It’s not every day that you face a high-stakes decision. But when you do, are you ready? Did you consider the cost if things go poorly? Sometimes, the best decision is to just – Stop.
I’ve been meeting one-on-one with an inmate at our county prison for close to a year. We’ve had countless conversations about what life will be like from the other side of the wall. You see, my friend has been in and out of jail for nearly 15 years. Mostly because of parole violations but with a few new charges mixed in. Famously, he’s repeatedly said, “I’m not coming back here.” Inevitably, he relapses or violates just to land in the same place again.
My question to him has been, what will be different this time? How will you react when faced with the same friends, the same circumstances, the same temptations?
What I know to be true now is his commitment to his Savior, Jesus Christ. His choices and behaviors inside the prison walls are much different than in the past. Yet, my advice to him was and is simple.
Pre-decide!
Make the decision today on how you’ll react out there. Don’t wait until you face the same temptations to sin again. I saw a light go on inside of him. I’m sure it was the Holy Spirit.
I ask you the same question. What changes are needed in your own life? What do you need to pre-decide about those monumental moments that often catch us unawares and cause us to fall? Or maybe it’s not a fall, maybe it’s a crucial choice that needs to be made in the most unexpected moment.
Pre-decide!
You may not know exactly what’s coming, but you do know who you are and what filters you need to employ. Unlike us, the Holy Spirit is rarely in a hurry. Stop.
Ask God in advance. Pre-decide your response before impact, known or unknown.
And that’s the mid-week memo,
Steve
