Choosing Our Advisors
Part One
“Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed (Prov. 15: 22 NASB2020).”
On the surface, it would appear that one is being told that the odds of a successful outcome in anything we do, are increased with the input of many counselors.
The problem with many advisors is that with them, come many different and even opposing, opinions and advice.
Collectively, they become like a defective traffic signal, displaying a RED, YELLOW, and GREEN light at the same time.
Instead of helping to make the path ahead clear, they only serve to confuse us and make our choice more difficult.
The “many counselors” of Prov. 15: 22 are not necessarily other human beings, unless they are communicating the, “…mind of Christ (1Cor. 2: 16 NASB2020).”
These many counselors actually consist of ALL of the verses of Scripture that address any given spiritual issue. The key word here is “all.” Otherwise, by isolating verses, the Bible can be made to appear to be saying just about anything we want.
The optimists among us are pre-disposed to lean towards the encouraging, positive input offered by others, whereas the pessimists among us will lean towards the discouraging, negative input offered by others.
In truth, these pre-dispositions do not, in of themselves, determine our own outcome.
We can experience the worst possible outcome, as seen by human viewpoint, while having anticipated the best, and we can experience the best possible outcome, while fearing the worst.
The wise among us will pray for the best, but be prepared for the worst (as human viewpoint would perceive the worst to be), never assuming to know what the will of Gos is going to be for ourselves or others, in any given situation.
From divine viewpoint, ALL things work for good for those who “love” God, that being those who put God and the things of God first (1).
. . .
Most medical professionals will concur that a positive frame of mind can go a long way in contributing to the best possible outcome concerning health issues. Many believe that the physical body follows the mental attitude of the mind.
Even should the desired healing not take place, having a positive outlook can make enduring the journey more tolerable.
I can speak from personal experience.
About twenty years ago, I was dealing with a stage three cancer diagnosis, and was given a 35% chance of surviving the next five years.
I am grateful that from the outset, that there were many who prayed for my recovery, and I would be the last one to dispute the power of prayer.
But as for myself, I was determined from the outset to hold fast to the knowledge that God was in charge.
I was born again as far back as I can remember, and I had and have the Romans 8: 1 assurance of where I was going when my time comes.
Therefore, I was prepared to accept whatever the final outcome was going to be, according to His will, and the plan He had for me.
I did pray that regardless of the final outcome, that I would tolerate the upcoming surgeries, the seven and a half months of chemotherapy that followed, and all the short term and long-term side effects that awaited me, should I survive.
Throughout my cancer treatment, I experienced the Phil. 4: 7 peace that surpasses all human understanding.
The Phil. 4: 7 peace “of’ God must be distinguished from the Luke 2: 14 peace “with” God that is established when one is born again.
Prior to this cancer diagnosis, I struggled through life’s pain and disappointments, applying the limited ability of my own human resources.
To think that for decades, God’s Phil. 4: 7 peace had only been one step (2) away, but it is a step that we must take if we are to experience the benefits. All born-again believers have the Luke 2: 14 peace “with” God, but not will take the Phil. 4:6 step to experience the Phil. 4:7 surpassing peace “of” God. Here we see the Matt. 7:24- 27 importance of having Biblical solutions on hand before the need arises.
Since taking the Phil. 4:6 step of faith, this Phil. 4: 7 peace has never left me, in spite of all the many trials and tribulations that life has brought, is bringing, and will bring, to me, until the time and means of my inevitable departure presents itself.
Many things can happen that can change the plans that we make for ourselves or others, but NOTHING can happen to change His.
We were not put here to live for ourselves. We were created to bring glory to God.
Keeping this principle in mind will make dealing with all the required adjustments and distractions that come our way, easier to handle.
The more we spiritually mature, the more frequent, and the more intense that the Eph. 6: 16 satanic attacks on us are going to be.
A Spirit-indwelt (3), born-again, Church Age believer cannot be demon possessed, but we can certainly be demon influenced (4), and even tormented (5), if God permits it with a divine objective in mind.
Paul, who did much to promote the establishment of the early Church, experienced such torment (6), and was denied relief from it for which he prayed for three times (7). Sometimes what we need to experience in order to achieve a divine objective, and what we want to experience, are two very different things.
. . .
The Bible (8) has no kind words for “advisors” that, by word or example, become a stumbling block to one of His children. A “child,” in this sense, is not determined by biological age, but by his or her level of spiritual maturity. One can be a “babe” in Christ (9) at the biological age of 8 or 80!
End of Part One
(1) Rom. 8: 28 (2) Phil. 4: 6 (3) 1Cor. 3: 16 (4) Gal. 3: 1/1Tim. 4: 1 (5) 2Cor. 12: 7 (6) Cor. 12: 7 (7) 2 Cor. 12: 8 (8) Matt. 18:6 (9) 1Cor. 3: 1-3
Part One
“Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed (Prov. 15: 22 NASB2020).”
On the surface, it would appear that one is being told that the odds of a successful outcome in anything we do, are increased with the input of many counselors.
The problem with many advisors is that with them, come many different and even opposing, opinions and advice.
Collectively, they become like a defective traffic signal, displaying a RED, YELLOW, and GREEN light at the same time.
Instead of helping to make the path ahead clear, they only serve to confuse us and make our choice more difficult.
The “many counselors” of Prov. 15: 22 are not necessarily other human beings, unless they are communicating the, “…mind of Christ (1Cor. 2: 16 NASB2020).”
These many counselors actually consist of ALL of the verses of Scripture that address any given spiritual issue. The key word here is “all.” Otherwise, by isolating verses, the Bible can be made to appear to be saying just about anything we want.
The optimists among us are pre-disposed to lean towards the encouraging, positive input offered by others, whereas the pessimists among us will lean towards the discouraging, negative input offered by others.
In truth, these pre-dispositions do not, in of themselves, determine our own outcome.
We can experience the worst possible outcome, as seen by human viewpoint, while having anticipated the best, and we can experience the best possible outcome, while fearing the worst.
The wise among us will pray for the best, but be prepared for the worst (as human viewpoint would perceive the worst to be), never assuming to know what the will of Gos is going to be for ourselves or others, in any given situation.
From divine viewpoint, ALL things work for good for those who “love” God, that being those who put God and the things of God first (1).
. . .
Most medical professionals will concur that a positive frame of mind can go a long way in contributing to the best possible outcome concerning health issues. Many believe that the physical body follows the mental attitude of the mind.
Even should the desired healing not take place, having a positive outlook can make enduring the journey more tolerable.
I can speak from personal experience.
About twenty years ago, I was dealing with a stage three cancer diagnosis, and was given a 35% chance of surviving the next five years.
I am grateful that from the outset, that there were many who prayed for my recovery, and I would be the last one to dispute the power of prayer.
But as for myself, I was determined from the outset to hold fast to the knowledge that God was in charge.
I was born again as far back as I can remember, and I had and have the Romans 8: 1 assurance of where I was going when my time comes.
Therefore, I was prepared to accept whatever the final outcome was going to be, according to His will, and the plan He had for me.
I did pray that regardless of the final outcome, that I would tolerate the upcoming surgeries, the seven and a half months of chemotherapy that followed, and all the short term and long-term side effects that awaited me, should I survive.
Throughout my cancer treatment, I experienced the Phil. 4: 7 peace that surpasses all human understanding.
The Phil. 4: 7 peace “of’ God must be distinguished from the Luke 2: 14 peace “with” God that is established when one is born again.
Prior to this cancer diagnosis, I struggled through life’s pain and disappointments, applying the limited ability of my own human resources.
To think that for decades, God’s Phil. 4: 7 peace had only been one step (2) away, but it is a step that we must take if we are to experience the benefits. All born-again believers have the Luke 2: 14 peace “with” God, but not will take the Phil. 4:6 step to experience the Phil. 4:7 surpassing peace “of” God. Here we see the Matt. 7:24- 27 importance of having Biblical solutions on hand before the need arises.
Since taking the Phil. 4:6 step of faith, this Phil. 4: 7 peace has never left me, in spite of all the many trials and tribulations that life has brought, is bringing, and will bring, to me, until the time and means of my inevitable departure presents itself.
Many things can happen that can change the plans that we make for ourselves or others, but NOTHING can happen to change His.
We were not put here to live for ourselves. We were created to bring glory to God.
Keeping this principle in mind will make dealing with all the required adjustments and distractions that come our way, easier to handle.
The more we spiritually mature, the more frequent, and the more intense that the Eph. 6: 16 satanic attacks on us are going to be.
A Spirit-indwelt (3), born-again, Church Age believer cannot be demon possessed, but we can certainly be demon influenced (4), and even tormented (5), if God permits it with a divine objective in mind.
Paul, who did much to promote the establishment of the early Church, experienced such torment (6), and was denied relief from it for which he prayed for three times (7). Sometimes what we need to experience in order to achieve a divine objective, and what we want to experience, are two very different things.
. . .
The Bible (8) has no kind words for “advisors” that, by word or example, become a stumbling block to one of His children. A “child,” in this sense, is not determined by biological age, but by his or her level of spiritual maturity. One can be a “babe” in Christ (9) at the biological age of 8 or 80!
End of Part One
(1) Rom. 8: 28 (2) Phil. 4: 6 (3) 1Cor. 3: 16 (4) Gal. 3: 1/1Tim. 4: 1 (5) 2Cor. 12: 7 (6) Cor. 12: 7 (7) 2 Cor. 12: 8 (8) Matt. 18:6 (9) 1Cor. 3: 1-3