Just Because I Can Doesn't Mean I Should
How are you with decision making, friend? Do you decide with your gut, hand to the plow, no turning back? Or, are do you see the objections right away, process through them methodically and then decide? How about you kinda sorta decide, like you buy the dress but you leave the price tags on…in other words, you’re still deciding even after you’ve made the decision?
I’m rarely the first type and sometimes the second type. I need a lot of lead time when making decisions. I did have to make one life or death decision in my tender years ( what to do when I found my dad having a massive heart attack) and the outcome of that paralyzed my decision making for years. When decisions used to paralyze me, I went back and forth in my head analyzing all the what-ifs in life. I was very slow to action for fear of making the wrong decision. Sound familiar? Once I began to understand Discernment of Spirits, I was able to move from fear to love in the decision making process. Motion to action. If you’re looking to skill up in moving forward with your life, read on.
In a nutshell, we generally know what we want to do when it comes to decision making. We have a gut response. Often, though, doubt swoops in moments after our initial reaction. This, I’ve come to learn, is a negative spirit. The goal of the enemy of our soul here is confusion, indecision, what-ifs? The negative spirit loves when we overthink and get stuck in decision paralysis. Further reflection might reveal that you really do want to decide for something. So now the question is, would this lead me to God and heaven by way of selflessness or away from Him and toward the flesh, worldly concerns, selfishness , the devil and ultimately hell?
BE AWARE
Be aware of yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, the forces for good and evil within yourself, the needs of the world around you.
UNDERSTAND
Seek to know whether your soul is presently in a state of consolation or desolation. Are you at peace in this moment and in general or do you feel anxious now or generally? Does the enemy present himself by introducing obstacles (the “What If “game) and confusion to keep you from choosing a good? Can you identify courage and strength, words of affirmation? The good spirit encourages and affirms to “take heart” and to “ be strong and bold.” Identify your thoughts, question them by holding every thought captive to God’s truths. A good tool for understanding the movement of spirits within our soul is The Examen. Reimagining the Examen is my favorite app for this. I recommend setting a time aside each day to reflect on the moments of the day in order to see the presence of God in all things.
ACT
Learn to take action, swiftly and with clarity; securely and joyfully without looking back. We do this by embracing the movements of the Holy Spirit within us, prompting us away from ourselves toward good and resisting the bad spirits that would lead us toward the kinds of pleasure and sensual delights that entrap and enslave, restricting our freedom.
Do you seek God’s will in your life but have difficulty making decisions? What do you do when faced with multiple great options? How do you choose?
We’ve all been overwhelmed at times and found it difficult to choose. Hand’s up if you’ve ever been faced with a decision and did not know which course of action to take. Have you ever continued to go back and forth…even after you’ve made your decision? This is an example of a negative spirit at work in your soul. Saint Ignatius of Loyola developed fourteen rules for the Discernment of Spirits. Everyone can benefit from this. Once we understand that life in this world is spiritual warfare, we can better understand the battle, and place our hand into the palm of the one who accompanies us through it all: Jesus.
Would you like a copy of my free e-book for more information on how to discern spirits in decision making? I want to help you shift from indecision to confident decision making with ease and clarity.
For more information on the discernment of spirits and to see how the enemy is subtly working in your life, please read Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits by Dan Burke.