Seek Godly Counsel | Northstar Church

“Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance” – Proverbs 1:5.

Making God honoring decisions is an adventure. It is a challenge. Fortunately, God has given us a valuable tool to help us make wise decisions, the counsel of other Christians. Acquiring and using Godly counsel must be important because the Bible is full of verses talking about that very subject. In fact, the following is a few of the examples from the book of Proverbs:

Proverbs 11:14: “Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.” Proverbs 12:15: “Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.” Proverbs 15:22: “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.” Proverbs 20:18: “Plans succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without wise advice.” Proverbs 24:6: “So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many advisers.”

Seeking advice may be the most mentioned subject in Proverbs. It is obvious that the wisdom is coming from one of the wisest men in history – Solomon. He speaks of success coming from having advisers or counselors. When you have trusted counselors, you can weigh the various counsel and then make your decision with God’s help. The key is finding the right counsel. The right counsel is a godly counselor, a committed believer in Jesus Christ. Paul is talking about that very thing when he tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:10: “But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance.”

When you seek someone’s counsel or advice for your life, make sure you can trust them. You have to have had conversations with them, prayed with them, eaten with them. You can’t get to know someone by watching them on television or seeing them speak in a huge auditorium. 2 Timothy 3:13-14 says, “But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived. But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.”

At Northstar, you can get to know other committed believers on a first-hand basis. Get involved in a small group. You’ll get to know others with godly character who can give good counsel. Don’t try to make major decisions without the counsel of other believers. Another believer can be led by the Spirit to give you insight into your situation. But when you receive instruction or counsel from others, you must evaluate it against the principles of God’s Word. “You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15) God’s word will give you wisdom and the ability to more effectively evaluate the teaching, advice or counsel that you may receive from others.

Be prepared to receive both encouraging and corrective counsel. Good counsel will equip you to make good decisions. God will help you to receive the good counsel that you need.

Discussion Questions:

What comes to mind when you hear the words Godly counsel?
How do you determine who is Godly counsel?
How can you best use those you trust to give you good advice?