A study on Proverbs got me thinking a lot about decision-making.  I believe that a big part of our decision-making is recognizing the biggest battle we face in our lives.  The greatest battle we face is not against another person or even an enemy.  The greatest battle we face is not a spiritual attack against us.  The greatest battle we face is the battle between OUR flesh and HIS Spirit!  “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit” Romans 8:5 (NKJV).

So many times when we are making decisions, we don’t stop long enough to ask ourselves; “Is this of the FLESH or the SPIRIT?”  “WHY do I think this is a good idea?”  “Is this something God wants for me? OR something I want for myself?”  WHY we do what we do is often times more important than WHAT we do.  The end does not justify the means!

Today, as we process through our decisions, we need to ask ourselves: “Is this of the FLESH or of the SPIRIT?”  We won’t get it right every time; but simply raising the question makes us more aware of the Spirit’s promptings and helps us make better decisions!

Shawn Lovejoy is Lead Pastor of Mountain Lake Church; Directional Leader of churchplanters.com; and author of The Measure of Our Success: An Impassioned Plea To Pastors.