WHY DOES YHVH ALLOW US THE FREEDOM TO MAKE CHOICES?

WE CAN LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES.

“Adonai YHVH gave him this warning: ‘You may freely eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die.’” (Genesis 2:16-17) YHVH gave Adam responsibility for the garden and told him not to eat from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” also called the “Tree of Conscience.” Rather than physically preventing him from eating, YHVH gave Adam a choice, and thus the possibility of choosing wrongly. YHVH still gives us choices, and we too, often choose wrongly. These wrong choices may cause us pain, but they can help us learn and grow and make better choices in the future. Living with the consequences of our choices teaches us to think and choose more carefully.

WE CAN DEMONSTRATE OUR OBEDIENCE TO YHVH THROUGH THE CHOICES WE MAKE.

Why would YHVH place a tree in the garden and then forbid Adam to eat from it? YHVH wanted Adam to obey, but YHVH gave Adam the freedom to choose. Without choice, Adam would have been like a prisoner, and his obedience would have been hollow. The two trees provided an exercise in choice, with rewards for choosing to obey and sad consequences for choosing to disobey. When you are faced with the choice, always choose to obey YHVH.

HOW CAN WE MAKE GOOD DECISIONS?

PRAYER IS AN ESSENTIAL RESOURCE IN GOOD DECISION MAKING.

“When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the Creator of heaven and earth.” (Nehemiah 1:4) Nehemiah fasted and prayed for several days, expressing his sorrow for Israel’s sin and his desire that Jerusalem would again come alive with the worship of the one true Elohiym through:

(1) praise,
(2) thanksgiving,
(3) repentance,
(4) specific request, and
(5) commitment.

Heartfelt prayers like Nehemiah’s can help clarify

A -- any problem you may be facing,
B -- YHVH’s great power to help you, and
C -- the job you have to do.

By the end of his prayer time, Nehemiah knew what action he had to take (1:11). When YHVH’s people pray, difficult decisions fall into proper perspective, and appropriate actions follow.

WISE DECISIONS RESULT FROM SEEKING INFORMATION.

“Intelligent people are always open to new ideas. In fact, they look for them”. (Proverbs 18:15) Among these concise statements, there are three basic principles for making sound decisions:

(1) get the facts before answering;
(2) be open to new ideas;
(3) make sure you hear both sides of the story before judging.

All three principles centre around seeking additional information. This is difficult work, but the only alternative is prejudice-judging before getting the facts.

YESHUA IS OUR BEST MODEL FOR GOOD DECISION MAKING.

“Yeshua replied, ‘My Father never stops working, so why should I?’” (John 5:17) Because of His unity with YHVH, Yeshua lived as YHVH wanted Him to live. Because of our identification with Yeshua, we must honour Him and live as He wants us to live. Asking ourselves the questions: “What would Yeshua do?” and “What would Yeshua have me do?” may help us make the right choices.

GOOD DECISIONS CAN BE MADE IN SPITE OF DOUBTS.

“When you ask Him, be sure that you really expect Him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind”. (James 1:6) If you have ever seen the constant rolling of huge waves at sea, you know how restless they are-subject to the forces of wind, gravity, and tide. Doubt leaves a person as unsettled as the restless waves. If you want to stop being tossed about, rely on YHVH to show you what is best for you. Ask Him for wisdom, and trust that He will give it to you. Then your decisions will be sure and solid.