Which voice should I listen to today?

Take good counsel and accept correction— that’s the way to live wisely and well. We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails. (Proverbs 19:20-21)

Queen Elizabeth II asked, "To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?" Humans turn to all kinds of things for counsel, don't we? The animals listen to the bristling of leaves, the overwhelming stillness of a moment, or the call of other wild things to alert them to danger. Some trust in the lucky rabbit's foot, or their 'lucky socks' to help them get ahead in one way or another. Others will put all their trust into what some 'medium' predicts after consulting their 'magic cards' or 'crystal ball'. It amazes me at times how easily we can get caught up in trusting these ungodly 'counselors' - believing the daily horoscope over the Word of God. Our greatest counsel is not found in any of these items or sources - it is found in the purity and wisdom of the scriptures. In fact, God repeatedly warns us NOT to even consult these other sources or put our faith in any form of 'idol'. He is the one who holds our purpose in his hands, and he is the one to orchestrate the outcomes as he sees fit.

God's purpose prevails - some may try to 'predict' the outcome, but God's plan is seldom known to the 'mediums' and the 'predictors' of the stars as they align or move into misalignment. I know I may be stepping on a few toes today, but I will not apologize. These 'methods' of predicting our daily course of action are not to be trusted, nor are they to even be consulted. God tells us to NOT consult 'omens' or 'tell fortunes' (Leviticus 19:26) From the beginning of time, humans have sought to have 'inside knowledge' - being able to know why things are happening, or what is about to happen. That has left the door wide open for those 'consulters of the spirits' to dupe many a person into 'playing with the enemy' of our souls. Be very, very careful with opening yourself up to this type of influence in your life, as you are inviting in a darkness you really don't want to have inside the temple of the living God!

While most of us don't go to the 'darker places' for our counsel, a good many of us seek counsel in the wrong places, such as trusting in the counsel of someone who is not in relationship with Jesus. I seek financial counsel from my advisors at the investment firm I deal with, but I never just trust their counsel as 'wise' or 'right'. It is counsel in an area I am not as well-versed in as they are, so I listen and ponder their counsel. I always take it to God FIRST and then make decisions on how to proceed based on HIS counsel, not theirs. There are times what they say 'rings true' in my heart and I accept it willingly. The reason in 'rings true' isn't because it 'feels good', but because I have allowed the Word of God to get into the fibers of my being and when I hear wise counsel, it 'rings true'. The wisest counsel we can seek is that of the Word of God. Trusting any other source of counsel can be dangerous if we have not taken the time to learn what God says on the matter. Just sayin!