Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. (Proverbs 15:22)
Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers. (Proverbs 24:6)
This week we will complete our reviews of the three remaining Disciplines covered by our study: Counsel, Creation and Sabbath. We will examine how they relate to our theme: A World in Need. We start today with the Discipline of Counsel.
A few days ago, one of our commentators made a very potent statement about the pervasiveness of individualism in society. We have been socialized to glorify self-reliance. To provide Christian help to a world in need though, we need more community behaviour and less lone wolf behaviour. A key aspect of living in community is seeking and giving counsel. For example, I have benefited tremendously from counsel many of you have posted on our blog over the last few weeks. That should be no surprise though, because God wants us to benefit from community (e.g., we form one body – Romans 12:4 – 5).
Please prayerfully read the passages above and consider the question below.
Question
How do we guard against individualism robbing us and ultimately the world of the rich benefits of seeking Christ-centered counsel?
March 30, 2020 at 1:37 pm
Some of us have very strong ideas on certain subjects either inherited, pushed into our heads by family, teachers in school, church or by governments. We may be fearful to voice or act differently on many subjects but sometimes one gets the path lit to follow strongly in one particular direction without prior thought or plan.
We may divert at times but when totally flumoxed, have no fear Our Lord will intervene to lead. Believe. Ask. I pray for the Unfound.
March 30, 2020 at 5:29 pm
Some people think that seeking counsel is equivalent to “airing dirty laundry”. It is very hard for some people to seek advice, especially if they think their situation is a personal or embarrassing one. As a matter of fact, many Christians pray to God asking for guidance, and continue to wait for that guidance without ever thinking the guidance can come from someone else such as a pastor, parent, or other Christian.
I think we end up missing out and benefitting from sound, Godly advice if we think that way. If we seek counsel, the person we have turned to, if they are a child of God, will typically pray with us and for us. Chances are, we would heed their advice and get the advice/answer we need.
When our prayer or situation is resolved, we are likely to be grateful to the person we turned to, as well as ultimately give God praise for helping us. If someone comes to us for advice, we are likely to follow the same steps. We will get the opportunity to teach/demonstrate to them by our testimony how God worked in our life and how He can work in theirs.
If we heed Godly advice, we win. If the people we share our Godly counsel with heed our advice, they win. We shouldn’t hesitate to seek as well as offer Godly counsel, just as much as we should encourage others to seek it. Ourselves as well as the people who may come to us seeking advice, will definitely benefit.
March 30, 2020 at 7:21 pm
Frankly I am at the point where it is so difficult to try and teach a non believer anything.
Seems the devil working very hard these days.
With the lockdown I am experiencing my non believer new roommate that compromise and sharing and respect etc important to get thru this time.
Try to say at least pray but being told that is not her thing.
Pray for me even though I don’t know any of you except Norman and I believe Toni but not sure.
So practise what you preach and pray I survive this situation with a non believer 24/7.
Thanks in advance.
I gave her a bible.She took it but said she would read as she would a storybook.
March 31, 2020 at 2:15 am
Hi Yasmin – I did pray for you and will continue to do so. I prayed that you would do much better than just survive the situation that you are in. I prayed that you would find contentment and joy in the situation God has placed you in. Sometimes the best we can do with those God has placed in our sphere of influence is to simply pray for them, show them acts of Love, demonstrate the peace that God is providing in your life and wait on God to provide the opportunities for the “right” conversations. Thank you so much for consistently blessing us with your honest contributions!
March 31, 2020 at 5:53 pm
Thanks for replying.
It means a lot as I find sometimes we don’t interact but just talk just like one of the previous lessons talked about.
Sometimes people like to hear themselves 😂😂
March 30, 2020 at 8:56 pm
Seeking counsel from my pastor or sister in Christ who belong in my fellowship and bible study group ,helps me find sources of encouragement to face challenges at hand. I trust these people/ friends of mine, and I know that whatever I share with them will remain confidential. Asking advice from my Christian friends or from my pastor will also help them
know how to pray for me or for the situation/ issues. Often times, as I pray to the Lord, I always get an indication as to who should I ask for counsel from among the friends or church family/ support group members I have. For me, it is always good to hear what these people have to say ( of course these friends have same values and faith with me), and then weigh it later,, analyze and bring it to the Lord whatever advices they come up with, because at the end of the day, the Lord ‘s plan and guidance will still the one to prevail. Sometimes when I looked back, it amazes me that the Lord allowed me to seek counsel from a specific person and I do believe it happened because God used that individual for me to grow in my faith.
March 31, 2020 at 12:56 am
I think we can guard against individualism by first heeding the biblical teachings that urge us not to lean on our own understanding. God knows we are fallible and our way of seeing things is often faulty. But there is strength in numbers. That’s why seeking Godly counsel is important to living an impactful Christ centered life.
That being said the best advice I’ve heard is to take the matter to God first before you take it to anyone else. It is important to do this because people dont fully understand your circumstances, your make up or what you are capable of. As well meaning as some advice might be, that advice could be dead wrong yor you. So take it to Almighty God first.
March 31, 2020 at 4:13 am
I found that for me it starts with knowing what my natural tendency is; knowing what is my natural bent. I tend to want to try and figure things out myself. Knowing this and knowing that this is not the best, I have to repeatedly discipline myself to reach out to others. It requires a willingness to become vulnerable and honest about my needs. This is a constant battle but God will surround you with trustworthy and caring brothers and sisters. You need to learn to reach out and when/if then reach out, be honest to say I need some help in this area, what do you think.