Counsel and Guidance

Counsel and Guidance

For Those Seeking Counsel and Guidance

You must not follow the counsel and guidance of just anyone, because you will become like the person whose counsel or guidance you follow. You must not accept another’s counsel—another’s food—other than that which has profited the person giving the counsel. Heb. 13:9. In other words, accept counsel and guidance only from those who live the kind of life that you yourself would like to live. Only from such people should you accept counsel and guidance. Therefore the apostle says, “Note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.” You cannot learn to walk on the way of wisdom from fools, nor can you learn to walk on the way of meek-ness from angry and impetuous people, nor can you learn to walk on the way of humility from those who thrive on dominating and ruling over others.

When the Scriptures exhort us to obey our leaders (Heb. 13:17), that implies obedience to true leaders whose lives give us a desire to be like them. It is obedience to those who can say as it is written in Philippians 3:17 and 2 Timothy 3:14.

However, you must be on the alert and test every word and every thought, even with regards to such people. As it is written, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.” 1 Cor. 14:29.

Even if they have been a very great blessing and help to you, even if they are the ones who have given birth to you and have guided you into all of the blessing you have experienced so far—even then you have no divine guarantee that these people will always continue in the same good development. And even if they do not go completely off course, they can to a certain extent be deceived and go off course because they have—like everyone else—the law of sin in their members: seeking their own advantage and their own honor.

If it concerns points that conflict with the light that has been revealed to you, or if it violates your conscience, it is vital to be as immovable as the anvil is to the hammer. Then this scripture is applic-able, “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” 1 Cor. 7:23.

Since Paul says, “They all seek their own,” we must be aware that this possibility is always present—if not in the extreme, at least to some degree. There is also a very significant ex-pression in Galatians 6:13: “That they may glory in your flesh.”

But, if you are counseled and led in a way that encourages your own growth and development in understanding and doing the will of God—true personal freedom and the least possible dependence on others for guidance and direction—then you are being led in the right way, a beneficial and good way. You are being led to a true, good, and blessed freedom! Such counsel you should follow.

For Those Giving Counsel And Guidance

The main guideline for those giving counsel is to encourage the person being counseled to act according to his own free will so that he makes the decsions himself according to God’s will. He must be allowed to live his own life and to develop in discerning the will of God for himself. If the one giving counsel makes the decision for the person seeking counsel, then he is actually living the person’s life for him, just like the mother-in-law who makes the decisions in her daughter-in-law’s home. Then the free will and life of the one receiving counsel are crushed. Spiritually speaking, a murder is committed! The result is the very opposite of what was intended. The idea was to lead them to life! This is a brutal and violent act! Tit. 1:7. It is a result of the lust to dominate and rule over others! That it is done unintentionally does not change the facts; it only lessens the severity of the judgment.

A servant of the Lord must not dominate or lord it over the church. 2 Cor. 1:24; 1 Pet. 5:3; Mark 10:42-43; 3 John 9-10. He must be careful to avoid making decisions for anyone, but rather just aid others in making good and wise decisions and encourage them to act on those decisions.

Let us take this to heart so that we do not commit an injustice against anyone; that we do not violate anyone’s personal freedom and ruin their lives, or violently force our way into another person’s house and life—that is, into their free will. Take care not to intimidate or dominate anyone, either knowingly or unknowingly. Note carefully what is written in 2 Corinthians 7:1 and also the last line of verse nine in the same chapter.

Only in a case where the results of a person’s decision are clearly going to be extremely harmful should you intervene and be forceful in giving counsel and direction.

The most delicate, most delightful, blessed, precious, exalted, honorable, valuable, most desirable, aromatic, and fragrant experience in life is to come to perfection in this matter—namely, that we in freedom make decisions according to the counsel of our own hearts and are able to carry out those decisions by the grace that God gives, when we are in a state to receive that grace. We all want this for ourselves, and the way we like to be treated certainly ought to be the way we treat others.

May we all be diligent in our ministry to other souls to be found living in accordance with these principles. May God in His mercy and grace give each one this noble attitude of mind and a correspondingly noble conduct.