Good Morning Family,
I hope everyone is doing good this fine Tuesday. I am happy to be able to share with you what God has placed on my heart today. Yesterday, I mentioned that last week was a spiritual struggle for me. Friends and family are always there to give you advice and to encourage you, but it is important to note who has your ear.
As you probably have already experienced, there are a slew of people out there ready to give you their opinion and advise you on what you should do in certain situations. It is very important that you pay close attention to whom you listen and not believe every person who has an opinion (see 1 John 4:1). You see, there are just some individuals who are not qualified to give you advice on certain situations. Again this may seem obvious, but when you have problems on all four corners we tend to want an emergency rope thrown to us from any where.
So what qualifies a person as an advice giver? That's easy. Someone who has experienced what you are going through or who is on your spiritual maturity level! Sounds simple enough, right? Like I said, we can let some of the craziest folks give us some wacky advice. Here's an example. If I want to learn how to be a carpenter, I do not go to a chef for advice on how to build furniture (unless for some strange reason that chef is experienced in carpentry). That just would not work. Or how about when you ask for directions in a strange place? If I stop at a gas station to ask for directions, if the person looks like they aren't sure, chances are you need to ask someone else for directions. If they have not ventured to that part of town, then they probably cannot get you to your destination.
My last example is from the perspective of being married. I am happily married to my wife and I would like to boast in the name of Jesus that we have a great marriage :-) (hey if you're happy, you're happy). Granted we have a great relationship, there are still times when we have to call on the advisement of others. The biggest mistake that a married couple could make is calling on the help of someone who is not married. It does not matter if it is a Doctor with a PhD in marriage counseling. Unless that Doctor is married and can know first hand what you are experiencing they can only give you theoretical knowledge and hypothetical advice of what they have learned. Your best solution would be to talk to a married friend, couple, etc. who has been where you are.
The same thing applies to your spiritual walk as well. We grow spiritually by talking to those who can minister and mentor to our souls. You need to be very careful to what you let influence you because the very thing that sounds good may not be good for you. Know the direction from which your advice comes so that you are positive about the direction you are going.
Be easy folks and have a good one.
Regards,
Antoine E. Hall
Blog: http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall
"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33
I hope everyone is doing good this fine Tuesday. I am happy to be able to share with you what God has placed on my heart today. Yesterday, I mentioned that last week was a spiritual struggle for me. Friends and family are always there to give you advice and to encourage you, but it is important to note who has your ear.
As you probably have already experienced, there are a slew of people out there ready to give you their opinion and advise you on what you should do in certain situations. It is very important that you pay close attention to whom you listen and not believe every person who has an opinion (see 1 John 4:1). You see, there are just some individuals who are not qualified to give you advice on certain situations. Again this may seem obvious, but when you have problems on all four corners we tend to want an emergency rope thrown to us from any where.
So what qualifies a person as an advice giver? That's easy. Someone who has experienced what you are going through or who is on your spiritual maturity level! Sounds simple enough, right? Like I said, we can let some of the craziest folks give us some wacky advice. Here's an example. If I want to learn how to be a carpenter, I do not go to a chef for advice on how to build furniture (unless for some strange reason that chef is experienced in carpentry). That just would not work. Or how about when you ask for directions in a strange place? If I stop at a gas station to ask for directions, if the person looks like they aren't sure, chances are you need to ask someone else for directions. If they have not ventured to that part of town, then they probably cannot get you to your destination.
My last example is from the perspective of being married. I am happily married to my wife and I would like to boast in the name of Jesus that we have a great marriage :-) (hey if you're happy, you're happy). Granted we have a great relationship, there are still times when we have to call on the advisement of others. The biggest mistake that a married couple could make is calling on the help of someone who is not married. It does not matter if it is a Doctor with a PhD in marriage counseling. Unless that Doctor is married and can know first hand what you are experiencing they can only give you theoretical knowledge and hypothetical advice of what they have learned. Your best solution would be to talk to a married friend, couple, etc. who has been where you are.
The same thing applies to your spiritual walk as well. We grow spiritually by talking to those who can minister and mentor to our souls. You need to be very careful to what you let influence you because the very thing that sounds good may not be good for you. Know the direction from which your advice comes so that you are positive about the direction you are going.
Be easy folks and have a good one.
Regards,
Antoine E. Hall
Blog: http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall
"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33
