Whether we are aware of it or not, every single thing we do is determined by our beliefs. Our worldview, if you will. I think often times, we have this knowledge in our heads of what we believe. We would stand up for it, fight against ideas which oppose it, and claim that we live by it. But is that how we are actually living? Are we blinded by lies festering in our minds that have come from the media, music, books, even our friends? Do our decisions come from what we claim to believe, or are they based on faulty thinking that we aren't even aware of?
Norman Geisler's book, Chosen But Free deals with the issue of God's sovereignty vs. free will. An age old debate which has not, and i believe will not be resolved until our life on earth is over. How much influence do I have over my decisions? Has God "pre-programmed" everything I'll ever do? Did I chose to believe in Jesus Christ and accept salvation? Or did God choose me? These are questions that are well worth researching and deciding what you believe. Because, as I mentioned, your beliefs will determine your actions.
In the first chapter of his book, Geisler discusses this concept. It’s the thought that all our ideas have consequences—both good consequences and bad consequences. He gives a few different examples of this, both generally and in history. He says “The Red Cross, hospitals, schools, representative government, and aid for the poor and oppressed are all examples of good ideas that led to good actions” (p. 12). However, Geisler also gives an example of how faulty ideas can have extremely horrific consequences. Adolf Hitler believed in the Darwinian theory of “survival of the fittest” or social evolution. He said in his book, Mein Kampf that nature clearly does not one weaker individuals to mate with stronger ones, or superior races to mate with inferior ones, because all the evolutionary progress of the past x number of years would be undone. (Paraphrase mine, p. 239-40). Because of his train of thought, millions of people were murdered.
I think everyone will agree that our decisions begin with a thought. A single thought turns into a trail of thoughts leading you straight to a decision to act. I then must ask the question: Where do our thoughts come from? What are we feeding our minds? It has long been said that negative behavior is easier to imitate than positive behavior. Are you surrounded by negativity? Are you quick to criticize and critique? Do you focus on the bad? Do you put people down?
Our minds can be very scary places. I had a professor who used to say “The smallest decision can change the trajectory of your life.” If this is true, and I do believe it is, I think it is vitally important that we evaluate the sources that we allow to influence our minds. There is only one source which to me is the highest standard to base my decisions on and that is the Bible; the very Word of God.
Philippians 4:8 says “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” If we do this, we can trust that our thoughts will be what they should be in order to make the right decisions.
