Today’s Devotion
Topic: Wayward Advice (Part 3)
Text: Acts 4: 19
But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.” Amen
For the past few days, we have been looking into how some men, including those spoken to by God, have disobeyed and heeded the advice of men which eventually led to their death. Job however was exceptional in dealing with the advice from his wife who had told him “curse your God and die”. What actually helped Job to resist this bad advice? To be able to discern and resist such bad advice, one needs to note the following:
1. Identify God’s spoken Word concerning your life. You see, Jehovah is willing to let you know if only you would pay attention to Him. Psalm. 25:14 says “the LORD confides in those who fear Him; He makes his covenant known to them.” When you connect with the Holy Spirit through prayer and the study of His Word, He reveals the plan of God to you and helps you to view your circumstance from the perspective of God. By this, you are able to identify and reject any word that is contrary.
2. We need to WATCH while we pray (Mat 26: 41). Matthew 7: 20 explains that ‘by their fruits we will know them’. If our advisors bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit we will know, if they preach one thing and practice another too, it will be obvious. By WATCHING, you can discern what is of God and what is not.
3. Like the church in Berea (Acts 17: 11), we must cultivate the habit of cross-checking every word or counsel we receive with the written Word of God (Bible). For without this Word, nothing was made that is made. The counsel and prophecies of God do not exist in a vacuum. They must always have their base from the bible.
4. By all means, seek advice from godly counsellors. But there are times that you really must talk to God for yourself and learn the art of hearing His voice for yourself too. Normally we tend to have itchy ears and so we are eager to receive any counsel and believe them without question. God always speaks to us but we obviously are not always properly positioned to hear Him. David as a king always inquired from the Lord (1 Sam 30: 8).
It is really better to obey God than men! Meditate on this and begin to pray now that God may open the eyes of your understanding to perceive every wayward advice, no matter the angle it comes from.
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