Like most 15 year olds, I highly valued my friend group. There were about 6-10 of us that often hung out together. School, sports, youth group…I spent a lot of time around this same crew. One of our most common hangouts was at Kim’s home. She was the one in the group whose mom loved to accommodate us with great snacks on a Friday night while we gathered around a TV and VCR to be entertained by whatever they had rented from Blockbuster. (You might need to ask your parents about VCR’s and Blockbuster.) It was always a great time. 

As we got older, some of the movie selections became more questionable in relation to our Christian morals. I vividly remember flat out lying to my parents late one Friday night about what movie we had seen. I knew they wouldn’t approve and also knew down in my gut that God didn’t want me putting that stuff before my eyes. The problem was that in that moment I valued my friendships more than pleasing God. I made an emotional decision to stay and watch a movie even with the attached guilt. 

After a few of these parties, I bravely talked this over with my girlfriend who also was dealing with a guilty conscience. We made a decision together that the next time it happens, we were going to get up and leave the party. We were prepared and it happened. As planned, we politely got up and left the party. We didn’t say why, but our friends knew. We had pre-decided and it worked. It turned out to be much easier after that…since they stopped inviting us to those parties! We were still friends, but just not as close. This definitely hurt, but it was the right decision. 

Did you know that It is estimated that all of us are faced with over 30,000 decisions every single day?? It’s nonstop! Most decisions are not life changing such as what to eat or wear, but many decisions have the power to significantly impact your future. 

The quality of your decisions determines the quality of your life. So often, it’s the emotion-based decisions that hurt us and others the most! There is so much power in pre-deciding…deciding now what you want to do later! 

For a follower of Jesus, quality decisions begin with seeking him for wisdom and understanding. God will speak into our lives so we know what to do in every situation and make right decisions. The good news is that we don’t need to wait for the moment of pressure, emotion or panic to make a quality decision. With God’s help, we will determine our course of action before the moment of decision.

Here is the equation for success: “When faced with __________(situation), I have pre-decided to ___________(take this action).” 

Some examples… 

- When tempted to make an impulse purchase on my phone, I have pre-decided to wait at least 24 hours. 

- When faced with extreme stress, instead of coping via alcohol, pills or junk food, I have pre-decided to call or text my trusted friend. 

- When encountering a compromising situation, I have pre-decided to be firm about vocalizing my boundaries. 

In The Old Testament, a Jewish teenager named Daniel was taken as a prisoner of war into a foreign land where they attempted to brainwash him into thinking like them, eating like them and worshiping like them…all ploys to have him dishonor his God. 

Daniel 1:8 says 

“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine…” 

The word “resolved” is another way of saying that Daniel pre-decided what he would do in this foreign land when he came under pressure to betray his God. He pre-decided that because of his faithfulness to God, he would not be weak in a future moment of pressure because he had pre-determined to honor God no matter what! Daniel knew who and what he valued. 

What are your values? What is most important to you? What do you want to be known by? What kind of reputation do you want? When your values are clear, your decisions are easier. 

Maybe you need to take a little time and role play some of the situations you have been facing in your life. If you wait until the pressure is on, there is a much greater risk of making an unwise decision. Unwise decisions can lead to a lifetime of regrets. 

Our decisions determine our direction. Our direction determines our destiny. It’s time to pre-decide.