Godly vs Worldly Counsel....Which Will YOU Choose?

James 3:14–16, “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”

I love the instruction of James above because sometimes it can be very easy to listen to the advice of those who don't always have OUR best interest at hand! Spiritually and emotionally. There are many verses in the Word instructing us to seek wise and godly counsel and God repeats it over and over. When something is repeated over and over, He means business and we better take heed for our best interest is in HIS HANDS! Now, I'm a person who has to test things out....I have, in the past while still growing in my faith, taken a situation to a godly, solid and mature Christian who I knew would give me advice based on the Scriptures, then I took the same exact situation to someone in my life that was more worldly, not so much a practicing Christian as much as a worldly person. The advice was SHOCKINGLY different, filled with definitive contradictions and one boasting of self while the other was crediting the Lord God the Father, proven through His Word! Amazing!

Not that the one person didn't MEAN well, because in THEIR own way, their WORLDLY way, it's all they knew and so, because they cared for me, they thought it was the best advice. Contrary to scripture, based in the world's perspectives, and contrary to Jesus' instructions, but still they meant well in their mind's eye. It's obvious which advice I ultimately took and the outcome was what was best for me, spiritually and emotionally. Had I chosen to take the advice of the world, who knows how things would have turned out in that particular situation. I have no idea, but God did and the Holy Spirit led me to the one that would help me grow closer rather than grow to love the world.

The Lord Will Guide You

When we get wrapped up in the world, in it's advice, in it's contradictions, in it's promises, then we will soon become as the world is. We will think like the world, we'll act like the world, we'll guide others as the world would. We can't continue to seek worldly advice from worldly people who aren't stronger in their faith than we are and expect a GODLY, SPIRITUAL outcome! It doesn't work that way! We do, however, have a responsibility to choose to seek that godly counsel out in the first place, and in order to do that, we need to know in our SPIRITS WHO those people ARE. God will ALWAYS supply you with godly counsel, someone whom you will be able to trust, to confide in, turn to and know they will guide you in the righteous way and not use the worlds views and advice to draw you away from the Lord. Can the Lord use a worldly person to relay what He wants you to know? Yes! He can do whatever He wants, use whoever He needs to in order to give you a message. However, typical of His character is to send you godly counsel, godly friends and mentors and while He can and does use the worldly people, it's not what we are told to seek out. I believe the worldly people that He uses aren't specifically being used for the counsel as much as a message or a gesture even. Proverbs 11:14 tells us, "Where there is no counsel, the people fall but in the multitude of counselors there is safety." 

The Lord is telling us that He not only speaks to us through His inerrant Word, but also through Christian counsel, godly counsel! There are many stories and verses throughout the Bible that advise us not to reject the counsel of the Elders. When the son of Soloman, Rehoboam, came to power, the people of Israel asked "are you going to lighten our tax burden or are you going to make it harder?  If you lighten it, we'll serve you." Well Solomon's counselors, the old men, said to cooperate with the people and they'd serve him forever, but if he'd answer them roughly he was going to loose them. He rejected the counsel of his father's advisors and instead, took the counsel of the buddies that grew up with him in the palace, and he lost the kingdom. So having Godly counsel and listening to them, there's safety. In Psalms 1:1, it speaks clearly by saying, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." So then how important is finding and choosing friends carefully?

VERY! For those of you who have really entered into a true Spirit-filled, fully-surrendered walk with the Lord where He is now leading your life in the direction that He wants it to go in, one of the first things that you will find happening in your own walk and growth is that God will start to weed out the people that He doesn't want in your life and start to bring in the people that He DOES want in your life. Sometimes, that may mean you remain without friends for a short time so that you focus totally on Him and the relationship, and then there are times when it might mean that He will show you the difference of the types of friends that are chosen by our worldly flesh and desires, as opposed to the BEST that He has for you! It's happened to me more than once! I've had times in my life that I've chosen a friend instead of letting Him BRING them into my life and boy what a disaster that was! Spiritually draining and it malnourished my spirit because it was an unevenly yoked friendship! But when the Lord brings someone into my life, and yours, what a wonderful DIFFERENCE! The Bible tells us to choose our friends very carefully in this life and there is good reason for that instruction! These verses tell us that he who walks with wise people will become wise himself, but that he who keeps company with fools will be destroyed. The company of fools are the ungodly non believers and if you choose to hang with them, be prepared to spiritually become more and more like the ones of the world. 

The Bible tells us that we aren't to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, that we're to stay away from people who cause divisions and offenses, and to withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly. Now this doesn't mean, and in no way am I implying, that we are not to work with the lost, the downtrodden, and the people who need to find God and His message of eternal salvation. We are called to share that message with them, and in order to share that message and to work with the lost in finding our Lord and Savior, we must associate in some way with them. However, we are not to become friends with unbelievers forming strong bonds with them, or anyone who remains in the "world." It's a dangerous slippery slope to destruction! Once we bond with the unsaved, or the ones who choose to turn from God and remain in sin, we will inevitably weaken and become as the world is. If we surround ourselves with those who don't share our beliefs, they will give us the world's advise and the world's advise is ALWAYS evil! It's ALWAYS sinful. It's ALWAYS WRONG! The main reason that God will start to take out the friends in your life that He does not want you to have is because some of these people may be negative influences in your life. 

Once you come into a full surrender with Him, one of the first things He will begin to do in your life is to start to set some boundary lines. Ah, that scary word! BOUNDARIES! Many people rebel against boundaries because they believe they know what's best for themselves and that the boundaries they set for themselves will be kept. Of course they'll be kept! Why? Because THEY set them low! They set boundaries that fit their own liking. And even then, some people who set their own boundaries cross their own and change them to fit their need at the time of temptation. It's how it goes in the world. But once there is a full surrender, God will now decide the path that you will follow in Him. He'll now be leading you into specific jobs that He will want you to have in this life. He'll lead you into the church He wants you to learn in. He'll lead you to the ministry that He wants you to be in. So once those boundary lines go up, one of the first things He will start to do is decide who will stay in your life, and who will leave! He will choose who to bring into your life, deciding for you who will be your true friends in this life! What a loving God we have!!! The main reason God will help you choose who your true friends will be in this life is because His ultimate plan and highest aim for you is to transform and sanctify you. He wants you to spiritually grow and mature in your walk with Him.

The Bible tells us that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. Either we choose to be renewed by the Word of God and all of His glory for our lives, or we choose to be stunted by the ungodly and the worldly people and things of this world! God’s ultimate aim for us is our sanctification, where He begins to mold and transform us into the express image of His Son Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord! If you allow God to prune out the people that He doesn't want you to have in your life, then what He will start to do is to bring in the people that He will want to have in your life. His personally chosen friends specifically for you and your needs, and theirs as well! How much better can that get! These people will be good, godly, Spirit-filled Christians who are truly walking in good stead with the Lord and they will now be the people that He will want you to share your walk with! We need these types of people in our lives to help us grow spiritually, to learn from and to teach! The Bible tells us that we can only “know in part.” No one has all of the answers to everything. It's impossible because only God knows everything, every answer, every riddle! We are each given specific spiritual gifts, talents and skills and they're to be used in His Kingdom. We're all differently gifted so that together, we make up the WHOLE of the body of Christ! So, by sharing your walk with other good, solid, Christian friends, you can each help the other out in your pursuit of the knowledge and ways of God.

Every Christian is operating at different levels of spiritual development with the Lord. God knows best as to who would be best suited for you at the level of spiritual development that you are currently operating at with Him. When you allow HIM to bring in these types of friends, they will be truly a treasure to behold! There is a different kind of deep spiritual bond one will attain with a God brought friend! Nothing can compare to that! These God-sent friendships will be anointed by God Himself due to the quality feedings and interaction that will occur in them. The only feedings and interactions that will occur out of the worldly ungodly and unevenly yoked friendships will be evil and worldly. Unfulfilled, not nourishing, and definitely not deeply rooted in the Word of God! The unevenly yoked friendships often times produce mockery, disdain, distance and pressure.....we've all been there and we all know what that feels like! 

Let's just take a moment to look at just some of the Scriptures regarding godly counsel and the wicked:

1) Proverbs 12:26, "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray." 

2) Proverbs 24:5, "A wise man is strong, yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; for by wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counselors there is safety.”

3) Proverbs 19:27, "Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.”

4) Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”

5) 2 Corinthians 6:14, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.”

6) 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God.”

7) Proverbs 14:6, "A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, but knowledge is easy to him who understands. Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.” 

There are many many more of God's warnings for us to stay away from those bad apples who spoil the whole bunch because they will only bring us down with them, to their lower way of living. They won't build us up in Christ. They won't encourage us with the Love of Jesus. They won't redirect our steps when we veer slightly off path. Many Christians have had their lives destroyed, broken down and pulled apart just because they chose the friends of the world instead of those who were sent from God. It happens all the time and one word of caution......be careful NOT to call evil good when YOU choose a friend who is of this world, clearly of your own fleshly desires, or misconstrued needs. Don't say that friend was sent from God when it was a bad choice. God can, and will, turn a bad thing around to the good for those who love the Lord but this is a dangerous path to walk down when you are clearly giving God the glory for an unevenly yoked friendship! There is one verse in particular that tells us that “evil company corrupts good habits.” This perfectly shows us what can happen to any of us, or our children if they start hanging out with the wrong type of people. Many places in Scripture tells us not to be yoked together with unbelievers, foolish men, dogs, evil workers, those who are disorderly, reckless, contentious and always causing trouble and strife. I mean, God not only gives us instructions as to WHY, but He lays it all out nice and pretty for us to EASILY understand the KIND of people we are not to be yoked with! 

From the scriptures, you can be assured that God will give you the wisdom you need when you lack it, but sometimes He uses other people to also participate with you in this process. Ungodly people are spiritually blinded individuals whose lives are not godly and who are always opposed to God and His ways. The Bible teaches that ungodly people hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD and that they will eat the fruit of their ways, being filled with the fruit of their schemes. They are the people who don't put God and His Word first in their lives, but rather more into worldly materialism, fun and enjoyment. They do as the world does, speaks like the world speaks, acts like the world acts, and love the things IN the world more than their desire to love the LORD GOD CREATOR! They are often filled with pride and arrogance, they boast and justify their sinful lifestyle proudly. Look around you! It's everywhere! 

The counsel of the ungodly is any philosophy, teaching, idea, advice, thoughts, behaviors, lifestyles and attitude that does not come from the Bible and the Holy Spirit, not lining up with the Holy Word. But, rather it comes from evil spirits which is demonic in nature. The way of sinners is the path of one's own will instead of God's will. God's word says that you need to choose people that will lead you CLOSER to God - and evil, ungodly people will only corrupt you and lead you astray. NOT a place you want to be in because those kinds of strongholds are hard to overcome! They CAN be overcome, just like any sin can be through the blood of Jesus Christ who died on the cross paying our sin debt in full! Godly counsel brings us peace, wisdom and draws us closer in our relationship with God. This kind of counsel ALWAYS has our best spiritual and emotional interest at hand because it's coming from someone who God personally chose for us to be friends with! As we seek the counsel of the ungodly, it's always full of selfishness, jealousy, disdain, haughtiness, with an inward fleshly agenda. It never benefits us. And tarnishes our testimony to the very ones we are trying to be an example for if we choose to TAKE the ungodly counsel and apply it to our lives. Wrong is wrong. God doesn't mince His words when He tells us to stay away from the ungodly counsel of unbelievers because He knows how the devil is ruling this world and what the enemy wants to do with us! Satan is seeking those whom he can devour! Seek ungodly counsel and that is exactly what will begin to happen! 

We are called to live in a Christ like manner. What good does our faith sharing do if we are living like everyone else? Doing what everyone else does? Talking like everyone else does? If we aren't following His word or instructions, and continuing in a life full of choosing sin over godly counsel, then how can we teach the unbelievers, or even the baby Christians, how God has transformed us into HIS LIKENESS! His likeness is NOT anything of this evil world, that's for sure! There is room for modesty. There is room for respect. Love. Compassion. We all fall short of the glory of God and we will sin until the Lord comes and takes us home to be with Him eternally. However, when we do surrender our lives to Him, giving up our CONTROL, and ALLOW Him to transform us, He WILL! There are changes inside of us, inside our spirits and thoughts that begin to get shaped into His likeness! We will stand out from the crowd. We will have that "something" that others aren't sure what it IS but are curious to know about what makes us different! The world is full of contradictions, lies and evil. It's what Satan calls "fun." The people living in this world who aren't God fearing believers, will give you the kind of advice that is given to them by THEIR god of this world, Satan. So that is why it's extremely important to choose your friends carefully, allowing the Lord to weed out those who don't belong and bringing into your life the ones that He personally chooses for your life! 

The world is watching the lives of Christians to see whether they really are different because of the gospel. Does following Christ make a difference in our homes? Do we work through our problems with kindness, gentleness, patience, and understanding? We are flooded with supposedly Christian books telling you how to use God and the Bible to reach your full potential, to boost your self-esteem, to achieve your best life now, etc. They convey the worldly message that it’s all about you. About what God can give YOU. God already gave us the most BEAUTIFUL gift imaginable! His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ to shed His blood on that cross, to die for all of our sins! Unselfishly! Lovingly! It’s all about God and His glory. Many people have spoiled their Christian lives because of bad decisions made apart from God’s will (e.g., wrong job, wrong friends, wrong marriage partner, mistakes in the pursuit of education, mistakes made in moving to another place). And it's not only young people who make unwise decisions; many older and even elderly people have committed this grave mistake. Some people have too much pride set before them to seek the counsel of others, wanting to do it all on their own. That spoils the walk in a Christian's life too. 

Wise counselors know God’s Word. When seeking counsel in a biblical fashion, we don’t need human opinions; we need biblically-informed wisdom. We are not seeking a word from man, but a word from God. Thus, we need to seek counsel from believers who have studied the Bible diligently. Wise counselors are spiritually mature and biblically knowledgeable. The best place to find the “multitude of counsellors” is a God-fearing, Bible-believing church. What Charles Spurgeon said of a Bible College is even truer of a godly church: “Meeting as you do in class, in prayer-meeting, in conversation, and in various religious engagements, you gauge each other; and a wise man will be slow to set aside the verdict of the house” (C.H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students). This does not mean that we should never decide against something unless the authority figures in our lives have all agreed, because men can be wrong; but it does mean that we should only make such a decision if we have a clear Bible support for it and absolute confidence that it is God’s will. That's why God sends us godly people into our lives! Seek counsel from caring people. It is wise to seek counsel from those who not only know you well, but who care about you and are interested in your spiritual welfare. A young person, for example, will get better counsel from a spiritual leader who is praying for them rather than from a parent or someone else who is not interested in their spiritual well-being and who is uninvolved in his life in this way. If a person wants to make wise decisions in God’s will he must fear and serve God more than man. If it comes to a choice of obeying and pleasing his friends or relatives and obeying and pleasing God, he must choose God. It is a great sin to fear relatives and friends more than God. 

Remember, it doesn't matter what other people think! We aren't here to please man. We have been given this life of being born again believers to live for the Lord and spread the gospel far and wide! Another important principle in making wise decisions is to honor the God-given authority. The Bible makes much of this. See Romans 13:1; 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:22; 6:1-3; 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 3:1; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-15, 18. Sadly, there are many believers who have made very unwise decisions that took them outside of the Will of God when they failed to honor and obey the authorities that God put over them! Authorities must be tested by God’s Word. We don’t give blind obedience to authority figures, because we live in a fallen world, and the highest authority is God. Every authority must therefore be tested by God’s Word. Compare Acts 5:29; 17:11. Moses rejected Pharaoh’s authority to follow a higher authority, which was God! Authorities should be given the benefit of the doubt. Most of the time when people disagree with authority figures, they don’t do so on the basis of clear Scripture but on the basis of their own feelings and opinions. If I don’t think an authority figure is right, and there have been some times that it was the case, I have to ask myself one question: Do I have clear Scripture showing me that this leader is wrong and that my thinking in this matter is right? In light of the many commandments in Scripture to obey those who have the rule over us, it is dangerous to reject authority figures on the basis of anything other than Scripture rightly divided. 

God’s will is worth waiting for! Many decisions have consequences that last throughout one’s lifetime, and if an individual gets those decisions wrong, he will not only live to regret it but he will have to bear the consequences until he dies. So while you are in your walk with the Lord, seek wise and godly counsel! Choose to seek out those people who God hand picked just for you and you will grow closer to the Lord and stronger in your faith! Worldly counsel will ALWAYS be based on man's demonic driven advice. If they aren't God-fearing, God-loving Christians, then their advice is from the adversary, the devil. Remember that!!! 

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