decisions:
Be willing to go slow and be patient.
Great decision makers thing long term — they begin with the end in mind.
And, they MOVE SLOWLY when they are making pivotal life-altering decisions.
Think deeply about the law of sowing and reaping and about seed time and harvest and the gap between those times.
Don’t grow weary while you’re waiting on the seeds to bring you a harvest. Stay faithful.
What major decisions are you facing or likely to face in the coming years that you just need to slow down on?
Here are a few to slow down on:
Marriage
‘Dating is FAKE!’
Divorce
Most things resolve within five years.
[ BUT, do not linger in a dangerous or abusive situation. Seek wise counsel now and get out if necessary. ]
Major Purchases
Impulse and Ego buys can set you back big time.’
Nip it in the budget!
*Proverbs 21:5 *
Brilliant ideas pay off and bring you prosperity, but making hasty, impatient decisions will only lead to financial loss. —Proverbs 21:5 [TPT - The Passion Translation]
College, Careers, Career Changes, New Business Ventures
You need an MRI for your soul and you need lots of outside counsel and wisdom.
The future is too long to be short sighted!
What seeds do you want to plant now in early 2020 to give you the harvest you’d like to have in January 2030?
PONDER YOUR PLANS
Proverbs 4:26
Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. —Proverbs 4:26 (ESV)
SLOW DOWN AND PONDER BECAUSE PONDERING PREPARES US
Proverbs 22:3
A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;
a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered. —Proverbs 22:3 [MSG]
Roald Ahumundsen vs Robert Falcon Scott in their Race to the South Pole in October 1911
Victory awaits him who has everything in order — luck people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called ‘bad luck.’
Roald Ahumundsen, The South Pole
To Master the Art of Great Decision Making Begin with the end in mind and plant great seeds for the future you want and stay in step with the rhythm of God.
Simply said, to make great decisions:
Begin with the harvest in mind and plant and tend great seeds to bring abundance.
Walk in the pace and rhythm of God.