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How to Make Inspired Decisions and Interpret Personal Revelation

We can learn how to make inspired decisions by following four steps. Then we can receive confirmation from God about whether our choices were right or wrong.

Move forward in faith, even without perfect knowledge. - Anthony D. Perkins

Do you have difficulty making decisions?

Life is a matter of choices. We make them as soon as we wake up in the morning, and we continue to do so throughout the day. What can we do when we have to make difficult decisions? How do we know when we’ve made the right choice?

Apply counsel

Elder Anthony D. Perkins speaks to those who wrestle with “important decisions—some perhaps almost paralyzed from fear of making the wrong decision and some maybe needing only a little reinforcement to remain confident in a decision made previously.”

Using experiences from Nephi’s life found in the opening chapters of the Book of Mormon, Elder Perkins lists four methods to make inspired decisions:

  1. Qualify for the Spirit by obeying commandments.
  2. Move forward in faith, even without perfect knowledge.
  3. Commit fully to inspired decisions and live in the present.
  4. Draw on the strength of trusted loved ones to sustain the journey.

Overcome your fear of the unknown

Elder Perkins elaborates on the importance of “mov[ing] forward in faith, even without perfect knowledge.” At times, our fear of the unknown leads us to procrastinate making decisions. But we should take comfort in knowing that we can receive personal revelation from God.

Read Anthony D. Perkins’s talk “Nevertheless I Went Forth.”

Source: BYU Speeches
—Rachel Rubio, Mormon Insights

Find more insights

Watch “Wrong Roads,” a Mormon Message about making decisions.

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4 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for this article! I’m going through a tough decision right now with parents, Heavenly Father, and my own feelings all pressing down on me. It’s difficult to know what I should do. However, after reading this article I believe I know what to do!

  2. This counsel is so powerful and important! I know I often struggle with big decisions for fear of making the wrong ones, but being obedient and having the faith to move forward- even when we aren’t sure of the outcomes is the best advice. Often times too- just making a decision and deciding to commit to it has made all of the difference. Sometimes there will be decisions that don’t make a difference to Heavenly Father, but if we get too caught up in the fear of choosing the wrong path, we stay stuck where we are with no progression. Loved this article!

  3. Thank you for this article! I really liked how you highlighted that its okay not to know everything.

  4. Pingback: Why You Don’t Need to Be Afraid of Decisions - Latter-day Saint Insights

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