Advisable Reliance

On July 7, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Chronicles 32: 8

And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Here is another significant lesson for winning spiritual warfare. Find someone you can rely on. Brother, you are a sitting duck if you don’t have someone you can rely on in the day of trouble. I don’t care who you are or who you think you are, you need someone to lean on. You may be the biggest preacher in town but the day will come when you are under attack and you will need someone’s words other than your own. You will need someone to listen to who is an encourager and a bold believer. Do I preach to myself? Sure, but I also have a plethora of people I listen to regularly and on whom I can rely in the day of trouble.

The second part of this is for goodness sake learn to rely on those who are speaking faith in the face of trouble. Jesus said, “Sure you’re gonna have trouble but take heart because I have already won” (paraphrase of John 16: 33). You are meant to overcome those troubles through the victory of Jesus. That’s the plan but when you are under the barrage of missile attacks it is often difficult to remember that. When the onslaught is heavy enough you will even forget which scriptures you know to rely upon. I will even think to myself, “Now, what do I tell other people when they are going through this?” In those times you need the advice of wise, Christian counselors; those who themselves rely on the scriptures. They will feed you the scriptures you need so don’t hesitate to call on them. In the very first Psalm King David starts us off with this advice. Verse 1 reads, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” I take that to mean “make sure that the counsel you receive is from Godly people who can speak truth.”

And then here is the real key. Make sure you are listening to these sage individuals. We want to know that they are listening God and that their advice is scriptural. And you are still responsible to God for the advice you take but the point is that you need to have someone that you can trust and listen to and you need to sublimate your ego and take advice and counsel. If you are an island then you are in error. God did not make us to be rugged individualists. He made us to be a family of believers. We are supposed to rely on one another as the collective members of one body.

If you never learn to submit to the instruction of others you will always be a target and you will never be a leader. Only those who learn how to follow responsibly ever become leaders. If you can’t quiet your ego long enough to take advice then you will never have the gentility to lead others. You will never appreciate what a good leader looks like. We learn to lead by following good leaders.

We all need those who can help us through the storm. In today’s passage the people listened to the direction of Hezekiah. They relied on his Godly counsel. And they not only weathered the storm but they came out victorious. This is the way and the counsel of God. Seek the wise, scriptural counsel of Godly counselors in the time of trouble and you also will prevail.

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Counseled to Succeed

On March 5, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 1: 1

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.

Do you want to be blessed? Then take your guidance from Godly people. Additionally, make sure you are praying for the people from whom you receive counsel. 

There are a couple of insightful maxims I have picked up recently. Some, perhaps, I have known for awhile but there are levels of knowing but only the level where you consistently apply knowledge is fruitful. So, maybe you have heard some of this before too but this may be the time when it sinks in at a deeper level.

First of all, don’t receive your counsel from someone who is living on their own preaching. What do I mean by that? I have watched ministers and you can predict their fall so easily when they begin to live off of their own preaching. They rely solely on their own wisdom and revelation. That is doom. As soon as we stop receiving counsel from those who are ahead of us on the journey we are destined for the fall. When preachers stop listening to other ministers’ teachings it is only a short time before their own ministry will begin to fail. In real life this means when any of us relies on our own wisdom rather than continuing to be fed by and counseled by those who can instruct us we will begin to falter.

Secondly, do business with Godly people, people who can and do hear the voice of God. I would rather do business with a saint who can hear God’s voice and is sensitive to His leading than a saint who is folded in on himself or is just unable to be led by God. He may be a wonderful person but I want a wonderful person who is being led by God. You should expect the same. Then, as soon as you begin doing business with someone begin to pray for them daily. Ask God to bless them, keep them and to lead them in all they do. Anoint that relationship with prayer. And I would go a step further. Direct them to the 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice which is resourced at www.cwgministries.org. Be a blessing to folks. What if we were all hearing God’s voice everyday? Don’t you think things would begin to get easier? And make sure that you avail yourself of all of the resources available at Communing with God Ministries.

Last, this verse and commentary assume that you are receiving counsel. If not, find someone you can receive counsel from. I know it is not always easy but if you don’t have the answer and yet rely solely on yourself for the answers isn’t that the same as the blind leading the blind? At the very minimum there is a ton of free Biblical teaching available on the web. You may be amazed at how much there is. You can have a different preacher speak into your life everyday of the week. Use those teachings to guide you while you seek a personal counselor or advisor. And just a hint: if a preacher ruffles your feathers a little, you have probably found the right person. You are being challenged, that’s all and that is what we want.

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