The Source of Good Counsel - Martin Wiles

The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. Psalm 37:30 NLT

At some point during their lifetime, everyone needs counseling.

I’ve received counseling and in my official capacity have given it as well. I once walked through a trial I’d never faced before. I’d helped others walk through a similar circumstance, but I’d never been there myself. Depression became my companion, each day darker than the next. My profession and my future were in jeopardy. I consulted a Christian friend who was trained as a counselor. After a few sessions, I felt better. The effects of the trial were still ahead of me, but I felt I could now face them without caving in.

Others who have faced a similar trial as mine have sought out counsel from me. Knowing I’ve had training and knowing I’ve walked a similar path made it easier for them to approach me. Having been where they are made it easier for me to have compassion for how they were feeling. Receiving godly counsel from God’s Word and Christian friends equipped me to assist them.

While I’ve known some Christians who didn’t give godly counsel, the opposite should be true, as the psalmist maintains. Good counsel should come from godly people.

Godly counsel should distinguish between right and wrong because it is based on God’s Word which teaches right and wrong. To give good counsel, I need to know God’s Word. Otherwise, my counsel may be merely what I think is best or what I’ve read from other sources who claim authority.

Godly counsel comes from life experiences. I’ve not always responded correctly to life’s experiences. While I make a concentrated effort to respond in a godly fashion, I sometimes miss the mark. I learn from mistakes; I also share what I’ve learned from my errors.

As a servant of Christ, I’m to be a channel of what God has taught me through His counsel and from the godly counsel of others. If I only use it to benefit me, I’m just using it partially when God wants me to use it fully. I want others to experience the same victory I’ve experienced.

God doesn’t want us to waste the lessons we learn from the trials of life. Nor does He want us to be stingy with the godly counsel we receive from others.

Ask God for opportunities to share what He has taught you through the trials of life.

Tweetable: Turn to the right place for counsel. 

Prayer: Father, we thank You for the godly counsel we’ve received that has helped us make it through the trials of life. 

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