Three Ways Biblical Counsel Helps
Do you have a map for your life? Do you know where you are headed, why, and what the destination will be? Are you certain that your present decisions will actually lead you to the intended destination?
It’s amazing how few people view life with the end in mind. We sometimes fail to connect our present decisions and direction with their ultimate outcomes. So often, the outcomes are not what we intended, but after decisions are made, we are forced to live with the results.
The best way to reach your ultimate destination is to study the road-map and take the correct course. Life is no different. So, back to the original question— what is your map for life?
The fact is, there’s no better life-map than the Bible. It is God’s gift to the human race—a guidebook for life. In the Bible, God gives thousands of principles and laws for navigating through life successfully. It’s His instruction manual for how life is designed to work. The more you understand it and apply it, the better you are at discovering your true identity and your life’s calling or purpose. And apart from the Bible, we’re all destined to wind up disappointed and empty—still longing for real purpose and significance.
Here’s one really good example of a life principle from God’s Word: Get good advice for every major decision. Proverbs 11:14 states, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”
Now, a lot of people break this law and live to regret it. In other words, we don’t want advice.
Sometimes we fear that a counselor will have a private agenda and won’t counsel us honestly. At other times, we presume to know what our counselors will say, and we rationalize it away without even talking to them. But most often, we don’t get advice because we would rather not hear what we already know. Self-deception is a scary thing. We would rather be wrong and fantasize that things will work out, than really build a good decision with plenty of outside, biblical advice.
To our benefit, God instructs us to bring in godly, biblical counsel for our decisions. But I find that many people sell short good counsel. They don’t fully appreciate the value of good godly advice. There are three huge dynamics in play when getting counsel. It’s not merely about getting a “yes” or “no” on a particular decision. It’s bigger than that, so let’s break it down:
1. Biblical counsel helps define a right decision.This is the first and perhaps biggest aspect of getting advice—just determining whether or not a decision is right. I would never make a major decision in life without a team of God-fearing people standing behind me saying, “Yes, that’s the right move!” It’s not about being unduly dependent upon others to make my decisions; it’s about having confirmation from the collective wisdom of successful people. It’s about finding someone who has taken this journey successfully and borrowing his map!
2. Biblical counsel helps to define the right process.We often miss this. It’s very easy to do the right thing the wrong way! Getting biblical advice is a great way to put a plan together. It’s not enough just to do the right thing—it needs to be done the right way. A team of wise biblical advisors will help craft a plan of attack that will give the right decision with the right process.
3. Biblical counsel helps to define the right timing.Finally, it’s possible to do the right thing the right way, but at the wrong time! For instance, a person might have found the right spouse and have a good plan for marriage, but the timing can be way off. Getting counsel is sometimes about waiting for God to show you His plan and timing. There are few things worse than forcing our own way too quickly. If this principle helps you, the good news is there are thousands more waiting to be discovered and applied to your life. They’re all in the Bible, and a good church family, Bible study class, and a godly pastor can help you begin the process of discovery!
