Obtaining good Counsel

Sunday 30 July
READ: Prov .11: 14
MORE LESSON: Prov. 24: 6

It is important to get counsel before you take decisions in life. There are different ways of obtaining good counsel, but all the ways must ultimately point to God, who is the only good Counsellor. You can get good counsel through the Word of God, the voice of the Holy Spirit to you or through people that God has positioned to supply His counsel to you.
There are people that God has chosen as His representatives to counsel. It is not every believer that has developed themselves to the extent of obtaining God's counsel on every matter on their own. So while they gradually grow to the point where they can hear God clearly on every issue, the Lord has made provision of people who are more mature in the Body of Christ through whom they can obtain God's counsel. If you are a counsellor, know that you are God's representative; you should not just give people counsel based on what you think is a nice idea. You should hear God on behalf of the people. In fact there is nothing wrong if someone comes to you for counsel and you tell him to give you time to hear God on the matter. A good counsellor is not an alpha omega who always has all the answers, he is merely a representative and spokesman for God.
There was a time when the king of Babylon didn't know how to resolve an issue and he needed counsel; so they sought Daniel who had an excellent spirit. If a whole king needs counsellors, then there is no reason why any man should feel too big to obtain counsel from other people. There are people to whom God has given the answer to your question, you will save yourself a lot of troubles when you go and meet them. Even if you are also a counsellor; you need to know that a counselor also needs to be counselled sometimes. The truth is that so many believers are embarrassed to go for counselling because they think it shows that they do not know. On the other hand, it is the people that know who go for counselling – at least, they know that they need counsel. The one that doesn't go to be counselled is the one that doesn't know - he doesn't even know that he needs to be counselled.
In my years as a pastor, I found that most times in the church, when you check the people that come for counselling, the workers and leaders are not part of them. It leaves me wondering whether being a worker or a leader means that one knows everything. Even as pastors, we need counselling and we go to those that God has given a higher measure of grace to get it. There is safety and progress in getting good counsel. Pray for the grace to get good counsel.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to fill you with the Spirit of counsel and might, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray that you will not lack good counsel at any point in life, in Jesus’ name.
* Pray that God will fill your leaders (spiritual and physical) with wisdom to direct you always, in Jesus’ mighty name.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Rock of Ages, my confidence and defence is in You, let me not be ashamed and let not my enemies triumph over me, in the mighty name of Jesus.