Leading a Regret-Free Life!

“Therefore, from among the men who have accompanied us during the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us —beginning from the baptism of John until the day He was taken up from us — from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of His resurrection.” So they proposed two: Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, “You, Lord, know the hearts of all; show which of these two You have chosen to take the place in this apostolic service that Judas left to go to his own place.” Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias. So he was numbered with the 11 apostles. Acts 1:21-26 HCSB

All of us have to make decisions on a regular basis and sometimes, we allow our feelings to interfere in the decision-making process. Whenever we allow feelings to guide us, we'll end up with regrets. The only wise avenue to pursue in making decisions is to pray first--then listen to Holy Spirit and lead a regret-free life.

Considering the magnitude of what the disciples had to do--spread the Gospel--when they had to replace of their number--they didn't just allow their thoughts and feelings to guide them--they prayed and waited for Holy Spirit to show them who to choose.

While some have made choices--especially in choosing leadership positions in churches--based upon affiliation or familial connections--and sometimes expectations to serve a personal need--there is usually turmoil and confusion as an end result because no one consulted The Lord. The wise, mature Christians--who understand The Word, know that no decision regarding the functioning of a church should be made without prayer. And while praying, people need to be open to hearing Holy Spirit so there can be no doubt that decisions are made with the guidance of The Lord.

Decision-making without Holy Spirit direction leads to misunderstandings, confusion, and eventual dissension among the masses. Within the church (body of local believers), no one person or clique should ever be allowed to make decisions or influence others in the process, that impact the entire church. This is especially true in those situations where no one is living according to The Word and none are filled with Holy Spirit to even know when He's speaking. If people do not know The Word, they cannot function according to The Word.

In life--every aspect of living--this premise is also true. We make decisions about marriage, jobs, education, having children, traveling, moving from place to place and whenever we leave God out of the midst of our decision-making--we usually end up regretting the decisions we make.

Now, we are entering a time of decision-making in which every born-again Believer--must seek God's direction in electing the next president of this country. We cannot allow feelings and emotional baggage to hinder or interfere with our hearing Holy Spirit. We cannot allow the media portrayal of candidates to persuade us, so we must depend on our knowledge of The Word, the evidence we see and hear as to whether or not the individuals actually know God, and we must pray, continually. We are told in The Word that we should pray without ceasing--never making a decision until we hear from God.

If we allow Holy Spirit to guide us in all--not some of our decision-making--we can and will live a regret-free life, but we must start now--to pray and not just ask, but hear from The Lord and act on what we hear from God--not the media, neighbors, family or friends, but only from The Lord.

Having a Better Life!

Control your temper,
for anger labels you a fool.
Don’t long for “the good old days.”
This is not wise.
Wisdom is even better when you have money.
Both are a benefit as you go through life. Ecclesiastes 7:9-11 NLT

Displayed anger and lack of self-control, self-discipline labels a person a fool. If we pay attention to the media about the front-runner for the Republican party we can see how this applies to life.

It is not wise to long or return to "the good old days" as some are promoting. The return or making America great again is an oxymoron is America has never stopped being great, unless one considers its greatness was once in keeping people out of reach of education, getting a living wage, and having slave-masters.

Wisdom is better than having money--so the promises of jobs from Trump--when he manufacturers goods in China is a blatant lie and anyone falling for it will see just how big a lie it is. Getting an education and learning marketable skills is what will get people good jobs; having a dream and the tenacity to see it fulfilled is what will get people wealth. But the wisdom precedes getting the wealth, unless of course, wealth was inherited and then wisdom never has a chance.

How can anyone who has filed bankruptcy four times (or more) proclaim to be an astute business man? Perhaps, he's a billionaire because he's cheated so many other businesses out of money. How can anyone who lacks self-discipline be trusted to be the commander-in-chief? When he can't stand someone publicly disagreeing with him and orders them dragged out of a public rally, what will he do when other leaders of countries disagree with him? Will he "hit the button" and bring disaster upon us all? He ignites and stirs hatred with his rhetoric and refuses to accept responsibility for the outcome. Is this someone America wants to be their Head of State?

This blog post is intended to warn people to think with their heads--not their feelings--because feelings are fickle and constantly change. Our assurance of a better life is found in the Word of God, not in the promises of a man or a woman--especially when they don't know God. We can change the direction and avoid catastrophe by simply praying for instructions in who to support in the presidential election and by obeying God. Which candidate acts most like they have a relationship with God?

Establish a godly criteria by which you can evaluate the candidates and ignore all the hoopla spread with the political ads that lie. Your Voice is Your Vote and every vote matters. If we fail to obey God, then we reap the consequences of our actions.

If we truly want to have a better life, we must exercise wisdom in choosing those who are elected to represent us--in all things.