(2) To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; (3) To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; (4) To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. (5) A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: (6) To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. (7) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. - Proverbs 1:2-7In a nation where individualism and independence is pushed, it is sometimes difficult to see outside of our own thoughts and seek the advice of others. A lot of the times, we think we know everything, so it's difficult to realize when we are wrong. Thinking like this can be foolish and not wise at all.
I have the great honor of being married to a woman who is my best friend, and know that she is grounded in the Lord and open to the move of the Holy Spirit. It is great because there are times when I can get set on a path and formulate my own scenarios and get lost in my own outcomes as opposed to the will of the Lord. I am pretty sure I am not the only one who does this. In those times, God will use those to get your attention when He cannot. He will use those to relay messages, wisdom, understanding, reassurances, reminders, etc. It is this that I cherish and it is those moments we realize that we may need to change our way of thinking and be more open to His will.
Now, I am not saying go and take the advice of every Tom, Dick, and Harry on the street. That is not what I am saying. The world is not lacking in an abundance of people with an opinion. For example, you can find an abundance of books, studies, articles, etc. written by people on how to best raise children. The problem with this is when you have an author who has no kids of their own. Unless you have stayed up late nights, changed the many diapers, and have or actively raise a child on a daily basis, their opinion is nothing more than an observation. It is not based on any of their person experience as fact.
It is those opinions who you know share the same values, experiences and relationships that you value the most. In 2 Corinthians 6:14, it says to "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?". However, it doesn't stop there. Just because everyone claims to know Jesus Christ and is a Christian does not mean they are still equally yoked as you. You must be keen on testing them by the fruit they produce. Jesus tells us to "(15) Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (16) Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (17) Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." (Matthew 7:15-17).
Don't get me wrong, God can use anyone at any time to achieve His purpose, ie, some random homeless person on the street. While you may know them, they still can be used. More than likely, it is the people who are closest to you and who we surround ourselves with that we tend to listen to the most. The catch is making sure you separate fact from fiction and can identify from where their motive comes. For that, we have to know Christ's Word for ourselves so that we can test the spirit from which counsel comes.
Be Blessed Folks.
Antoine E. Hall
