Tag Archives: seeking advice

October 24, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Valuable Advice

What’s the best advice you never took? People are always giving us advice, but most of it we don’t listen to or follow through with it. Remember when someone told you to buy Bitcoin when it was $.17? I do. Another person told me to purchase some real estate that was cheap. It’s now worth hundreds of thousands. I didn’t buy it back then. One person told me to be careful about who I choose to hang around because I’ll become like them. I thought I could change them. I couldn’t and spent several years in unproductive relationships. I could go on and on about advice I never took from people and the consequences of not listening or following through. I’m sure you could too.

In 1 Kings 12, Solomon had just died and Israel had crowned his son Rehoboam as king. The people told him that if he would lighten the load that his father had on them, they would serve him and follow him forever. He went to his father’s advisors who were older and they concurred with the people. Then verse 8 says, “But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the older men and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and were now his advisers” (NLT). They told him to be harder on the people than his father to prove he was better than his father. When he told the people his answer, they revolted and Israel was split into two. Rehoboam was the king of the smaller territory and missed out on being a prosperous king.

Who is speaking into your life? Who’s opinions do you value? The quality of their advice will dictate the quality of the rest of your life. Proverbs 13:13-14 says, “If you refuse good advice, you are asking for trouble; follow it and you are safe. The teachings of the wise are a fountain of life” (GNT). So many of us miss out on the fountains of life that God places in our life because we refuse their advice or don’t value it. Take time to think about who you’re listening to. Do they give you Godly, Biblical counsel or do they tell you what you want to hear and do? It’s not too late to start refusing the bad advice that you’ve been receiving. Invite someone who is wise and knows God’s Word to begin giving you advice. Follow it and you won’t look back years from now with the regrets of what could have been.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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July 9, 2024 · 5:45 AM

Following Through

I’ve seen people go to social media to seek advice. They get a ton of comments and very few are the same. It’s one thing to go there for advice on what color to paint something and another thing to ask for life advice. I have a couple of people I’ll go to for that. These are people I trust to speak the truth and whose advice will line up with Scripture. Getting advice is only half of the solution. Following the advice and putting it into action is the other half. Sometimes it’s not easy to follow the advice of a trusted advisor. They can only advise. It’s up to me to enact. This is where a lot of people struggle. They’re good at getting advice, but putting it into action and following through when faced with consequences of change keep them where they are.

In the book of Esther, we find out that her parents died when she was young and she was raised by her cousin Mordecai. As she was going through the king’s beautification process, she kept seeking the advice of Mordecai who advised her not to reveal she was a Jew. Esther 2:20 says, “Esther had not revealed her family or her people [that is, her Jewish background], just as Mordecai had instructed her; for Esther did what Mordecai told her just as when she was under his care” (AMP) Later on she sought the advice of her handler on what she should take before the king when he selected her. Then when Haman threatened to kill the Jews, Esther took the advice of Mordecai again in order to save her people even though it could mean she would be put to death. She followed through with the advice of her trusted advisor and saved a nation.

Proverbs 20:18 says, “Get good advice and you will succeed; don’t go charging into battle without a plan” (GNT). Who are your trusted advisors? Who gives you godly advise that will help you succeed? Don’t fall in the trap of paralysis through analysis where you either get too much advice or you over analyze the advice you’ve been given. It wasn’t easy for Esther to take Mordecai’s advice to go before the king, but victory was won because she did. Your victory is on the other side of following God’s instructions for your life. It’s not always easy following His plan or even knowing it. That’s why you need someone who knows Him and His Word to be a trusted advisor in your life that will also hold you accountable to following through with the plan.

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February 26, 2024 · 5:33 AM

Finding Wise Advisers

In the cartoons I watched as a kid, when someone started to spiral out of control emotionally, one of the other characters would dump a bucket of water on their head. If that didn’t work, sometimes they would just slap them to get them to snap out of it. However, our human nature usually wants someone to sympathize with us in those moments. Sympathy is all right, but honestly it doesn’t move us from a place of despair or helplessness. Sympathy keeps us where we are. What we need is straight talk and honesty to help us not put down roots in a place where we’re disappointed, devastated or hopeless. We need someone to be able to hypothetically throw that bucket of water on us to snap out of it sometimes.

In 2 Samuel 18, David’s son Absalom had overthrown him as king. He had been on the run, but now he decided to muster his troops and fight to regain the kingdom. He specifically told his men to let his son live. During the battle, Absalom was fleeing but got his hair caught in a tree. One of his men then killed Absalom. When David heard the news, he was devastated and mourned. Instead of returning as heroes, they came in with their heads down because David was sad. Then in chapter 19 Joab, one of his commanders, went privately to him and rebuked him. He told him that his self pity was affecting the troops around him. If he didn’t straighten up, they would desert him by morning. It was the emotional wake up call he needed and he went down to congratulate his men. David was restored as king.

Proverbs 19:20 says, “Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life” (NLT). Do the people you go to for advice and instruction tell you what you want to hear? Or do you have someone like Joab who will tell you the truth and what you need to hear? Advice and instruction is good when you give your closest advisers the freedom to speak the truth to you in love. It’s often that bucket of water or slap that we need to be wise the rest of our lives. The people we choose to get advice from can make or break our future. They can set us on a path to fulfill our purpose and reach our potential or they can slow our progress and hold us back. Think about what the best option is for your life. Find someone who will feed your future and not your emotions or ego. Find someone who will give you godly advice and instruction. Those are the people who will make you better and improve your life.

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July 14, 2023 · 5:31 AM

Receiving Wise Counsel

It matters who you get counsel and advice from. You may be the head who makes the decisions, but the people you seek counsel from are the neck and they are controlling the direction of your life. If you don’t like the direction your life is headed, you need to find different people to give you advice. I look for people who are older and wiser. I also look for those who are further up the road in the direction I want to travel. However, the most important quality I look for is that they are a Christian who is grounded in the Bible because I want godly advice above all else. When we enact God’s principles, we open ourselves to His blessings. It is very scriptural to seek advice. Don’t be afraid to seek counsel on decisions you need to make. Ask God to show you who to ask, then follow the godly advice you receive.

Here are some Bible verses on receiving wise counsel.

1. Wisdom opens your heart to receive wise counsel, but pride closes your ears to advice and gives birth only to quarrels and strife.

Proverbs 13:10 TPT

2. I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; Indeed, my heart (mind) instructs me in the night.

Psalms 16:7 AMP

3. Oil and perfume make the heart glad; So does the sweetness of a friend’s counsel that comes from the heart.

Proverbs 27:9 AMP

4. Listen well to wise counsel and be willing to learn from correction so that by the end of your life you’ll be known for your wisdom.

Proverbs 19:20 TPT

5. Without consultation and wise advice, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they are established and succeed.

Proverbs 15:22 AMP

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May 14, 2020 · 5:40 AM

Good Advice

I remember the first piece of advice I ever got as a kid. It was, “Don’t take any wooden nickels.” I wasn’t sure what a wooden nickel was, but I knew not to take one. Ever since then, people have been giving me advice, whether solicited or not. Some of it has been good, and some of it has been terrible. I discovered it was terrible because I followed it not knowing better. Over time, I’ve learned (mostly) what is good advice and what is not.

Since we don’t know everything, it’s important to seek advice in matters where we are unsure of what to do. When seeking advice, we should look for people who have wisdom, experience and are grounded in God’s Word. It’s also good to get advice from multiple people if you can. If they all give the same advice, you can bet it’s the right thing to do. If they give different advice, go with the one who has experienced what you’re going through.

Seeking advice is one thing. Following the advice is another. Proverbs 13:13 says, “If you refuse good advice, you are asking for trouble; follow it and you are safe” (GNT). There have been times when I’ve received great advice, but I refused to follow it. I either didn’t like it or I didn’t like the cost of following it. It turns out, the cost of not following it was even greater. Not following good advice has its consequences.

I love the Proverbs because they bring to light simple truths like this one. When I was a teen, I received some other advice. It was to read one chapter of Proverbs a day. There are 31 chapters so it will take you a month. Reading it throughout the years has helped to increase my wisdom because I’m learning from the wisest person who ever lived. There’s a lot of great advice in this book of the Bible. In fact, my advice to you is the same. If you want to grow in wisdom, read a chapter of Proverbs a day.

I’m curious, what’s the best advice someone has ever given you?

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other writing ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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October 7, 2019 · 5:53 AM

Crossroads

How many times do we come to crossroads in our lives? When they come up, I imagine the ending scene of “Castaway” where Tom Hanks character is sitting at one. He gets out of the car with his map and looks at all directions in front of him when a lady pulls up and says, “You look lost. Where are you headed?” He replies, “I do? I was just about to figure that out.” She then tells him where each road heads, gets back in her truck and drives off. We can get advice on which path to take at the crossroads, but ultimately, it’s our decision to make, so we must choose wisely. It’s not wise to stay there long, but it is good to seek God for the right decision before you choose.

Jeremiah 6:16 says, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.’” (NLT) Being at a crossroads is an unsettling and stressful place. It has the potential to be a moment of great change in your life and you want to make the right decision. That’s why the Lord says in this verse that we are to ask others for godly advice. Which is the old, godly way? Which way does God want me to take? When I ask and can’t find an answer to those questions, it’s good to fast and to seek God for peace in the path He wants you to take. Peace doesn’t mean there won’t be a difficult road ahead. It means that you will have the assurance that no matter what happens, you’re on the road God told you to take.

It would be nice if the roads were marked and the choice were easy, but that’s rarely the case. If you happen to make the wrong choice, and you don’t have peace, fail fast. Don’t let pride keep you on the wrong road. Turn around and go down the one that gives rest to your soul and peace in your heart. God has a plan for your life, and Psalm 37:23 says that the Lord orders our steps and He delights in the details of our life. Don’t be afraid to seek His will asking Him to show you or to seek godly counsel from others who have been there or who can pray with you. God has a peace that passes understanding in these times and will use it to lead you down the right road.

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March 7, 2019 · 5:52 AM

Godly Counsel

We all need counseling from time to time. We need the wisdom of a trusted friend, advisor or professional. Whoever we get it from, it’s important that the counsel we receive lines up with God’s Word. The Bible is full of wisdom that can provide insight and give direction in just about anything we face. The book of Proverbs alone is full of wisdom and great insight into how we should think and make decisions.

As King, David was often in need of counseling. He wanted to make the best choices. If he couldn’t find someone to give him godly advice, He went straight to God for help. In Psalm 16:7, David wrote, “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me” (ESV). David took what God said and put it in his heart so that even at night he dreamed about what to do.

The thing about counsel is, it’s worthless unless you follow it. You can listen to it, dream about it and think about it all you want, but nothing in your life will change until you do something with it. So many times, we get good, godly advice, but we are afraid to act on it. People who are like that are like those who admired the Brooklyn Bridge when it was built. They stood on the edge and admired it, but were afraid to walk across it. It wasn’t until P. T. Barnum walked his elephants across it that they started using the bridge.

God’s Word, like the Brooklyn Bridge, is strong and can be trusted to handle whatever you’re going through. Listen to the advice and counsel that comes from Him. Put it deep in your heart so that it becomes a part of you. Trust your heart too. God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us discern what is right. It’s not a sign of weakness to need or to get counsel. It shows strength to admit you don’t know everything. Just make sure the people you’re getting it from know God’s Word.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other writing ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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July 2, 2018 · 5:57 AM

Seeking Godly Counsel

Has anyone ever given you bad advice that you’ve taken? In my life, I’ve accepted plenty of bad advice because it sounded good, and rejected a lot of good advice because of pride. I’ve taken advice on investing, trying to affect change in an organization, in my career, and in handling relationships. Most of the time when we seek advice, it’s because we are in a situation where we unsure what to do. Who we get advice from matters because the wrong advice can really mess things up.

The first part of Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where there is no [wise, intelligent] guidance, the people fall [and go off course like a ship without a helm]“ (AMP). Getting no advice, or just the wrong advice, can set you back from your goals in life. Before seeking any advice, I like to pray and ask God for wisdom in choosing the right advice as well as whom to seek it from. I don’t like set backs, and sometimes the wrong advice can seem wise. I want to make sure I’m not relying on my own feelings or the words of a misguided friend.

The rest of that verse says, “But in the abundance of [wise and godly] counselors there is victory.” We don’t need to seek wisdom from one source. We need more than one person giving us advice because most difficult decisions have many facets with many different outcomes based on our decisions. If you’re looking for victory over a situation, pray that God would help you find godly counselors who will see the things you can’t, and that He would help you make the right decisions. Don’t let pride and ignorance keep you from victory. Stay on the course God has for you and look for godly counselors along the way.

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June 22, 2018 · 5:45 AM

Seeking Advice

In 1 Kings 12, Solomon’s son Rehoboam became king. The people asked him to lighten the load that his father had put on them. He asked for time to talk to advisors and would answer. He went to his father’s advisors first. They agreed he should lighten the load so the people would be loyal. Then he went to his friends who were younger. They advised him to make things harder. He rejected the advice of the older people, and the nation revolted. The kingdom split in two and he only ruled a small portion of Israel.

We all need advice from time to time, even Solomon did. Who we listen to determines how life is going to go for us. Good advisors don’t just tell us what we want to hear. They give us wisdom and see things we can’t. The best advisors are people who are older than us because they’ve been down the road and know where the road bumps are. Ultimately, every decision we make is ours, and we have to bear the responsibility for those choices. So when you’re looking for advice, lay down your pride and get it from people who are wiser than you.

Here are some verses on getting advice.

1. Sensible people accept good advice. People who talk foolishly will come to ruin.

Proverbs 10:8 GNT

2. People who despise advice are asking for trouble; those who respect a command will succeed.

Proverbs 13:13 NLT

3. Without consultation and wise advice, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they are established and succeed.

PROVERBS 15:22 AMP

4. Fools are headstrong and do what they like; wise people take advice.

Proverbs 12:15 MSG

5. Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.

Proverbs 13:10 NLT

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September 10, 2014 · 8:06 AM

Respons-ability

If you know the story of Esther, you know that after she had been made queen, Haman plotted to kill all of the Jews. Since he was the kings closest advisor, the King agreed to what he suggested. In Esther chapter 4, her uncle Mordecai found out that his race was being targeted for genocide. He responded by mourning and fasting. Somehow Esther had not known about the news. It wasn’t until her maidens saw her uncle weeping they told her about it. She then sent someone to find out why he was in distress.

When Mordecai sent word back, he also told them to tell her that she had a responsibility to go before the King to save her people. Her first response was fear. She told him that she couldn’t go before the King or she would be killed. She must have felt that since she was queen she would be saved from the massacre. Mordecai wouldn’t have any of it. He very frankly told her that if she didn’t respond to the challenge so done else would, but she and her family would perish.

Just like her, you and I face situations in our life that we’d rather ignore and hope they go away. The problem is that they won’t in most cases. The longer we wait to respond to them, the bigger they can get. Our ability to respond has to overcome the fear of the situation. Mordecai also sent the encouraging word, “Who knows? Maybe you’ve been put in this position for such a time as this.” He pointed to God’s providence in her life. He began to see why things had happened the way they had so that she could be the answer.

Where you are today and the situations that you’re facing are not an accident or a surprise to God. He has groomed you and placed you where you are because you have the ability to respond the way He wants you too. You could say it’s your respons-ability. You can say, “But I don’t know how to handle this.” James 1:5 says that if any man lacks wisdom he can ask God for it. Proverbs 15:22 says there is wisdom in a multitude of counsel. You can ask God and or others what to do. Mordecai gave excellent advice to Esther.

We never know why we have the burdens of being in difficult situations. Not responding isn’t the right choice. We have the respons-ability to seek wisdom and to respond in a way that pleases God. Difficult situations require difficult choices. In my own life, it’s been those times that have grown my faith the most. I’ve had to step out in faith and trust that God had my back. Esther did too and her people were saved. Life isn’t easy, but you were made for a purpose and are where God needs you right now in order to respond accordingly. Trust what He says and step out. It may be difficult, but doing what He says is less difficult than the results of disobedience.

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