Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Seeking Godly Counsel!



I am certain you have experienced those moments in your life where you need to make a decision and you simply respond without seeking God's counsel.  Perhaps you have experienced one of those moments where you just can't seem to find your keys.  As you rant and rave about where they have gone, someone in your household asks you, "HAVE YOU PRAYED ABOUT IT."  On such occasions I say to myself, "Why didn't I think of that."  To often it is easy to get angry, worry, or fear over these small or large situations when we have the opportunity to seek the Lord.  Our propensity to think we can handle life situations on our own tends to permeate much of our thinking even after salvation.  Whether your situation appears small and inconsequential or large and overwhelming it is important to bring these decisions before the Lord.  Romans 11:34-36 expresses God's majestic wisdom in comparison to mankind.  

God doesn't need our advice, we need His!

There has never been a point in which God has needed counsel or advice from us.  We on the other hand, are in desperate need of God's counsel.  James 1:5 declares, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." Seeking Godly Counsel is incredibly important to our Christian walk.  Pursuing after God's wisdom expresses our need for God and His wisdom.  When we ask for wisdom to do what is right, for the right reason our God will generously give it to us.  This leads us to an important biblical principle. 


Seeking God's Wisdom expresses our dependence on God rather than our desire to be independent from God. 
The book of Joshua in the Old Testament records a stunning story of Israels conquest of the land that God promised to give them.  The people of the land had been wicked for years and God had commanded the people to take possession of it.  The conquest started with Jericho, then, Ai, and would soon enter the region of the Gibeonites (Joshua 9).  The Gibeonites deceive Joshua and the elders into making a covenant with them only to find out later that they were actually the people from the next city they were supposed to conquer.  I believe that Joshua 9:14 gives the moral of this story within the conquest.  Joshua writes, "So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD."  It is quite impressive that Joshua would record such a leadership blunder so that we would be reminded of how important it is to seek counsel from the Lord.  This leads us to another biblical principle. 

Forgetting to seek Godly counsel can have perilous consequences.

Believers will never get to a point where they are not in need of God's wisdom for their lives.  It is our responsibility to express our dependence on God by remembering to ask regularly for His wisdom so that He can guide us by His Truth.  

Practical Application: 


Am I characterized as a person who seeks God's wisdom in both large and small circumstances?

What situations are you currently in need of God's Wisdom?

Are you asking God for His Wisdom with the right motive? 

How quickly do you recognize your need for God's counsel?

Am I seeking worldly counsel before I seek Godly counsel?

Are the people you seek counsel from influenced by the world's wisdom or God's wisdom?



Josh Stephens 
BC Alliance: Executive Director

Josh serves as Senior Pastor of Community Baptist Church. He graduated with an M.A. in Biblical Counseling and an M. Div. from Central Baptist Theological Seminary. He is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Biblical Counseling from Southern Baptist Theological Seminar. Josh is certified as a Biblical Counselor through ABC and ACBC.



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