Note: This is the fifth installment in our series on biblical leadership.
A Godly Leader Is Decisive
Selected Verse
Establish the need: Are you a person that is known by others for being decisive?
Purpose: Today we shall three points so that we would be intentionally decisive as a Christian and foundation to be a godly leader.
- The importance of being decisive
- The example of beings decisive
- How to cultivate decisiveness
Quick Comments about meaning of decisive:
- The dictionary’s first definition: “able to make decisions quickly and confidently, or showing this quality.”[1]
- The dictionary’s other definition: “making choices quickly and surely, without having any doubts.”[2]
- From the dictionary my definition of decisive is the ability to execute actions when the time of action is required and the action is pursued with determination despite any possible obstacles such as fears, doubts, concerns and other difficulties.
The importance of being decisive
Even if you are not a leader right now, being decisive is important:
- Our yes needs to be yes and our no needs to be no: “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.” (Matthew 5:37)
- Jesus is teaching here.
- He is saying the importance of keeping our words which require a decision to do what we say without wavering.
- Everyone must be decisive in following God: “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 16 The people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods;” (Joshua 24:14-16)
- This is Joshua challenging Israel to be decisive in following God.
- That means making a determined choice of what one should do.
- Scripture speaks negatively of being “double minded:” Psalm 119:113, James 1:8, James 4;8.
Why is it important for leaders?
- Reason 1: A leader failing to make decision means he or she is no longer leading. Thus the institution suffer with a lack of a leader.
- Reason 2: If you are not decisive with the right course of action but deviate to pursue a bad course that can result in negative consequences for others: “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” (Exodus 14:5)
- Pharaoh here changes his mind of his right decision to free the Hebrews here; note he and his servants “had a change of heart toward the people”
- So the king of Egypt decided to pursue the Hebrews militarily (Exodus 14:6-7)
- As the result of this the Egpytian army was destroyed (Exodus 14:27-28)
The example of beings decisive
Daniel: “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8)
- Daniel in this chapter is a young man.
- Daniel with his friends is suppose to be educated by the Babylonians for three years so that they can later become government leaders in the Babylonian empire.
- Here even as a young man we see Daniel was decisive in his action of not defiling himself before God.
- Thus we see even as a leader in training the importance of being decisive.
- Daniel would later go on to become a highly ranked leader in the Babylonian and Persian empire under three kings.
Jesus: “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51)
- Remember Jesus is the Leader, who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lord (1 Timothy 6:15).
- Part of His work as the King of Kings to make a people for Himself means He will have died on the Cross to save us from our sins.
- Note in Luke 9:51 Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem where He will face His death.
- Jesus was determined and decisive.
How to cultivate decisiveness
- Figure out how is your ability to be decisive.
- Ask someone who is under your leadership to evaluate on a scale of 0 through 10 what grade you will get for your decisiveness.
- Ask for examples if needed.
- Know indecision is still making a decision
- Sometimes we are indecisive with what’s the best decision to make.
- But know that even not making a decision is making a decision.
- Thus if no matter what we are making a decision we might as well be decisive to make the right ones deliberately.
- Know opportunities are God given!
- We are to pursue opportunities to do good: “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” (Galatians 6:10)
- Remember God is sovereign and in His providence opportunities to do good comes from God and is a gift! Let the idea of it being a gift stir you to be decisive to seize opportunities!
- While being decisive is important it fails to be a virtue if one is decisive to commit obvious sins; lean the lesson from Saul’s disobedience in 1 Samuel 15:1-9.
- Also don’t confuse the vice of being impatient with the virtue of being decisive!
- Be willing to learned from mistakes
- The passage 1 Corinthians 10:6-11 teaches we are to learn from others’ sins in the Old Testament.
- We should also see as application the importance of learning from our mistakes.
- So don’t let the fear of making a mistake or failure paralyzed you from being decisive.
- Focus on objectives not obstacles[3]
- Focusing on obstacles will result in a negative mindset and that will dampen the morale of those under your leadership.
- But focusing on objective allows you to be more optimistic and attempt at problem solving is much more optimistic.
- Trust in God
- Being decisive takes risks and risks can make you stressed or anxious.
- Trust in God! Pray to him with your supplication: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)
[1] Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/decisive.
[2] Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/decisive.
[3] John MacArthur, Paul in Chains: Leadership in Action (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 53.
The Domain for Truth 
No! I am so sad I missed this Study! I only read the title and your verses from Matthew, sorry for commenting so soon! Every year I make a goal that I will become more decisive. I can be SO indecisive and I can second guess myself to a fault! There are times when I have NO problem making a decision but if I have too much time or if I have too many options I can really flounder. This gets on Nathan’s nerves SO bad! In spiritual matters I am definitely more decisive but when it comes to planning as you taught last week and making everyday nonessential decisions I can really be terrible at making my yes-yes and no-no. I am like a yo-yo and I am NOT proud of that! Ok, I have saved this post and I am going to read more of it now!
Mandy this is something I also need to work on and during crisis I can think too long and not act as decisively as I should. Thanks for saving this post and reading it. How are you today Mandy? I can imagine you miss Paula
I had an absolute break down last night. I just listened to Jesus music and cried! Because of COVID I can’t be at her burial today and that really p-ed me off. It’s outside for goodness sake but because she’s being on Government property (Mike was PA Army National Guard for like 30 years) they are only allowing 25 people there. I am glad I was able to be at the funeral. I will visit her grave this weekend. Thank you for your concern! How are you, Nancy and kiddos doing?!
Nancy and the kids are doing well, they are doing homeschooling at the moment and I will teach the girls soon. Wow I’m sorry to hear they didn’t let you in at the burial. Were you turned back last minute or were you informed beforehand? I hope its was the latter since you have to drive 2.5 hours
The burial was today since it is closer to where Nathan and I. I found out last night.
Thanks for the insight. Being decisive, as a leader, is so very important. I have seen many organizations in bad shape because the leader couldn’t make a decision AND stick to it.
Blessings.
Love you!
Thanks for sharing your own experience which I know from a past CTC video you have decades of private sector experience. Is there anywhere online you teaching on leadership a series or even a stand alone single message? I’m compiling others teachings to share in a post or two hence I thought I ask you Michael
I’ve produced about 30 videos on “Leadership the Jesus Way”. I haven’t published them yet but intend to start releasing soon. Let me see if can give you link to a few of them. What is your timetable?
Blessings.
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It’s so important to operate within a God centered and intentionally structured framework in which to make decisions. Then, one can not only be decisive but also make the best choices without second guessing. One must be in the Word and in prayer daily to do this. I wish I was a poster boy on this but sadly have a long ways to go
Amen brother to your comment! You are right about the importance of a biblical framework that should informed our planning and actual decision making once we make it actionable. A bedrock of biblical principles is important to being decisive and the conviction of what is right helps us to be resolved! I too have not arrived and I’m a work in progress going through this series. Sanctifying! Have a blessed day today brother and thank you for both reading and commenting
You are right about this, Jim! When we make decisions, especially on critical ones e.g. disaster response, we utilize all available information including maps, models, guidebooks, operations plan, and field situation reports to have a common operating picture of what is going on e.g. coverage of the hazard, damages thus far, support provided/available resources among others, to be able to come up with a strategic or a tactical decision. Politics has its on way and analysis tools to come up with policy or decisions. But when we are deciding as Christians, we surrender it to the sovereign GOD who in dwells in us through prayer that He will direct and guide us to come up with Godly decisions. We too must have the heart and information by reading His Word.
Thanks for this good study outline on leadership decisiveness! There’s an old adage with some merit that says “nature abhors a vacuum.” If we don’t provide God-honoring leadership and direction, the world will fill the situation/circumstances with something less desirable.
Good point brother if we don’t study and pursue a biblically informed model of leadership then situation leads to something less desirable as you stated. I hope and pray the teaching both as a blog outline and audio message would help people, that is my prayer this morning. How is your day thus far today, hope you don’t have to have a financial based meeting today of any sort…
Yup, I hope that lesson helps believers to step up. Thanks, brother! No financial meetings today, but had my yearly physical at 2:00, another disruption of my precious routine.
Thanks for this, Jim. I do have a tendency to be indecisive.
Perhaps it is covered in another in the series. When I think of a good Biblical leader I think of Joshua getting on his face before God to find out why they were defeated at Ai. After that he was decisive. 🙂
Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.
Joshua 7:6 NKJV
“don’t confuse the vice of being impatient with the virtue of being decisive!” Interesting point. Thanks for the food for thought.
Point number 6 on “ How to cultivate decisiveness “ is significant, There are times when the fear of making mistakes will get in the way of being decisive. It’s a learning process and mistakes helps us to lear grow and develop.
That one is one that personally trip me up when I was younger. The fear of failure can cripple and ironically increase the chance of being a “failure” by not doing something. So its important to be willing and ready to learn to combat the fear mentality so that one can be decisive! Thanks for reading this sister and giving your input. I have been really sanctified going through these series for myself personally. Praying for your Friday evangelism!!!
Thank you for your prayers. The Friday evangelism is under attack. I’ll find out tomorrow from one of the group members just how bad things are getting 😔
Very thoughtful discussion! In my own experience as a leader, I tried to build relationships with the people I was working with. While I valued their input, I valued their support for my decisions even more.
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