Foundations aren’t just good ideas, they take time. So, what if there was a simple principle to help you lay a strong foundation to build upon?

Jesus said if a man wants a house to last, he needs a solid foundation. The same can be said of a life, if you want to be successful, you need to take the time necessary to lay a good foundation. Jesus said, “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit- but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25 The Message.

Now for a principle which captures a truth found in this verse….Successful people make up their mind quickly and are slow to change it. Amateurs, however, take forever to make up their minds, but are quick to change them.

This principle is helpful, especially if you’re considering a move, a new position, kids….you name it. Regardless of what you decide, you have two options- you can decide quickly or take time to decide. However, if you take too much time to decide, the opportunity may pass. The biological clock stops for no one. Seasons change and you may have to wait even longer than you anticipated if you don’t seize new and exciting opportunities relatively quickly. In some cases, they may elude you forever if you don’t act on them.

But there’s more. Whatever you decide, commit to the long haul. If you decide to have more children, decide ahead of time that you’ll do whatever it takes to carry through and raise them through the good and bad. Remember, it’s one thing to start digging and quite another to continue building through rain and shine. But that’s what successful people do. They seize opportunities and follow through.

Immature people are just the opposite. They take forever to decide and then bail out quickly. Society calls them ‘Fairweather Johnson’s’. As soon as the sun starts beating down or the heavens open up and pour, they’re onto their next venture. Surely, they reason, it shouldn’t have to be this hard. Successful people, on the other hand, anticipate difficulties and embrace challenge for the long haul.  Successful people run toward fires and stick around to put them out.

Instead of picking up their roots and moving every time difficulties come along, successful people dig deep and hunker down where they are. They weather the storm. The time they take to decide quickly and stay committed, pays off in spades. Meanwhile, the fools who rush and cut corners pay dearly for their indecision and fickleness and when it gets hot in the kitchen, they’re the first to bail out.

The choice is always ours. We can pay now and play later or play now and pay later. Sometimes we tell our selves our decision to delay is wise, but in reality we’re just squandering precious time and the results can be deadly both in personal and kingdom losses. “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways,” James 1:8.

If you have a decision to make, why not give yourself a deadline? Pray and ask God for wisdom. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him,” James 1:5.

Here’s a sentence to get you started. I will make a decision about _________________________by_______________.