Taking Advice from the Wrong Sources - Martin Wiles

Someone may say to you, “Let’s ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.” But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Isaiah 8:19 NLT

To buy or not to buy, that was the question.

I was three years in on a four-year car mortgage when the transmission began slipping. These were the days when manufacturers built more sturdy outer shells for vehicles, but not engines. When the odometer reached 75,000 to 100,000 miles, it was time to trade. Mine was at 60,000. But the prices of cars had also risen over the last three years.

So I turned to my paternal grandfather. After all, he had grown up on the tail end of the Great Depression and was familiar with “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” He’d never owned a new car but had been particular when buying used ones.

“You can get your car fixed for the price of one car payment,” he said.

Sounded good, but I was getting the itch to trade cars anyway. A faulty transmission seemed like a good excuse.

“If you trade, you’re going to have four more years of payments,” he continued.”

I had thought of that too. At the time, someone could actually afford a four-year payment loan.

Although I consulted a reputable source, I didn’t follow his advice. I traded a good car that mechanics could have repaired for a modest price for four more years of higher payments. I regretted it later, but couldn’t undo my decision.

Isaiah warned his listeners against seeking advice from the wrong sources. Instead of going to a living God, they checked with mediums who supposedly consulted the dead for advice. Their actions were ludicrous—as were mine when I turned down sound advice.

Seeing signs that read “Spiritual Advisor” once was not that unusual. I’ve never been to one, but many have. Going there would be no different than Isaiah’s peers who consulted mediums. God is the only adequate and dependable spiritual advisor. While we can’t visit him in person or hear him audibly, we can know the mind of Christ.

God is our source for sound advice, and he gives the means to discover it through his Word, prayer, mature believers, and Christian counselors. Even some secular sources, when filtered through God’s Word, have sound information for making life decisions.

Make sure you consult the appropriate sources when seeking advice.

Father, guide me to the proper sources when I have decisions to make.

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