Priorities are a powerful decision-making tool. They allow you to think about what matters most and make decisions in light of that. So for Christians, priorities are ultimately shaped by a love for Christ and a willingness to live for him above all else. When you’re facing a fork in the road, you need to consider your spiritual priorities, your financial priorities, your relational priorities, and your eternal priorities.

If you want to walk in God’s will and make no regret decisions, you need to have the right tools and knowledge. I want to provide you with a biblical decision-making tool that I’ve developed so that when you come to a fork in the road, you can confidently make a decision you know is in line with God’s will. 

Some people like to wing their lives, but as Christians, we’re called to be planners, just like our God is a planner. I want you to think about the character of God for just a moment before I walk you through the decision-making tool. When he chose to redeem us, did he wing it or did God plan? When he sent His Son to die, did he know what he was trying to accomplish? When Christ rose and then ascended, did God have a plan to send anyone else to be a helper? He absolutely did. God plans and He’s a planner. And we as his image bearers ought to be the same way. Now we’re going to do this imperfectly, but we can put into practice basic principles of wisdom and prudence to make great and biblical decisions. So let me give you my seven Ps for no-regret decisions. 

1.What is our process to make great decisions?

Everybody needs a process. And this will test another nonrelated P we’re all familiar with called patience. Patience is something we struggle with. It’s not exactly a natural trait when it comes to making decisions, but that can lead to impulsively bad decisions. 

As with any important goal, breaking down how you’re going to approach it will help you think through it logically. And so you need a process. Consider this no different than what an architect does when he or she begins to lay out a blueprint. No construction material has been purchased, no major building has begun, and some details are still to be determined. But the blueprint serves as a guide when things start to move when designers get consulted, when contractors get hired, and when permits get approved. 

You need a process before you make a major decision.

2.Have we prayed?

Time and time and time again, bad decisions are accompanied by prayerlessness. Perhaps the greatest downfall of our decision-making process is not the error of a final decision. God can turn any situation around for his glory and our good, but our lack of prayer about decisions before we make them, whether it’s because we’re in a rush and impatient, and so we just get impulsive or just out of forgetfulness, often because we get overwhelmed with anxiety and we get so concerned about other things we don’t stop to pray. 

By contrast, a good decision will be accompanied by prayer. That investment of prayer will always pay dividends. An investment of prayer is never wasted, it’s never lost. It doesn’t slow down our progress. Some people say “I don’t have time to pray. I need to make a decision.”

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