PASTOR BOLA BELLO
[biblegateway passage=”PROVERBS 1:25″ display=”PROVERBS 1:25″];[biblegateway passage=” PROVERBS 20:5″ display=” PROVERBS 20:5″]; [biblegateway passage=”1 KINGS 22:5″ display=”1 KINGS 22:5″]
Counsel is instruction, advice or opinion from someone with experience on the subject matter under consideration. The counsel of God emanates from the council of heaven. Counsel determines the quality of decision we make. God wanted man in His own image in the beginning. In spite of man’s fall, the counsel has not changed and that is why Jesus was sent to model His image. God’s counsels are sure because He is Omnipotent.
The Gifts of the Word of Knowledge and the Word of Wisdom can serve to give us counsel in the local assembly. Experience also helps a great deal in that regard. As a New Testament people, we have access to the Holy Spirit who is our standby and help whenever we need counsel.
The word of God helps to correct and reprove us thereby putting us on the right track. The Spirit of Counsel is very crucial in all that we do so that we will not stray. It takes understanding to draw counsel from the human heart.
[biblegateway passage=”2 SAMUEL 16:20-34″ display=”2 SAMUEL 16:20-34″]; [biblegateway passage=”ISAIAH 6:9″ display=”ISAIAH 6:9″]; [biblegateway passage=”EXODUS 18:19″ display=”EXODUS 18:19″]
The Counsel of Ahithophel was highly respected in his days. However, at some point he gave Absalom an ungodly counsel in order to spite David. In the same vein, we must always be careful to judge prophetic words no matter how credible the so called prophet is. Any counsel that is not scriptural should be rejected like a plague. In the face of tough decisions, helpful counsels come in very handy. We must be sure we get our counsels from the right sources so that we will be well-guided because we can have true and dark counsels. True counsels can come from God and godly men. Dark counsels come from human and devilish wisdom.
[biblegateway passage=”1 CORINTHIANS 2:16″ display=”1 CORINTHIANS 2:16″]; [biblegateway passage=”1 SAMUEL 14:37″ display=”1 SAMUEL 14:37″]; [biblegateway passage=”PROVERBS 1:30″ display=”PROVERBS 1:30″]
We can decipher God’s counsel because we have the mind of Christ. That mind constantly grants us access to Divine counsels and ways. The mind of Christ helps us to come into consonance with the will of God. When we take wrong counsels we get into trouble. We must learn to tread softly when it seems God is not responding to our prayers. We need a lot of patience in such situations. In seeking counsel, we might need several layers of clarification so patience is imperative. When we pray, we must learn to wait for the answer.
Counsel can come by the way of reproof. That means we must learn to receive counsel in good faith. We must not be a people who see reproof as attack; that attitude will not help us progress in the things of God. In the course of history, people have either been raised or destroyed as a result of counsel. We must be able to recognize both good and bad counsels so that we can be properly instructed. The ability to get the right counsel is a great asset. Being able to give the right counsel is something we should earnestly covet. People should be blessed getting counsel from us.
We must learn to take counsel from people who can be objective. We must be able to recognize correct sources of counsel no matter how unlikely they may seem. Counsels are always there for us but we must always be able to get and appropriate them.