Decide Your Direction

Two years ago, I wrote a post: Decide Your Endgame Now. I’ve had cause to revisit what I wrote in that post and it struck me afresh how important a decision truly is, particularly in light of where we are as a society today.

Let’s start at Square One. What is a decision?

According to the Century Dictionary, a decision is:

The act of separating or cutting off; detachment of a part; excision
Determination as of a contest or an event; end, as of a struggle; arbitrament; as of a decision of a battle of arms
Determination as of a question or of a doubt; final judgment or opinion in a case which has been under deliberation or discussion: as, the decision of the Supreme Court
A resolution; a fixing of a purpose in the mind

If you’re like me, you thought the fourth definition would have been listed first. Isn’t a decision a resolution? That’s how we use it most commonly today. However, there are three definitions that precede it. That means that they hold a position of importance that shouldn’t be overlooked.

When we look at the story of David and Goliath- which I go into detail about in Decide Your Endgame Now- we actually see the application of all four definitions.

The very battle between David and Goliath was a decision. It would impact two nations. If the decision of the battle went in favor of the Philistines, the Israelites would become their slaves. They would lose their freedom. They would lose those sovereignty. This decision, this arbitrament was a serious one.

For the Israelite army, when Goliath walked onto the field of battle to taunt them, the decision was made. They were going to lose. In their minds, there was no soldier among their ranks who could defeat such a formidable foe.

Cue David. He comes into the Israelite encampment with a wagon full of provisions for his brothers, hears Goliath’s taunting, and makes a decision. He will go out and face this foe. He was resolute in that decision. He knew the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had his back, and he knew with that sort of support system, he could not fail. The fixed purpose in his mind was that he would win the face off and the Philistines would see that there was a God in Israel that trumped their giant.

But in order for David to stick by his decision and walk it out, he had to enact a separation. He had to cut some stuff out of his life. You see, when he told his brother Eliab what was in his mind, Eliab told him there was no way he could win. Then that negativity spread from his eldest brother to his other two brothers and their comrades until it ended with David standing before Israel’s king. Everyone around David told him he couldn’t do it.

Even the king was skeptical. Sure, he eventually agreed to send David out, but when he heard David’s plan of attack, King Saul didn’t think it could work. I mean, who would you pick? Goliath, battle hardened, fierce, UNDEFEATED warrior giant for the Philistines, kitted out in his full armor from head to toe, or the teenage shepherd boy David with his little sling and five smooth stones. By all accounts, Goliath looked like the clear winner before the fight even commenced. So, when Saul gave David his armor- which was way too big for him- David had to separate himself from the toxic negativity and fear so that he could walk out the decision he had made.

King Saul, David’s brothers, and the Israelite army could not see the outcome as David could because they were only seeing with their natural eyes. David had his vision keyed into the unseen and it allowed him to see impossible scenarios as possible.

We all know how this tale ends. With God before him, David defeated Goliath. Yes, it was a supernatural victory. But there’s something here that even God couldn’t do. God couldn’t decide for David.

David had to choose for himself. His decision set his direction.

David decided Who he would put his trust in, and that decisions shaped how he looked at his endgame. And he made the decision that he would not allow any outside source of negativity to cause him to see any other outcome than complete victory.

Is that blind faith? In David’s case, it was not because he knew in Whom he was putting his faith.

No one would have blamed a teenage boy for chickening out and not stepping foot onto that battlefield. Heck, none of the trained warriors in the Israelite army were brave enough to do that. I’m sure when David got in such close proximity with Goliath he had a very real, natural thought of Gosh, this guy really is huge and scary and what was I thinking?

What kept David was turning tail and heading for the hills? David was resolved and determined in his decision. And that resolution governed his will. Whatever emotions he was feeling in that moment before he slung the first stone that toppled his giant, David didn’t listen to them. Instead, he encouraged himself by declaring what the endgame was going to be and Who would bring it about. He told his giant precisely how he was going to defeat him.

There’s a principle here. Your decisions are important. Your thought life and what you align it with is important.

We all face giants in our lives, some as frightening and life threatening as Goliath was to David. The giant we’re facing today is out of our control. However, one thing is not. We still have the choice on how we decide we will approach it.

We can be like the Israelites, full of trembling and fear. Just as the earth shook at Goliath’s approach, the Israelites were shaken to their core. And they decided to embrace their fear which only led to an attitude of utter defeat. Or we can be like David. He saw all the same things as the Israelite army, King Saul, and his brothers saw. Goliath was every bit as gigantic in stature to him as everyone else. Yet, David decided to completely reject fear. He stepped out on that field in full and complete faith. The decision to embrace faith over fear impacted his will to follow through and ultimately brought him into victory.

And here’s the most important part. David’s victory was not his alone. David’s victory was a triumph for the entire nation of Israel.

That’s the difference between fear and faith. Fear is insular. It operates out of lack, greed, and self interest. The picture of life you see is confined and small and includes only you. But faith is an enormous umbrella. It covers everyone. It operates out of hope and love. Faith sees the bigger picture, and the bigger picture includes more than just you.

And, oddly enough, fear and faith are actually the same road. The only determining factor is the direction you choose to go in. You can choose fear or you can choose faith. Only you can make the decision which direction to walk in.

I encourage you to decide, to be resolved in, and to choose faith. Because when you do, you usher in a victory that not only causes you to triumph, but others as well.