I have been eagerly watching "The Voice" on TV here recently. There is a great mix of talent, celebrity and drama in this show that has hooked my wife and I in.

But along with the singing, something else in the show has grabbed my attention. Decision making.

Yep, decision making!

At the blind audition round, successful singers would often need to choose who their mentor would be. Then at the one-on-one battle rounds, the coaches would be the ones making the decisions.

What intrigued me about this was the agonising that this seemingly put the contestants (and later the coaches) through when they were put on the spot to choose.

Be it:

• Unpreparedness (I didn't think about until now),
• The enormity of the decision (I better not mess this up)
• Opportunity cost (I don't want to miss out) or
• Reality TV drama created by the editors

...I became fascinated by the process (or lack of a process) that each opportunity to decision provided the characters in the show.

It got my thinking about decision-making as a whole and I was reminded how rare it is to witness people who are truly decisive at any given point in time.

I believe the ability to make decisions with conviction is a virtue that affects every part of our personal and professional lives. Consider every decision you make each day? Admittedly many of those have little consequence, but there are also plenty that do. In roles of leadership and management, we are called to make decisions that will potential affect large numbers of people's lives - so decision making matters!

So being prompted by The Voice, here are some thoughts on Decision Making:

1. Good Decision Making comes from Internal Convictions
That is not to say good decisions ignore evidence or research, but rather deciding how to act in a given situation comes from an internal value system or belief structure. Without settled core convictions, decision making becomes over-reliant on a large number of often unreliable external factors.

2. Good Decision Makers are "Decisive"
That sounds like a circular definition, but not everyone who needs to make decisions does so "decisively". There are obviously times to stop and consider carefully what decision to make, but by far most of decision points we face can be made swiftly.

3. Good Decision Makers make Good Leaders
We've all pondered decisions made by Government (or churches or various other organisations) and wondered if they've been arrived at by committee. In other words, instead of a common sense decision we got a hodge podge, mishmash Frankenstein's monster of a decision that has tried to appease too many interests and competing voices. Good leaders are people who can make decisions well.

4. Good Decision Makers know when to make a quick decision and when to make a slow one.
Not all decision points are equal. No one should give equal consideration to which pair of socks to wear in the morning and a decision later in that day worth millions of dollars, or which school to send the kids to, or whether to move cities, or you get the idea.

This last point is particularly important in the life of Christians.

Which decisions do you pray about, wait on God for, seek counsel and submit to others for? Knowing the difference between what requires a quick decision and a slow one could have dramatic consequences for your life and eternity.

When we have access to the wisdom of God, we access to the greatest decision making resource there is, which gives no excuse for poor decisions.

A rebel is one who both refuses rightful order and authority, and seeks the obtain the things or benefits of God, without submitting to God. Check out Part One of this post for more on that from 1 Samuel 15:23.

The work of a rebel may seem insignificant, even harmless, but at it's core it is incredibly destructive. The rebellious spirit is spurred by one who seeks to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). It is destructive in relationships, in churches, in workplaces, in marriages and ultimately in the rebel's own life.

One of the reasons it is so destructive is that unlike the usual attack of the enemy which comes from the outside in, the rebellious spirit works from the inside out. Rebels turn against the very group to which they belong, and their energies are put towards opposing it.

It is the duplicitous nature of rebellion that cause God to assess it so seriously and grievously.

So, how do you discern a rebellious spirit? Here are so ways the rebellious spirit manifests:

• Contrarian attitude – Also known as playing the “devil’s advocate”, the contrarian opposes the direction of a church or leader or a well established truth, by posing questions, by arguing the opposite view and by pushing an opposing perspective not for the benefit of the group, but for the benefit of self.
• Non-conformism – whilst non-conformism in the context of Nazi Germany is to be celebrated, in the context of the Kingdom of God it is a mark of rebellion. Do you have a history of problems with leadership? If there is an ever-present urge within you to push back against an expectation to conform, perhaps its not just your individuality but rather rebellion.
• Idolatry – was seen in the rebellion of the Israelites. They rejected the one true God in favour of a "god" they had made in their own image” (Exodus 32). This is a characteristic true of rebels today, invariably in the form of teachings and doctrines (both orthodox and heretical) that affirm their own desires over God’s ways.
• Stubbornness – Rebels will actively resist all attempts to lead, direct, persuade, follow, encourage. The Israelites of the Old Testament were often called a rebellious and “stick-necked” people (Deut 31:27). This stubborn trait is seen in the rebels today.
• Scoffing – The rebel’s mocking feeds his / her smug sense of superiority; to not need to “play by the rules”, to be unaffected by the group, and to be more "in the know" than others about people’s “real” motives. Rebels love to mock.
• Pride – At the root is Pride. Pride caused the great cosmic rebellion of Lucifer and a third of the angels. Pride today continues to lead rebellions against God and His Kingdom from within today. "My way is better than Gods and I will prove it!"
• Deceptive – rebellion is born out of a deception that says "I have it right and they lack the insight, intelligence and understanding I have". Pride is the hotbed of all deception and this spurs on divisive rebels.
• Bitterness – the root word for “rebel” is "mara" (Hebrew) meaning bitter. The Jewish understanding of rebellion is correct in identifying the root cause is bitterness. Because of hurt, resentment, disappointment, anger from events past, a root of bitterness has taken hold and this has manifest in rebellious self-preservation.

Let's see rebellion for what it is in the eyes of God, a work of the enemy to be repented of and removed from our lives, families and churches.

Why God has a Problem with Rebels

In 1955 a landmark movie was released which has had a lasting impact on modern society.

The movie was “Rebel without a Cause” and portrayed a teenager (played by James Dean) who rejected authority, defied social expectation, disobeyed his parents, and still managed to get the girl. Rebellion was popular.

In fact, rebellion has never since been unpopular.

There is almost an expectation that rebellion is a stage that we all go through, a rite of passage into adulthood. Rebellion far from being an avoided characteristic, is embraced, because a rebel in today’s parlance is “A rebel is a person who stands up for their own personal opinions despite what anyone else says”.

Except, the bible tells us rebellion is a sin.

1 Samuel 15:23 says “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.”

Rebellion is no small thing. Rebels are found through out life, regardless of background, social standing or belief. But, as Christians, we need to be aware of the insidious nature of rebellious seduction.

According to 1 Samuel 15:23 there are two aspects to the spirit of rebellion.

Firstly, rebellion is made synonymous with insubordination. That means, rebellion is the rejection of order or the refusal to obey. To be rebellious to disregard legitimate authority.

Secondly, rebellion is compared to the occultic worship. That is, rebels seek to obtain power, influence or control through perverse means. Rebels want the things of God, but without God, His authority or His rightful order.

Both of these aspects are a direct attack on the nature of God and the way the bible tells us to approach God.

Friend, the realm of the rebel is exceedingly dangerous territory! Far from being just an accepted show of individuality, it is an agreement with the kingdom of darkness against the kingdom of light.

That is why God hates it and reserves such strong language for it. I urge you put off the rebellious Spirit and humble yourself today.

**In part two I will examine some characteristics of a spiritual rebel. (Part two - God hates Rebels - How to Discern a Rebellious Spirit)

But Margaret Court, in her post tennis existence, is also known as the Senior Pastor of Victory Life Church in Perth. It is in this role that she continues to excel in life and has influence in our city.

One of the attributes I deeply admire about Margaret Court is that she fearlessly speaks up for the truth. In a day when too few will take a stand for truth, and the risk of becoming unpopular or offending others, in this regard she stands out as an example to the church in this city.

However, there can be a price to pay for speaking the truth. This week, coinciding with the commencement of the Australian Open (a Grand Slam she won 11 times in her career), calls have been made by gay activists to remove Mrs Court's name from the court named in her honour. The reason? Her publicly stated opposition to gay marriage.

Margaret Court Arena was so named because of Mrs Court's outstanding achievements on the tennis court. She is honoured for her tennis record by the tennis community in Australia. How is it that her personally held views, no matter how opposed to them some sections of the community may be, could override and disqualify her sporting achievements and record?

But now in Australia some only want freedom of speech so long as it doesn't hurt the feelings of others:

Kerryn Phelps, one of Australia's best-known gay women, said the former champion tennis player had gone beyond expressing a view about gay marriage and homosexuality to vilification of people living in same-sex relationships. "You have got a public landmark, in an iconic Australian sport like tennis, which is named after a person who is expressing views which are extremely hurtful to a lot of people," Professor Phelps told The Australian. "There should be careful consideration given to changing the name."

Unfortunately, this is true of much of how the same sex marriage "debate" has gone in Australia. Gay marriage activists call for tolerance to be shown and yet if you offer a dissenting view don't for a minute expect tolerance in return. In fact, don't even expect a debate. What you can expect is an attack on your character, your achievements, your reputation, and your substance as a person.

Margaret Court's response to those attacks:

"We live in a free society and I stand up for families between a husband and a wife. I won't ever back down on that."

She isn't backing down. And the reason she isn't backing down is that she knows the truth and the power of the truth to set people free. I pray she keeps on proclaiming the truth with boldness and courage, because we all need to hear it.

The gay marriage debate (and others like it) show we have a truth deficient in our society. The danger of that, in the words of George Orwell is:

“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.”

Margaret Court, long a champion on the court, continues to be a champion for truth off it.

To me, this suddenly infamous event, provides a glimpse into the type of nation Australia is. Want to know what Aussie's are like? Here it is, in one short mobile phone video recording.

First of all we have the cricket test at the SCG. To understand Australians you first need to understand cricket, or more accurately, you need to understand the place that cricket has in Australia.

Cricket is synonymous with summer in this nation. The sounds of the game and commentary follow you through out the long hot days. The Christmas and New Year period are punctuated for the cricket fan by the two biggest tests of the calendar, the Boxing Day test in Melbourne and the New Year's test in Sydney. It was at the latter, Mr Hawke was filmed.

Secondly, we have the main character of this film being former Prime Minister Mr Bob Hawke. There are a couple of items to highlight here. One, the fact that a former PM is quite happy to mix with the ordinary people of the cricket "outer". I wonder how many US Presidents or British PM's will wander the grandstands of their national sports and casually (not for the camera's mind you) fraternise with the average person?

It strikes me as a part of the Australian way of life, that a former national leader could do this without anything being thought of it. It demonstrates the flat, non-hierarchical social structure of Australian culture, where differences of rank, responsibility, or any other distinguishing socio-economic mark are invisible.

Mr Hawke was the legendary recipient of a Guinness Book World Record, when in 1955 he set the fastest time for skolling a yard glass of beer. Mr Hawke was also once the most popular PM Australia has had, and judging my the video that sentiment has been rekindled. And I can't help but think the former contributed to latter becoming a reality.

The third point about Australia this video makes is the role that beer plays in it. Australia has a long standing and at times torrid relationship with beer. The fact that a long standing PM would hold a world drinking record is not something of a black mark in this nation, but a point of celebration. Such is the Australian emotional (and at times physical) attachment to the golden ale.

It is not without its problems however. As far back as the mid 70's Bob Hawke himself, then the President of the ACTU (Australia's Union peak body), spoke of Australia's drinking problem when he said:

Alcoholism is fast becoming the all-Australian nightmare for, in addition to creating thousands of sick workers, it has created a sick economy where the doctors in charge don't have a clue as to the conditions or the cause!

In the 35 years since, I don't think much has change or certainly not improved. Right now, that is Australia, in a youtube clip; take it or leave it. For good or for bad, Australia is still deeply rooted in a world of cricket, egalitarian attitudes, drinking records, and when that is not working for us, no "clue" as to how to make any change for the better.

The year year brings new hope and new excitement. And rightly so.

The bible tells us God controls the time and seasons (Daniel 2:21) and so when the calendar changes it can signal more than a change in the date. So in 2012 we can expect something NEW.

What are you expecting for 2012?

To have expectation is to eagerly look to the Lord for Him to work and speak in ways that only He can.

Without expectation, we can easily miss God. But with expectation, we are Spiritually aware and awake to the things of the Spirit and are more likely to see, hear and agree with the movings and workings of God - in the earth, but also in our own situations.

There are a few themes I believe God is speaking to me about for 2012. I'd like to share them hear because as we hear the Word of the Lord our faith is strengthened, and it is by "faith and patience (i.e. expectancy) that we inherit the promises" of God (Hebrews 6:12).

1. The Divergence of Light and Darkness

Isaiah 60 speaks of the light of God rising and shining in the darkness. The day we are in is one where increasingly there will be less grey. The church needs to take its place as a voice and presence for what is light. There is now a need to consider carefully how we speak and how we act because in doing so we increasingly choose and align ourselves with the forces of darkness and light. This will be a time for Daniels, men and women of integrity and boldness, to stand and come into the Lord's promotion.

2. Boldness in Evangelism

But in this time of walking carefully to align ourselves with God in truth, there is a grace for the church to speak out and stand with new boldness and authority! The silencing, intimidatory work of the enemy has been broken, and the time is now to proclaim the truth of Jesus in power and strength. There will be bright and shining lamps lighting up in dark places, attracting those in search of truth, liberty and healing. Now is the time, to be bold and step out in faith. In doing so, great and mighty things will take place and the kingdom will expand with a great in-gathering (Isa 43:5-6).

3. Everything being ADDED

Luke 12:31 says "Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you". This is the year for this Word to be made known in your life. For many in 2011 and the years preceding it, there has been a stealing away by the enemy. This theft - be it financial, health, opportunity, blessing, relationships - is illegal and the Lord is acting to reverse this curse and lift off the weight of hardship upon you. But the condition for this promise, is that first of all, above all, we seek Him and His kingdom. The Lord is jealous for a people to call His own in the earth, and with it will be signs. One of those will be of increase, stolen things being added back with interest, a double portion in the land (Isaiah 61:7) will be yours.

I pray you eagerly seek the coming of the Lord's presence, power and promises in your life in 2012.

PS - Get More of God's Word to you in 2012

Sign up to receive 12 devotionals in your email inbox over 12 days. Go to my devotional site, edevotional.com to sign up and receive the first today.

But, if we didn't have Christmas, what would life be like? What would the world look like without Christmas?

Of course, no Christmas would mean no presents, no tree, no suburban Christmas lights to light up our streets. There would also be no carols to sing and no candlelight on community ovals to sing them by. There would be no joy and no high point in the last week of December, it would just be another week in the year.

There would also be no memories around the "modern" traditions of Christmas day; no crackers, no silly hats and no bad jokes, no turkey and ham, and (importantly) no leftovers to enjoy watching the cricket on Boxing Day.

They are the obvious losses we would suffer if Christmas was no more. And still there are some who would say that is no great loss. But is that really the extent of the impact of Christmas? I think there is more, much more.

As much as some would love us to overlook or forget it, the reason we have Christmas is because of Christ and His birth, and the life He lived for us.

If we look through history, the legacy Jesus left has been overwhelmingly good. Whilst not every person claiming the title of Christian has had a positive impact upon the world, there is an overwhelming weight of evidence to show that the effect Jesus Christ has had on the world and human history has been hugely positive.

Christians had a lasting impact on the Roman Empire. They went from being a heavily persecuted minority to having the Christian religion adopted as Rome's official religion just over a century later. Why did this happen? The effect of Jesus' followers on the empire. In 254 AD Christians saved the city of Corinth from the plague by caring for those who were dragged and dumped in the streets.

The barbaric nature of the empire was challenged by the selfless love of Christians. This saw not only the ending of Gladiatorial blood sports, but also the horrific practices of infanticide.

The Middle Ages saw Christians at the forefront of what we now know as our modern hospitals. Monasteries became places of refuge for the sick, infirm and outcast. Monasteries also had a high value on the written word and so painstakingly preserved ancient manuscripts.

The church also was used as an educational pioneer. Churches were places where people could learn Latin, and this developed into wide scale literacy and formal education. This seedbed of learning also gave way to the reformation and renaissance period.

The Reformation was a time of massive change through learning. A growing appreciation and progress in the areas of art, music, science, and knowledge was due in no small part to Christianity and the church. Scientific developments at this time invariably took place in the Christian West, not East. In fact most great scientists of the era were Christian (Newton, Pasteur, Pascal, Fleming and others).

Why was this? The Christian understanding of the world is a positive one, it cultivates an understanding of the created order, and teaches that man carries a God-given mandate of "dominion", which leads to initiative, progress, and development.

Higher education was also a domain of Christians, first throughout Europe and the new world where universities were first established as seminaries, reflecting their Christian purpose.

Christ and His followers have also had a monumental effect on society over the centuries. Jesus demonstrates a very radical approach in treatment of women from much of the ancient world, and this has been the primary driving force in the equality we know today.

William Wilberforce is well known for his work on the abolition of slavery. But less well known are the other social works many other believers have also brought to the world. From prison and labour reform, to the founding of many major philanthropic and charity works, such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army, orphanages, Christian Missionary Society, YMCA and others. These many like them have laboured to take modern medicine and education global, and they have done so in the name of Christ.

There are many other shining lights of the work of Christians through out history. The church itself has continued to grow and spread the Gospel in virtually every nation on the earth, often in the face of heavy persecution. This conviction in their Christian beliefs has been for the benefit of us all, as we continue to enjoy the benefits of the work of Jesus Christ in many of the things we take for granted.

We can't ignore it, deny it or revise it. The world WAS irrevocably changed on the day Jesus came into the world! The world has been changed by Jesus, but Christmas is an opportunity to ask ourselves this question, HAVE I BEEN CHANGED BY JESUS?

Giving your life to Jesus is the best gift you could give to the giver of all gifts this Christmas.

2 Cor 9:15 "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

(image credit)