What if there was a question that would clarify your best option for ninety percent of the decisions you make in life—a question that answers just about everything? It would have the potential to foolproof your relationships, marriage, finances, calendar, pace, and health. It would reduce the complexity of your life. It would save you time, money and tears. You would carry around less regret. And best of all, you wouldn’t have to apologize nearly as much.

Spoiler Alert!  I'm going to start with the question and then explain it a little bit.  So here's the big question:  What's the wise thing for me to do?  Let's take a closer look at this, but first:

Let's put something in perspective.  The apostle Paul was a person that didn't grow up in the Christian church.  If you grew up in the church you know that Paul used to go by the name of Saul.  Saul was a person that specifically asked for permission from the leaders of the day to arrest and kill the people who were Christ followers.  Then in ONE day, his viewpoint changed dramatically.  He went from being a Christ persecutor to a leader of the Christian faith.  Something impossible right?  For man yes, for God no

Can I bring this into a more modern type of impossibility?  Let's say you are Republican and on the way to work you see something while you are in the car and immediately change to being a Democrat before you even get to work.  And not just any Democrat, but you are the Democrat that thinks all of your Republican friends should now be Democrat!  So they will either change or get so fed up and no longer be your friend.  You can switch the words Republican and Democrat and come up with the same scenario.

In light of all this Paul wrote this passage:

Ephesians 5:15-17 - "Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, BUT understand what the Lord's will is.

If you pick up your feet and go with the flow of cultural, you will end up in a place you don't want to go, because these days are evil.  This is true for your relationships, finances, and professional life.  Don't be careless and don't go with the flow.  

The easiest person for you to deceive and get in trouble is you.  The decisions you have made in the past are your decisions.  This led you to the wrong place, because you went from unwise decision to unwise decision to unwise decision.  So let's look at some questions:

In light of my past experience, what's the wise thing to do?

Your past is your past.  Not mine.  I don't know what experiences you have been through.  You know what you've been through.  You know how that person has acted towards you.  What may be ok for you to do may not be ok for me to do because of my past experience.  What happened last time you decided to go?  What happened last time you called that person?  What happened last time you went to that store?  What happened last time you snuck out of the house?  What happened last time?  You can ask that question for anything.

Don't lie to yourself.  The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting the same result.  If you keep doing the same thing expecting things to change or be different, it's probably a bad idea.  Let history STOP repeating itself.  Ask the question and act on it.

In light of my current circumstances, what's the wise thing to do?

You just got married, you just got divorced, you just bought a house, you just bought a car, you just started going to college, you just had a baby or whatever is going on in your life RIGHT NOW!  This isn't a decision based on what you've done before or what's happened before.  This decision is based upon what is going on in your life right now.  Let's say you just started a new semester at college and your first semester didn't go so well so you need to knock it out of the park.  Your friends are going away on a one week vacation.  This was something that was fine in the past and everything went well.  But school needs to go well.  So right now, is this a good decision?

In light of my future hopes and dreams, what's the wise thing to do?

Where do you want to be and where do you want to go?  Some of the people you are surrounded by don't have future hopes and dreams and they live in the present and don't look at life more than 2 weeks ahead of time.  Why would you trade your future for someone who won't be in your future?

Personal vision is often a catalyst for wise decisions.

This is why New Year's Resolution's and goals are good idea.  Writing them down and having them in a place that you can see and look at everyday, is a really good idea.

In light of my past experience, current circumstances, future hopes and dreams, what's the wise thing for me to do?

People don't plan to screw up there lives.  Nobody goes into a marriage looking forward to their next one.  No one plans their financial course expecting to declare bankruptcy.  People don't plan to screw things up, they just don't plan not to.  This question is meant to help you plan not to screw things up!  This question brings painful clarity when you use it all the time!  You will have less tears, fewer regrets, you'll foolproof your relationships, and just about foolproof your financial needs.

Of every invitation, opportunity, relationship, or decision, ask “What’s the wise thing to do?” If you were going to do the wise thing, what would it be? By asking that question, even if you don’t follow through, you will discover something about you.

You owe it to yourself to know the answer to that question.

If you would like to watch the message I got this from, follow this link:

• http://justaskit.org/question-everything

So go home and start Asking It!!!