Ever Second Guess a Decision?

If you ever led anything, a team, a project, a family, an organization, then you’ve probably second guessed a decision or two. Perhaps, you’re even one of those people who look back in the quiet of the night and start second guessing every decision you’ve ever made. I’d be a liar to tell you that I’ve never second guessed myself or the decisions I’ve made because I constantly do that. But here’s the good news, as a leader, there’s a way to remain confident in the decisions you make. This method comes from Psalm 16.

I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Psalm 16:8

The way you remain confident in your decisions: set the Lord before you.

I think a lot of us, especially those of us who are Christ followers knew that. The question really is, how do you set the Lord before you consistently? I’ll share the three step framework I use to set God before my decisions consistently.

1. Don’t make a decision immediately. Just because you’re a leader doesn’t mean you have to deliberate a decision about a direction or a next step regarding a situation immediately. Pause and set a time to make a decision. Pausing to make a decision doesn’t make you a weak leader. It makes you a thoughtful leader. I have a whole article about making decisions in a crisis. You can read it here.
2. Pray and Meditate. I think this is the most underrated and infrequently used spiritual tool in our arsenal. We are given a direct line to speak with God. Let’s use prayer to pray about it. It doesn’t have to be articulate. It can be raw, and confused. God understands. But don’t just stop at your own monologue. You need to give God the space to inspire or speak to you. God will speak to you. He will speak to you through situations, dreams, the Bible, and even other people, make sure you’re paying attention.
3. Trust God to be with your decisions. Once you have the time and the space to find the right decision with the inspiration of God, go with it. Don’t come back to revisit it. No reason for you to do so. You’ve thoughtfully considered the options, and prayed. You’ve even given God the space to speak to you. Now, go with boldness and courage because God is at your right hand.

Let’s not lead by second guessing our decisions. Don’t be shaken by the situations and circumstances you’re facing as a result of your decision making. Especially if you’ve made those decisions thoughtfully, with prayerfulness, and faith. We don’t always make the right call, but God will always have our back. So go and lead boldly.