11.09.07
“GODLY COUNSEL!”
Acts 28:26-27
“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’ And He said, ‘Go, and tell this people: Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed.’ ”
Several years ago a pastor friend of mine sent the cassette tape of a message that had real impact. It was a sermon by Dr. Charles Stanley on the dangers we face by listening to advice from the wrong sources. I have no intention of trying to duplicate what he said, (I would fail miserably), but I do want to focus on that very critical area.
Think about the times in your own experience when you ask for advice. It could be which car to buy, which dealer to select, what color to wear, what class to take, etc., but we all seem to be sort of sponges soaking up input from just about anybody that we bump into along our way.
It may seem to be harmless to ask for advice on the personal choices of our lives. We may want to seek counsel on career objectives from a variety of sources, including Christian vocational counselors. But when it comes to the area of our spiritual life, it is dangerous to get advice from the wrong sources.
We have people today who may be Christians, but who are not giving sound Christian counsel. We have Christian counselors who give counsel based upon worldly wisdom rather than the sure and certain foundation of the Word of God. They are Christian counselors but not giving Christian counsel.
I have been fascinated by a passage of Scripture in II Chronicles chapter 18. It is too long to type it all out for you. Please take the time to get your Bible and look up and read that entire chapter. Three main characters are presented here: Ahab (king of the northern kingdom - Israel), Jehoshaphat (king of the southern kingdom - Judah), and Micaiah, the faithful prophet of the Lord. Let me give you the condensed version of the story.
Ahab was the wicked king of the northern kingdom; his wife, Jezebel, was known for her wickedness and the one who had tried to kill Elijah. She and Ahab had a daughter named Athalia. Jezebel died but the wickedness continued.
Jehoshaphat was the righteous king of the southern kingdom. He had a son named Jehoram that he married to Ahab’s daughter. We have no idea why this first conciliation between the two kingdoms should join righteousness and wickedness. Jehoshaphat went to Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, to visit Ahab. Ahab wanted Jehoshaphat to join him in fighting the Syrians to retake a town, Ramoth Gilead.
Are you still with me? Aren’t you glad this is the condensed version?
Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet of the Lord that would let them know what God’s will was in the matter. Ahab had killed almost all the prophets of the Lord and replaced them with pagan prophets who would tell him what he wanted to hear. Four hundred of these false prophets said that they should go into battle and victory would be theirs.
Jehoshaphat was still insistent that the Lord be heard in the matter. It was only then that Ahab admitted that there was still one prophet of the Lord, but he hated him because he always prophesied bad things. After prompting, Micaiah prophesied that he saw all of Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd.
You will have to read the chapter to see what happens!! (That is what we call salting the oats).
If the people you seek counsel from do not give you Godly counsel, reject it. If they do not go to the Lord in prayer and ask for Divine wisdom in giving you Godly counsel—run, don’t walk. Get with someone who knows the God of the Bible and will take you by the hand and say to you about your situation: “Thus saith the Lord!”
In this day of fouled up morality and value systems, we need the unchangeable, unalterable Word of God to be our guide for life.
Let me pray for you. “Father in heaven, I come to You in behalf of the person who is reading this right now. They feel alone and in need of Your touch in their life. Show them in some special way that you know all about the problem and if they will just trust themselves to Your care, You will care for them. Lord, please let them know that the answer they see is not just a coincidence, but Your tender touch. In Jesus Name I pray this. Amen!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
- - - Pastor Cecil