Drawing Decisions

No one can dispute that we are facing some of the most difficult times in our lives. With countless people losing their homes, and their livlihoods, it's easy for the panic button to get pushed. What should we be doing? Where should we be going for help? For answers?


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Feeling Lost? Need Directions?

Author Cheri Cowell

Shares Six Tips for Finding Your Route

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City
ISBN-10: 0834123355
ISBN-13: 978-0834123359
Cost: $14.99

Have you ever wished you could look into the future and obtain better insight in order to make wiser decisions for your best outcome? So many times, results from poor choices could have been avoided if we had seriously considered the direction of God's guidance for our lives, instead of trying to figure things out on our own. In her book, Direction: Discernment for the Decisions of Your Life, Cheri Cowell presents six questions readers should ask themselves when facing important decisions. Through observation and exploration, she examines each question and shares examples of how others--from Bible times to present day--have used these questions to find God's way in the story of their lives. From career options to medical decisions to relationship questions, Cowell's instruction and guidance helps readers learn how to make confident choices as they seek God's direction on the road of life.

Cheri Cowell, a popular conference speaker and writer, uses her experience in ministry to encourage and equip Christians seeking answers to the unspoken questions of faith. She is earning a degree in theological studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida, where she and her husband, Randy, call home.

Obviously, the search for God’s will is a topic of interest to many Christians today. What would you say is the most common misconception about seeking God’s direction for ones life?
I encounter this same question every time I speak on this topic. The answer is what I call the Myth of the Path of Relative Ease, which says when we finally find God’s perfect will we’ll be on easy street. Easy Street promises smooth sailing and a peace-filled life. But I’ve learned this is anything but biblical. The Bible tells us we can’t use an ‘easy life’ as a road-sign pointing to His way. In fact, His way promises to be a bumpy road filled with potholes and dangerous cliffs. The exciting thing for us is when we learn to walk in His ways, we’ll have a Companion for the journey who knows the dangerous curves ahead.

In Direction, you write about the process of determining if something is God’s will or not. You say to test it against the character of God. How can we know what the character of God is like?

I don’t presume to know all there is to know about who God is, but when looking for the leading hand of God, it’s important to know how we see that hand. Some see God’s guidance as that of a loving Father showing His child the best way to live so as to protect from harm, others know Him as a Best Friend who shares all that’s needed to make wise decisions. Then there are those who see God as a Guide, almost like a whitewater rafting guide who’s been down this rapid before and can show the way.

When you are personally faced with a big decision, what’s the first thing you do?
LOL, I think I’m like most people. I have well-worn paths I retreat to, and some are not healthy. I’m afraid I tend to talk it out with friends instead of first talking to my Best Friend. I’m fear-filled first instead of crawling up in my Father’s heavenly lap and seeking His heart on the matter. And yes, I also rely on the common road signs most of us have relied upon when making big decisions—Bible reading, prayer, open & closed doors, and the sense of peace we’re to have when walking in God’s light. This last list sounds like a good thing, but I’ve learned there’s a good way to do this and a not-so-good way. The not-so-good way is the one that says these road signs are to point me to God’s perfect will. The ‘good way’ is to use these same road signs as a means of drawing closer to the heart of God instead of looking for a hidden will. It is in this position, close to the heart of God, where we are best able to hear from God.

Sometimes we think we only need to go to God about the big decisions in our lives. What evidence do you have from God’s Word that He is interested in every decision?
I call this the Too Big and Too Small God problem. When we make our God so big, He becomes aloof and distant. When we buy into this lie we only go to God when the decision is big enough. Such decisions often find us at God’s door begging for direction such as, “Who am I supposed to marry; should I take this job and move my family; or is it ever okay to take my loved one off life support?” These are indeed big decisions that require a Big God, but if we’re only going to God when a situation is big enough, we’re missing most of life. Most of life is lived in the humdrum of everyday decision-making. It is the ordinary day-in-and-day-out little things like, “’Do I run this yellow light; do I tell her how I really feel even if it means losing a friend; or do I pick up the phone and call that person I’ve been thinking about all day?” where the little things add up to become big things. Satan tries to tell us these are the small things a Big God should not be bothered with. This is one of his favorite tools. He used these same lies with Jesus during His temptation in the desert, but Jesus knew they were lies. We, too, need to learn to identify Satan’s lying tongue.

To find out if this book is for you, check out this site.

http://directionanddiscernment.com/index.html

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Books
Direction: Discernment for the Decisions of Your Life by Cheri CowellDirection: A Companion Workbook for Practicing the Process of Discernment by Cheri CowellGod's Handprints: True Stories of God's Presence in the Everyday Lives of His PeopleTrusting God's People AgainGive Thanks: Glimpses of an Extraordinary God in Ordinary LivesWhen God Waits: Making Sense of Divine DelaysIf God is Everywhere, Why Can't I Find HimSimple Little Words: What you Say Can change a LifeHeartwarmers of Love: Award Winning Stories of Love, Romance, Friends, and FamilyOther GoodiesHeaded in the Right Direction? notecards Slice Apple Pie shaped/scented candle Apple shaped stress ballDirection JewelryTM (bracelet, earrings, and bookmark with glass apple charms) A decorative apple/fruit themed basket