An astute Religious Education pupil once asked his teacher: “Why didn’t God stop Adam and Eve from eating the forbidden fruit? His teacher replied, “Because God made Man in His likeness and gave him the free will to choose what he wanted to do.”

Unfortunately, Adam and Eve did not make the correct decision, and as a result, mankind fell into sin, suffering, and death. Today, God has given us the free will to direct the course of our actions. It is essential that we make the right choices in life, because our decisions may not only determine our future but the future of those around us too. Admittedly, making the right decision can be difficult, and people often say, “I just don’t know what to do!” However, principles from the Bible can provide guidance; we should follow them in all aspects of our lives, in our religion, our marriage, and our occupation.

First, our decisions must be according to God’s will. In other words, His plan for Creation, manifest on earth and in Heaven (Mt 6:10). Jesus exemplified the meaning of following God’s will when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane: “...not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” Our Lord also said, “Not every one who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Mt 7:21). When seeking God’s will, we should rely on the power of the Holy Spirit through sincere and prolonged prayers. God will then reveal His purpose to us through our daily living.

Secondly, our decisions must always be compatible with the Truth. Human tradition, emotion, and partiality often shun our rationality and judgement. We do not always recognize the Truth at once, just as Jesus’ compatriots did not see Him as the Messiah. Therefore it is important that we distance ourselves from our personal prejudices and the influences of tradition and emotion, to weigh things objectively. But most important of all we need to appreciate that the Truth lies in Jesus and His words. The Lord said, “… the Scriptures.., bear witness to me” (Jn 5:39), and “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6). So, in seeking the truth, we must draw near to Jesus, the Word of Life.

Everybody must, from time to time, be expected to discern between good and evil and decide on a particular course of action by relying upon his moral conscience. However, this measuring rod of moral standards is sometimes questionable. For example, when a person first sins, he may be pricked by the voice of his conscience, but on committing the same sin repeatedly, he becomes increasingly unaffected. His conscience is already “seared,” as the Bible says. What remains reliable is the Word of God (Mt 24:35). We can depend on them, and our deeds will be judged by them (Jn 12:48). Therefore before making a decision, we should study the words of Jesus. If He were in our situation, what would He do? What does the Bible say?

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecc 3:1). We find, throughout the Bible, that God fulfills His plans at the appointed time: “But when the time had fully come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the Law” (Gal 4:4). When He was preaching, Jesus often indicated that His time had “not yet come” (Jn 2:4; 7:6-8). On occasions, we may feel that our decision-making has met with all the requirements mentioned above. The final test remains: is this the time? If it is, God will move us to act.

In conclusion, we can see that God Himself will help us in making important decisions. As long as we rely on Him through prayer and Bible study, He will always be there for us, and we will make the right decision.