When we face a challenging situation, it’s natural to turn to family and close friends for help. Sometimes, the kind and encouraging words from a loved one prove to be the catalyst that turns us back to God.
It is important, however, that we carefully examine advice offered by those close to us. Their input may be genuine and motivated by love, but if a suggestion is inconsistent with God’s Word, we should politely disregard it.
In Genesis 16, Sarai urged Abram to have a child with her servant Hagar. Though this recommendation contradicted the divine promise of a son through Sarai, Abram chose to follow his wife’s advice—after waiting so many years for the fulfillment, he probably considered her suggestion reasonable. But because of the unwise decision not to trust God, Abram faced many difficult, painful trials. And today Israel is still experiencing consequences of his poor choice.
Sometimes we may seek advice that we want to hear rather than advice that we need to hear. As we consult our loved ones for help with momentous decisions, it’s important to distinguish between our fleshly desires and biblical truth. Wise counsel is always consistent with the Word of God....
[Side note:Here let me say that again, wise counsel is always consistant with the Word of God. (you know as a woman I personally was at one time in my life emotionally lead. So that is why I wanted to reapeat that statement. - it is what helped me to realize that when I operate/function out of my emotions - I am not being lead by God I am being lead by my flesh.You see emotions are not the word of God - therefore I must.. I MUST seek out God & His Word.)]
Remember Abram’s example—not all advice is necessarily good advice. The next time you seek an opinion from friends or family, take a moment to compare their input with Scripture. If there are inconsistencies, trust in the Bible and God’s willingness to carry you through any difficult situation you face.
