The Best Advice

In the darkest of nights cling to the assurance that God loves you, that He always has advice for you, a path that you can tread and a solution to your problem--and you will experience that which you believe. God never disappoints anyone who places his trust in Him.  Basilea Schlink

When you need advice who do you turn to? Over the years we have all received advice from others about various things in our life.  Sometimes the advice is unsolicited and at other times we will turn to others to ask for advice.  There will be times in your life when you are going to get bad advice and others when you will get good advice.  Knowing when to accept advice and act on it is the key to moving in the right direction.

When we are the most in need of advice is when it is most important to take our time in evaluating the advice we are given.  Here are several things to consider.

Does the person giving the advice have an agenda?  By that I mean, does this person have a stake in the decision you are going to make?  Are they going to gain something by you taking their advice? 

The most important test for advice is this.  Is the advice you are receiving biblical?  Does it go against what the Bible says about what you are trying to do?  If it goes against what the Bible says then it is bad advice.

The most important thing to do when you are in need of advice is to Trust God.  The next most important thing is to search God’s Word.

One of the best stories in the Bible about advice is the story of Job.  His wife gave him the worst advice.  She asked him if he was still trying to maintain his integrity.  Her advice was for Job to “Curse God and die.”  Talk about bad advice. 

Job’s friends had good intentions but they missed the mark too.  Remember his friends advice when Job had lost everything.  Eliphaz based his advice on his own observations and claimed that Job had to be suffering because he had sin in his life.  Bildad based his advice on tradition and stated that Job was a hypocrite and Zophar based his advice on assumptions and stated that Job had to be a wicked man for him to be suffering so much.

 

If someone is giving you advice and it doesn’t strengthen your faith in God and confirm your faith, then run the other way.  Advice should point you to God not away from Him.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, help me to listen to advice with an open mind but to test it with Your Word.  Give me the wisdom to determine if it is good advice and the sense to take it when it is.  If I base my decisions on what the Bible says, then I will make the right decision in whatever challenges I face each day.  

   

Scripture: And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”  Job 42:7-8