Proverbs 14:15
There is one characteristic that I
personally have had to learn over the years. I have had to learn to be less
trusting of what people tell me. That’s right, less trusting. I have had to
learn that people are sinful and that lying comes too easily, and often with no
consequences. But since I am a Jesus-follower, shouldn’t I be more loving and
accepting of other people? I can be loving and accepting, AND still not give
them my credit card number!
We need to be more deliberate about making
decisions. We should consider carefully the available options. We are allowed
to point out lies and half-truths. We have permission to not believe! Doubt is
a healthy thing.
The simple, those who don’t know the LORD,
run head-long into trouble. Some of that trouble is other people’s, and some of
it the simple bring on themselves. It pays to learn to deliberate decisions.
On the other hand, some people take so long
to make decisions that they are immobilized. This is often driven by fear of
failure or fear of the unknown. We can’t wait for 100% decisions. There is
always more information that could be brought to bear on any decision. If we
keep waiting for that last bit of information, our decisions won’t get made.
This issue in our proverb is about timing.
The simple act too quickly, believing the first thing that comes their
direction. The prudent think before they act. They don’t need all the facts,
but they do need more than the first round of facts.
One of the rules of military planning is
that plans change after the first battle. No plan survives throughout the whole
campaign. The military constantly evaluates new information and changes plans.
It never has 100% information when decisions are made.
As Believers, we need to gather information
and make decisions. We don’t need to be frozen in fear. If we are trusting
Christ and our decisions are made with that fact in mind, then we don’t need to
fear. We can trust that He will be with us and carry us through the most
difficult of circumstances.