Wise Counsel

  • Proverbs 24:6 “For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.”
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There are 3 common “permissions” I hear believers give as an excuse right before they sin.

  • #1 – “In my heart I know this is right.”
  • #2 – “I have prayed about it.”
  • #3 – “I have counseled with others.”
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Here are God’s answers to these “permissions” to sin:

  • #1 – Proverb 28:26 “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.”
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  • #2 – Prayer itself simply means “asking.” Prayer in and of itself is not guidance. God’s “word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Ps. 119:105) A believer can and should, however, pray for wisdom, and God promises in Jms. 1:5 to answer that prayer for wisdom just like He answered Solomon’s prayer for wisdom in I Kgs. 3:9-12. (Of course, God will only answer that prayer for wisdom by giving His wisdom proceeding from His mouth which can be found in His Word. God will not answer with wisdom that “descendeth not from above” which “is earthly, sensual, devilish.” [Jms. 3:15])
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  • #3 – When counseling with others, the believer is only to “make thy war” (our text) when they have sought “wise counsel.”
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Do you see how “wisdom” continues to be emphasized in God’s Word? At the same time, true “wisdom” is found only in God’s Word.

  • Psalm 19:7 “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”
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Dear reader, when you ask counsel of others, accept only God’s counsel coming from specific verses of scripture. If you are counseled to kill your baby, skip church, not pay tithe, participate in unholy activities, etc…, there are no specific verses from God’s wise Word that command those things. Only accept “wise counsel.” Beware of earthly wisdom which is also “sensual, devilish.” (Jms. 3:15) Wise counsel isn’t wise simply because it is spouted from the lips of a preacher or a politician. Wise counsel comes from the lips of God; from specific quotations of God’s Word the Bible.