Good Advice Versus God's Advice

Proverbs 12:15 says, “Fools think they are doing right, but the wise listen to advice.” (NCV)

How many of you can recall a time when someone gave you good advice that you did not heed and you ended up making a terrible mistake because of it? Oh yes, my hand is waving wilding in the air! Hmmm, let me count the times ...

1. Save sex for marriage.
2. Only marry the person God chooses for you.
3. Stay close to Jesus.
4. Don’t gossip or lie or____________.
5. Do not take on too much debt.
6. Eat right and exercise regularly.

I could go on and on, but I hope you get the message.

Most of us think we don’t need the advice of others when it comes to our own lives. Truth be told, Satan is eager to destroy us through the choices we make. The writer of Proverbs confirms this in Proverbs 13:14 (NIV) when he tells us:

“the teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.”

God places wise people in our lives to encourage us to make good choices, but we must first choose to listen to their advice. Reflect once more on Proverbs 12:15. The fool thinks he is doing right; he considers his own way right. Does that sound familiar?

Let’s consider that God wants us to first seek His advice about each and every situation that we encounter. It has taken me a lot of years and many bad choices to learn to go to God first with my problems and concerns. Yes, He gives us wise human counselors, but ultimately wisdom comes from Him and it is to Him that we should go first.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking, “this is a small problem…God doesn’t have time for it,” or “I can handle this one by myself,” or “God is more concerned about the big issues of the world.” Those, my friends, are lies straight out of the pit of hell. God is intimately concerned with every area of your life and He longs to give you the wisdom that you desire. If you are a parent, you know that you desire your child to come to you with whatever concerns them ... small problem or large. You want to be intimately involved in the life of your child. God is no different. He desires for us to ask Him for wisdom in all situations.

This wisdom lesson is one that sounds easy, but often difficult to put into practice. Why? Because we think we know the right answers; and we may, but we still need to listen to the advice God sends us from others. If we are God’s child headed down the wrong path with a specific decision, God will send us at least one warning. He does not want us to make poor decisions. We must put our pride aside long enough to consider the advice of God and of others in our lives.

Don’t be a fool!

Get Wisdom!

Meditation Moment: Is there an area of your life where you need to listen to God’s advice or the advice He sends through wise counselors? What is holding you back from considering the advice of others? Is it your pride? Could it be that you don’t want others to think you don’t have it all together? Are you bound and determined to do it your way? Is your way pleasing to God?