Decisions, Decisions

The little decisions we make have a massive effect on our lives. We have so many seemingly meaningless decisions, yet they end up so consequential. One habit that I developed while travelling for work was to listen to sports talk radio. This little decision led to me consuming lots of sports content, especially during football season. I felt impressed at the beginning of 2020 to make a change and stop looking at sports content for a time. It was probably 6-8 months that I went without looking at sports and it was a decision that benefitted me greatly. I grew spiritually, it was a time of God cutting away things so that I could blossom in new areas of my life.

Have you ever had the Lord ask you to give up something? It may not have been bad, but maybe it was something that was distracting you. There have been lots of times in my life that God has asked me to make a decision to walk in a greater level of discipline. Sometimes I listened and there were other times that I didn't. What I learned in those moments was that there is always a reason why he calls us to a greater level of discipline. Let's look at a situation where God did this with Daniel while he was exiled in Babylon.

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Daniel 1:8

I see 3 things out of this passage of scripture that give us insight into discipline.

Resolve - Daniel resolved to not defile himself. It was out of a heart that was committed to the Lord above all else that produced the resolve in Daniel to make his decision. To eat the food before him would be directly disobeying the instruction of the Lord in the Law. This resolve, this decision was a response to where Daniel's heart was set, on the Lord. His decision was a response of worship. Discipline that is not rooted in worship (the surrender of our will) will not be sustained.

Another way to look at the meaning of resolve is to set in place. My son Jalen loves to watch construction videos on Youtube, he will watch videos of guys pouring and finishing concrete for hours if we let him. When I look at resolve my mind goes to concrete, when it sets it is immovable. To walk in discipline we must make a decision, or set in place the discipline we want to incorporate in our lives.

Action - discipline requires action. Daniel did not wait, or hesitate. He went right to the man in charge, he put feet to his conviction. It is one thing to talk a big game but it is another to walk it out. Have you ever heard people brag about working out? Then you find out that they have worked out once in the last month. It was not a sustained thing that was walked out. Discipline is not just something we decide we want to do and never take action on it. When we live a life of discipline it will produce fruit and it will inspire others.

Favor - Daniel and his three friends were favored above the others, because they were obedient and disciplined themselves. They rose to prominent positions, and their giftings of wisdom, knowledge, and insight were allowed to blossom because of the decisions they made. Our commitment to obeying the Lord will open doors of favor and allow his hand to prosper us. We excel when we cut out the dead things in our lives, it makes room for Gods favor to flow.

If we want to excel in the position that God has placed us we must engage a life of discipline.