Discerning God's will — the executive summary

We often struggle with decisions, wondering whether what we are preparing to do is God’s will or our own. Making Godly Decisions by Os Hillman is the most concise teaching I have found on the subject.

Hillman’s advice is focused on four main areas:

• Hearing the voice of God
• Decision-making methods
• Confirmation processes
• Timing for implementation

This book is scripturally based and includes real-life anecdotes to illustrate the principles given. Each chapter includes questions for reflection, journaling, or group discussion. It is available as a paperback or as an e-book.

Making Godly Decisions is full of common sense, but also full of Biblical sense, which is sometimes uncommon. For example, Hillman says “the final determining factor on whether we should do something is whether God has directed us to do it, not whether it makes sense.”

I appreciate the conciseness of this book. I have heard of publishers that will not accept very brief books. Presumably they are not worth the effort to print. Nonsense. In just 80 pages, Hillman sums up the subject very well, leaving me feeling, for the first time in -- well, ever -- that I get it. Any more would have been fluff. Don’t we already have too much fluff to deal with?

In reading this book, the most important lesson you learn may be, as was the case for me, that you already know more about godly decision-making that you realize.