![[Photo of a Scripture verse]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/James_1_5.jpg)
| “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” |
| —James 1:5 |
Proper decision making requires four very distinct, but necessary, qualities: Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, and Discernment. The only possible way to make the right decision, except by mere chance, is to employ all four of these qualities.
“Wisdom” takes into consideration the factual information that “Knowledge” provides and adds in one’s emotional connections, or feelings, about those facts. “Understanding” considers the effect that the decision will have on the broadest possible context of the situation, or circumstances, involved. And, “Discernment” adds a spiritual, or supernatural, dimension to the decision-making process—it sees beneath the surface and interprets the motives and true agendas of others involved in, or affected by, the potential decision.
If we fail to employ all four of these qualities, we can significantly diminish the “rightness” of the decision we make. That’s why we should always do our best to become as knowledgeable as possible, obtaining all the facts possible. We should not rely on what we are told second-hand. We should always seek out first sources and rely on multiple sources to validate the facts we collect.
We should study those facts until we see how they all fit together. That will give us understanding of the context in which we must make our decision. Then, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to give us discernment, so that we will know the motives and agendas of others—even more clearly know our own motive and agenda. Finally, we need to have wisdom to understand how the facts interconnect with our feelings about the facts. Sometimes, that’s the hardest part of the decision-making process: correlating the facts and our feelings about the facts.
That’s likely why the Apostle James wrote these words to the early Christians, as recorded in James 1:5:
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
God is the “Wisdon Giver.” He is the one who can best correlate for us the facts and our feelings about the facts. In any, and every, situation, God’s guidance will help us make the best decision that we can make.
So, as we begin another new day, let’s do what James suggests. Let’s ask God for wisdom for this day and every day. Let’s ask the One who loves us the most to give us this important quality. He will gladly do so. And, as a result, we can move forward employing all four qualities necessary to make excellent decisions.
