Bible Reading: 1 Kings 12,13; Luke 22:1-24
“But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:” 1 Kings 12:8 (KJV)
No matter how highly placed you are or how good you are at what you do you will get to a point where you will need counsel to go on in life. Proverb 20:18 (KJV) says, “Every purpose is established by counsel, and with a good advice make war.” At this point who you decide to get counsel or advice from matters a lot, as the counsel may end up bringing shame or glory.
Amnon, David’s son, had a wrong affection for his sister, Tamar. He needed advice and so sought counsel from his friend, Jonadab. At the end of it all, the advice received from Jonadab not only brought shame to the King’s family, but also cut short the life of Amnon (2 Samuel 13:1-39).
King Rehoboam, in today’s bible reading, needed advice. He consulted with two sets of people – the old men who served his father and the young men who grew up with him. “But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:” 1 Kings 12:8 (KJV). He ended up with the advice of the young men and lost a large portion of His Kingdom. Who do you take advice from? Who do your counsellors look up to?
So many people today, especially the young ones, take counsel from the wrong people and end up in problems. But if one is truly God-centered the chances of falling into wrong counsel will be very slim. King David always asked God directly for what to do, and he always replied him. No wonder David never lost a battle. God has not changed. He is still counselling people today.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of counsel. He is the best person to counsel you on any area of life. As you put your trust in God and His Son, the Holy Spirit will automatically be your guide and counsellor in life.
Prayer: Father, thank You for counsel from Your Spirit.
Bro. Onyema Aghanenu