(Used by permission, Garry Friesen)

Introduction

Decision Making and the Will of God is a BIG book. Nevertheless, in the twenty-five years since it was released by Multnomah Press, over 250,000 copies have been purchased. Reader response has been enthusiastic, and many have taken pains to express their appreciation. But when your own mother tells you that the book you wrote is too long, it’s probably time for a shorter version.

We admit that Decision Making and the Will of God cannot be read in an evening. So we have put together this shorter version that can. As painful as it is, we have had to leave some things out. Like three parts of the four-part book. So, you will read nothing of “The Traditional View of Guidance” (Part 1) nor our critique of it (Part 2) — alas. We also had to omit the final section (Part 4) which applies biblical principles of decision-making to major decisions such as: marriage, ministry, missions, vocation, giving, and issues where Christians differ.

What is left? The heart of the book-a biblical approach to understanding the will of God as it pertains to decision-making. This version is a condensation of those chapters (Part 3) which set forth “The Way of Wisdom.” It is a “no frills” presentation of four principles which apply to all of life’s choices, whether great or small. It contains the reply we give when we have thirty minutes to answer the question: “What does your book say, anyway?”

Actually, we’ve given quite a few of those half-hour introductions.  So we know from experience that a summary presentation such as this can be a helpful way to introduce people to the concepts developed in detail in the book.  What has surprised us has been the response of folks who have already read Decision Making prior to hearing the condensed version. That overview, they say, helps them to avoid missing the forest for the trees. And that’s good. Because in the case of knowing God’s will, it is a very important forest indeed.

To some readers, then, we present this booklet as an introduction to biblical principles of decision-making.  To others, it will serve as a survey of terrain previously traversed. In either case, it is a labor of love, certain to warm a mother’s heart.

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