Have you ever needed some good advice, some help with a decision you
were faced with making? Who do you go to for it, if and when you do?
What criteria do you use before choosing the person you want to counsel
with? Or are you one of those that is afraid of the word "counsellor"
and you don't seek the help of another at all? Verse 22 of Proverbs 15
deals with this very issue, so let's take a peak and see what we can find
in the precious Word of God in regard to counsel...
"Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors
they are established."
Let's cross reference that for a moment with verse 18 of Proverbs 20:
"Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war."
Do you see the reason for counsel in these two verses? Purpose is the
reason! What is purpose, really? Purpose is that which a person sets
before himself as an object to be reached or accomplished. Purpose is
to be established with an end in view. Man sometimes labors to no purpose.
Man sometimes employs his time, talent and money for very evil purposes.
But those of us who are Christians believe that God created us for HIS
glorious purpose, not simply for just acquiring wealth or power in this
life. Now comes the big question of the day for you: What is the purpose
of your life? To what end are you working towards? I hope it is to glorify
God! If so, how do you intend to accomplish that purpose? The Bible
says without counsel your purposes will be disappointed, for EVERY purpose
is established in this way. We make war with good advice! War against
who? Satan of course, the one who would prevent us from glorifying God
in our lives, the one who would lure us away from God with a lie... He
has purposed to destroy us, and has helpers with the same purpose working
with him. Ladies, if you and I purpose in our hearts to do right and
live right, don't you think your enemy is going to stand up and take notice
and try to prevent that from happening?? Without counsel, you will not
understand how to overcome the wiles of the devil, for he desires to frustrate
your purpose and God's!
Psalm 140:4 says, "Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve
me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings."
While your purpose and motives to do right may be pure and you get off
to what seems like a good start, you will eventually fall and fail without
godly wisdom for such a serious battle! The man or woman who desires
to glorify God with his or her life would do well to consult with wise
men or women of spiritual experience, for with a multitude of counsellors
the right way will be clearly discerned. Counsel enlarges the possibility
of spiritual success for your life, provided the counselor is using the
Word of God properly for the basis of their advice! Where to get such
counsel? As I just said, from the Word of God we can always get reliable
counsel as God Himself will direct our paths while we daily spend time reading
our Bibles. The Lord certainly meets all the criteria for a trustworthy
Counsellor, amen?
Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and
the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince
of Peace."
Isaiah 40:13, "Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his
counsellor hath taught him?"
Romans 11:34, "For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been
his
counsellor?"
These are some strong titles used in describing our Counsellor, amen? Our
heavenly Father is a Wonderful Counsellor and a wonder of a counsellor,
for He knows all things and is everywhere! He can guide the affairs of
our lives wisely, we can trust His infinite wisdom. "The mighty God"
is a picture of strength and power, no situation is impossible for Him
to work in, no person an impossibility with such a mighty God as ours!
"The Everlasting Father", who has been around forever and WILL be around
forevermore - the Father of eternity, and a loving parent toward His children,
full of good advice for their lives if we would but acknowledge Him that
He might direct our paths. "The Prince of Peace", the Savior and Son
of God who would desire to bring peace into our hearts and homes and fill
our lives to the top with His presence and joy as we follow His Word daily
and live by it. Yes, Jesus is peace Himself, why would we not go to such
a worthy Counsellor and find rest for our weary souls and the truest advice
for living a peaceful life, free of anxiety, stress and strife? Some
of us foolishly pay those with lesser qualifications mega bucks for their
counsel because we feel safe behind closed doors in an office, when in
reality we can just open the Word of God for free at home and find the
best advice we'll ever need for our lives! There is none to be compared
to our Counsellor....
Now dear lady, when the time comes and perhaps you do not understand the
Word of God on a certain matter, or you need some specific guidance in
your life, some help with discerning the will of God - who do you go to?
Your neighbor, simply because you are comfortable talking with her and
she will tell you what you WANT to hear?? The lady you work with even
though she might be of a different doctrine?? Your mother, even though
she might not know the Word of God very well?? Someone you met last week
on the computer in a supposedly Christian chat room? Dr. Laura?? Dr.
Spock's books?? The Christian Bookstore?? The biggest Baptist Church
in town that has a billboard advertising 1-800-PRAY4U?? WHO will you
go to for counsel and why? We ladies who are married have our husbands
to go to and we should certainly never exclude their counsel! But Christian
woman, God has also given you a shepherd, a pastor to go to. These men
of God are our authorities on this earth and given for our protection.
Any advice that you need in regard to doctrine or scriptural matters of
understanding should be taken to them, not other women, and certainly
not to strangers...
Because the woman is the weaker vessel, the man as the authority is best
in handling these matters, for many women today are being used to lead
whole houses astray... I think this is precisely how many "silly" women
are led astray concerning doctrinal issues, the blind leading the blind
down paths of wacky beliefs over a cup of coffee minus any authority present
in the room. Titus chapter 2 verses 4 and 5 say that the older women
are to teach the younger women about matters that concern the home, loving
their husbands, their children etc. These are the things that you can
go to a strong spiritual woman for advice concerning, for some counsel
in. Joseph of Arimathea, was spoken of as a counsellor in the Bible,
let's see what his reputation was like and perhaps that will give you
some tangible guidelines to go by.... Turn with me to Luke 23:50-53 which
says:
"And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a
good man, and a just: (The same had not consented to the counsel and
deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself
waited for the kingdom of God. This man went unto Pilate, and begged
the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and
laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before
was laid."
You might be wondering right now what this verse has to do with choosing
a counsellor. But can you not see Joseph's character woven into this
passage? It says he was a good man and just. In other words, he had
a godly reputation, a good testimony among the people. He had not consented
to Jesus being hung on the cross, had not voted against Him. Hence, he
did not walk with the majority, but lived a separated life. What I like
about Joseph's description in this verse is that it says he "himself waited
for the kingdom of God." Now ladies, you and I both know that if someone
is waiting consciously and gravely for God, they are going to be living
soberly and living right, living a life pleasing to the God they are waiting
for! Such was the case of Joseph, and such should be the case of the
person you choose to go to for spiritual counsel. What else do we see
about Joseph's character? We see that he begged Pilate for the body of
Jesus after He was dead... This description is also spoken of in Mark
15:43 where the Bible says:
"Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for
the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the
body of Jesus."
Joseph, an honorable man and a Jew, was bold in his faith and love for
Christ, yet he was not afraid of what man would do unto him for this great
love! You see ladies, this was a time when followers of Christ were afraid
to be known or even seen, since Christ had just been crucified, a time
when they may have all gone into hiding till things settled down some.
But the Bible says Joseph went boldly into Pilate's presence and begged
for, actually craved the body of Christ - he HAD to have his Savior!
His zeal for the Lord was clearly evident... Is yours?? Such a person
as Joseph is one who would give you good advice and help you make war
against the enemy in your life, amen? And then, the gentle side of Joseph
is also seen in the verses following, in that he took the body of Christ
down off the cross and wrapped it in linen and laid it in the sepulchre.
I can picture his tender touch, imagine his silent weeping as he, along
with Nicodemus, prepared His Savior's body for the tomb with great love
and respect. By his example, Joseph saw to it that Jesus was treated
with dignity and honor as he kept His Lord's body from simply being thrown
on a trash pile outside the city. Religions that deny the work of the
Savior are actually guilty of such behavior, amen? As a counsellor, such
an honorable person as Joseph is one who will lovingly and strongly advise
you to protect the reputation of the Savior with the choices you make
in your life, amen? I wonder....does the person whose advice you accept so
freely have a shallow regard for Christ??
John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
In closing ladies, it is true as scripture says, that without counsel
purposes WILL be disappointed. Your life's purpose will be destroyed
without truth - without Christ! The purpose for our lives should be that
we both know and glorify God, amen? I hope that you will take this purpose
seriously in these last days and make war against your adversary with
good advice, wise counsel. But PLEASE be careful of where you are getting
it!!
1 John 3:8 says: "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil
sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested,
that he might destroy the works of the devil."
If Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the devil as His life's purpose,
then that should be ours as well! Satan's purpose is to destroy the work
of Christ in our lives... Sad to say though, many Christians lives are
manifesting the works of the devil, not destroying them! Ladies, we should
not have a purpose for our lives that is apart from what the Father would
have it to be. That purpose is found in His Son, Jesus! Yes, God gives
us the will wherewith to will, and the power to use it, and the help needed
to supplement the power through wise counsel....but we ourselves must
will the TRUTH, and for that the Lord is waiting!
2 Tim. 1:9, "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began..."
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
