I am going to get a little off topic because of something that was said in Facebook. Too bad this person so misunderstood me that she defriended me. Not all that is Christian is of God. The conversation was something like this. She had announced that she was doing something just because a councilor told her to. After discussing the situation with my wife, I jumped the conclusion that she was getting ungodly advice so I said as much. Her reply was how dare you question his salvation., you don’t even know him. She is right, I don’t know him, but I know the advice. The advice was never given in scripture. So is the advice from God?
We live in a day of apostasy. Not all that says it is of God is. Not all the proclaims Jesus is. There are liars. There are deceivers. There are tares sown with the wheat. There are Christians that have trained in secular settings and have not themselves properly discerned the difference between God’s wisdom and the world’s wisdom. This is one struggle that I deal with daily. I listen to a lot of different podcast, TV and radio talk shows. I listen to Jimmy Kimel and I know not to take any advice from him. But it gets grayer when I look at a John McArthur or Chuck Smith. Even though they come right and say that everything they say needs to be tested with scripture, you still want to take everything they say.
That is the admonition of God. Test everything in light of scripture. The Boreans in Acts were given commended for doing this. Timothy was instructed: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
It is important to realize that Dr. Phil and Oprah are just people who have an opinion. They are not getting their information from God. Froid, Skinner and Maslow were all prominent councilors who published their works but in the end they did not get their messages from God. Many of these were totally Anti God.
It is important to be listening to God. Rom 12:2, “Be not conformed to the image of this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. So you may be able to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Are you living according to the world or according to God? If you are living according to God, then you will be seeking Godly council. The next question would be how do we get that council? That is a great question. You can always go to the places you naturally would think are Godly. Pastor, Sunday School teacher, Christian councilor. Nice ideas but are they always Godly? I dare say they are not. You must be a fruit inspector. And I am not talking about how much money they make, or how many people come for church or how much they charge and how many weeks before they can see you. That is not how you get Godly advice. Like I said before, their training may be secular or they could be not saved themselves even though they put it on their business card. You have to spend some time in Galatians 3:22-23 and the surrounding passages to find out what the fruit should look like.
I have had people tell me that if they advertise in a Christian business yellow pages, then they won’t use them. This is an interesting theory but too many in these places do not use Godly principals in running their business. You can read how to do that by reading Larry Burkett’s book call “Business by the Book”.
The best way I have found to get Godly advice is to have a close circle of Godly councilors. It starts with my father and my father in law. My mother has been a wonderful source. After that, my wife has been good. But when you run out of Natural councilors, the next thing to do is to ask God. You will be surprised who sits next to you on an airplane, train, bus or at a sporting event or a business meeting. I can recall one day after discussing some problems with a friend asking him if he had been asking God for wisdom. He replied yes and I told him that what I was telling him was not coming from me. I believed God was speaking through me because I was not as smart as I was speaking.
In actuality, when I think about it, I spent a lot of time in God’s word and listening to a variety of preaching and when it came down to it the Holy Spirit had brought to my remembrance the things that friend needed to hear. Jesus said in Matthew that you need to Ask, Seek and Knock. If you ask you shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened.
So go ahead and get that council that you need. But test all things. Test it against what the scripture says. Test it against known Godly council. Proverbs says that in a multitude of councilors there is wisdom. But most important test it against the fruit of the spirit. Ultimately any council you take will be your decision. In the end, God will not ask you where you got your council but why did you do it.
