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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Advice from the Wrong Place - Martin Wiles

Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do. 1 Samuel 28:7 NLT

My wife and I once faced a situation where we needed to escape, but we had no means to merely pick up and leave. Nor did we have anything to leave for. The longer we stayed, the worse things got, and the more debt we accumulated.

I decided to consult my middle brother since he had a business degree and was always level-headed with financial decisions. I gave him the scoop, the prognosis, and the question. He suggested a few “outs,” but I’d already tried them. None had worked. However, our conversation did set the wheels in motion, and we eventually made a clean break.

King Saul’s repeated disobedience shortly after God appointed him king resulted in the mantel passing to young David. Saul’s archenemies, the Philistines, had gathered for battle. He was afraid. His guidance counselor, the prophet Samuel, was dead. Who could he get advice from? He decided to visit what he had banned in the kingdom: a medium.

Advice of all varieties abounds—it always has, but now it’s more prevalent. I can find out anything I want to know through my smartphone, iPad, or computer. The roles of parents, grandparents, schoolteachers, Sunday school teachers, and pastors have all been affected.

Although the number of sources—and the sources themselves—from which advice can be obtained has changed, the importance of getting sound advice has not. Advice from others is beneficial when making decisions, especially major ones.

Our ultimate Source should be God. He advises prayer and meditation. God will speak to our spirit if we take the time to listen and not do all the talking. Trusted Christian friends who are spiritually mature are also good sources. We can trust that their advice will be based on God’s Word. Books written by respected Christian leaders and consultations with sound spiritual counselors are further places for appropriate advice. And when both are on the same spiritual journey, spouses should certainly be consulted.

God didn’t create us to be alone. When you need assistance, go to God first, and then find a trusted source who will give you honest and wise advice.

Father, guide me to you and a sound source when I need life advice. 

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Advice from the Wrong Source - Martin Wiles

They ask a piece of wood for advice! They think a stick can tell them the future! Hosea 4:12 NLT

Advice is prevalent, but advice from the wrong source is easy to come by.

I once worked for a demanding boss. She was manipulative, moody, deceptive, and sometimes downright mean. Soon after beginning this job, I wondered if I’d made the right decision. I didn’t ask for advice from anyone about what I should do. Had I, I might have heard, “Tell her to take the job and shove it.” Or, “You have a family to take care of. Sometimes we have to do what we don’t particularly enjoy.” In the final analysis, I took the advice God gave me through prayer and stayed put for five years.

Hosea prophesied to hardheaded people who were faithless, unkind, sexually immoral, criminal, violent, alcoholic, and buck-passers. The saddest thing was that when they needed advice, they asked their wooden idols. God, they disregarded. 

Good advice is scarce. I can go to a bookstore and find advice everywhere on any question I have. Or I can pick up my smartphone, computer, or iPad and ask Google. I could also go to the nearest bar where the bartender would be more than happy to offer his opinion or to the local barbershop where I could get the same.

Many of the places I could seek advice from would be no better than the piece of wood Hosea’s audience consulted. If it’s a book I consult, it should offer sound Christian doctrine or at the very least be based on biblical principles. If it’s a website, I should read the About section. And if it’s a person I consult, they should be a mature Christian with life experiences and knowledge.

But the best advice doesn’t come from wood sources but by praying and searching God’s Word. Others may lead us astray—inadvertently or on purpose, but God never will. What he says in his Word—or through other godly sources—can always be trusted.

Don’t get your advice from the wrong source. Go to God.

Prayer: Father, we thank You that the advice You give will always be just what we need. 

Tweetable: From what sources do you seek advice? 

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Good Advice - Martin Wiles

Love the LORD your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul. Joshua 22:5 NLT

His advice was always good, but I wasn’t always good at taking it.

My grandfather was wise. I remember the time I owned a Chevrolet Corsica. After two years of payments, I noticed the transmission slipping. The final straw was when I parked at McDonald's in a downhill-facing parking space and couldn’t back out, even though I had the accelerator pressed to the floor. It finally moved. 

I stopped by my grandparents and told them the story. Knowing how much a transmission—even a rebuilt one—cost, I informed them I planned to trade the car in. My grandfather, wise man that he was, said, “But you can pay for the transmission with one car payment.” I wish I had listened to him. He was right. I traded the car anyway and with the trade inherited another four years of payments. Wise advice I failed to listen to. 

Joshua gave the eastern tribes of Israel some wise advice also. They had kept their promises and helped their kinsmen take the Promised Land. Now they wanted to return to their families and their land on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Before letting them go, Joshua offered them advice—advice that’s pertinent regardless of the situation or time period.

Loving God seems easy enough, but things seem to get in the way. Jesus reinforced Joshua’s advice by adding “with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” This takes Joshua’s advice to another level and means I have to monitor my decisions and choices. 

Other things vie for my attention—and not necessarily sinful things, but things that can become sinful in a hurry if I’m not careful. God first, others second, and me last isn’t an easy list to keep in order unless I maintain a constant watch over it. 

Nor is walking in God’s ways and obeying His commands. Another piece of wise advice. Doing these two things leads to life at its best. But again, something we’re incapable of without divine assistance, which God gives in the person of His Holy Spirit. He’s our inner guide and energizer for obedience.  

Holding firmly to God and serving Him with our entire being completes Joshua’s advice. God gave us His all in Christ, and we should give Him no less than ours in return. He deserves it. 

Of all the bad advice you may hear, take Joshua’s good advice.

Tweetable: What type of advice are you listening to?

Prayer: Father, You fill Your Word with good advice. Give us the faith to take it and live our lives by it.

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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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Advice from the Wrong Source - 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 on my Chevrolet Corsica began slipping. These were the days when cars themselves were constructed better but the engines weren’t. When the odometer reached 75K to 100K, it was time to trade. Mine was at 60K. But the prices on 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. This 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. (This was in a time period when you could actually afford a four-year payment plan.)

Although I went to a reputable source, I didn’t take his advice. I traded a good car that could have been 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 about going to the wrong sources for advice. Instead of going to a living God, they were checking 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 isn’t 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 I can’t visit Him in person or hear Him audibly, I can know the mind of Christ. 

God is my 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 right sources when you need advice. 

Prayer: Father, guide us to the proper sources when we have decisions to make.

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Stopping for Directions - Martin Wiles

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. Psalm 143:8 NLT

Stopping for directions sometimes took a great deal of courage. 

In the days before GPS systems, smart phones, and Siri, finding an unfamiliar location could be challenging. Filling stations offered maps to travelers. Each state map had an inset of the largest cities and showed most of the downtown area’s street names. If you were looking for county roads, you were out of luck. No 911 system had been established. In the country, you were assigned a route and box number—which wasn’t displayed anywhere. 

Asking for directions before the technology boom was a common thing—at least for women. I often sent my wife into a store or filling station for directions—but rarely did I go in. Nor were other men likely to stop. Pride was my issue—and probably theirs. To enter a store and ask for directions was unmanly. I’ve been guilty of riding around for 30 minutes—wasting precious fuel in the process, rather than admit I didn’t know how to get where I needed to go. 

Though the psalmist didn’t have any wheels, he wasn’t afraid to admit his need for God’s direction. He got lost often on his journeys, and he knew only God could point him in the right direction. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and let Him guide your paths was his motto.

Pride will cause many missteps in life, and getting directions from God is one of them. If I think I have it all figured out, there’s no need to consult God to see if I really do. Chances are I don’t and will find myself driving around in circles, making the same wrong turns. 

Fear of what others will think will also keep me driving when I should stop for directions. What will the convenience store owner think if I—a man, stop for directions. Really, it shouldn’t matter. Some will always think I’m foolish for following what I’m convinced is God’s will…and when I’m continually praying about every detail in my life. 

Rather than being foolish, stopping for directions is the smartest thing to do. It saves time and fuel. It also saves from sinful detours and foolish decisions. 

Are you getting directions from God on a regular basis?

Prayer: Father, give us courage to consult You on every life journey we take. 

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Advice from the Wrong Place - Martin Wiles

Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do. 1 Samuel 28:7 NLT

My wife and I were in a situation we needed to get out from under, but we had no means to merely pick up and leave. Nor did we have anything to leave for. The longer we stayed, the worse things were getting and the more debt we were accumulating.

Since my brother graduated with a business degree and had always been very level headed with financial decisions, I decided to consult him. On one of our visits home, I pulled him aside, gave him the scoop on our situation, gave him the prognosis, and then asked him what he’d do. He suggested a few “outs,” but I’d already tried them and none had worked. The conversation, however, did set the wheels in motion, and we were able to make a clean break. 

King Saul’s repeated disobedience shortly after God appointed him king resulted in the mantel passing to young David. Saul’s arch enemies, the Philistines, had gathered for battle. He was afraid. His guidance counselor, the prophet Samuel, was dead. Who could he get advice from? He decided to visit what he had banned: a medium. 

Advice of all varieties abounds. It always has, but now it’s more prevalent. Through my Smart phone, IPad, or computer, I can find out anything I want to know. Parent, grandparent, school teacher, Sunday School teacher, and pastor’s roles have all been affected. 

Though the number of sources—and the sources themselves, where advice can be obtained has changed, the importance of getting sound advice has not. Advice from others is beneficial when making decisions—especially major ones. 

Our ultimate Source should be God through the practice of prayer and meditation. God will speak to our Spirit if we take time to listen and not do all the talking. Trusted Christian friends who are spiritually mature are also good sources. We can trust their advice will be based on what God’s Word says. Books written by respected Christian leaders and consultations with sound spiritual counselors are other places for appropriate advice. And when both are on the same spiritual journey, spouses should 
certainly be consulted. 

God didn’t create us to be alone. When you need assistance, go to Him first, and then find a trusted source who will give you honest and wise advice. 

Prayer: Father, guide us to You and a sound source when we need life advice. 

Looking for a wide selection of genres in Christian books at discount prices? Use coupon MWiles for 20% off. Click here to see selections.  

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Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

Hearing God’s Will

“I think you should be a preacher,” a fellow parishioner kindly remarked. But how would he know? 

I heard the same thing from God when I was about twelve years old, but years of running had clouded his voice. After all, can a middle schooler really discern God’s plan? When a co-worker made the same statement, I began to wonder if God was telling others what I wasn’t hearing. After all, this particular person didn’t know my present situation or past history. Eventually, I determined they were right, but had I not listened I may have missed God’s plan. Read more...

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