Who is your counselor?
It has been noted that the mental and emotional needs of Americans have seemingly skyrocketed over the past 40 years. Who are Americans turning to for answers? Where are Christians getting their answers? Where do even Bible-believing pastors refer people to get help? Most of the time they are sent to an unregenerate psychologist/counselor. Why, well because Christians have bitten into the lie that the Bible is inadequate to handle these areas.
But just for the moment think of your own life and ask yourself, who is my counselor? Who do you look to for answers, wisdom and guidance? Is it a man, a group of people or a book? Where is your counselor? If you read the Bible you will come to understand at the least, that you do need a counselor, but what or who is this counselor?
Let’s look at a few verses that might give us insight.
The first is found in Proverbs 11:14. It says, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” In other words, where there is no good advice the people will fail, divide, and die. That makes me think that having good advice and counsel is pretty important. As a parent, pastor, missionary or whatever leadership position you may be in having access to good counsel is vital. Even being a Christian puts you in a leadership position which means all of us are in need of a good source of counsel.
The second verse is Proverbs 24:6. It says, “For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.”
Here we find that a good war strategy requires good counsel. You would be an absolute fool to go into war haphazardly. People will die and you will be to blame. You must get counsel.
Then the next part of this verse says in the multitude of counselors there is safety. In other words when you get a lot of the right kind of counsel there is deliverance or victory. That is what we are after. We want to live in victory. How do we do that? Answer: Through the right counsel. So now what is the right counsel? Where is it? Who is it?
Let me preface my answer by saying, yes, people can be good counselors. You and I both need spiritual men and women in our lives to help us. God has placed people around our lives that have walked longer and hopefully closer to the Lord than we have. These people can be great sources of counsel. But I want to note, highlight, and emphasize the greatest counselor.
It is found in Psalms 119:24. This verse says, “Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.”
Inside the pages of the Bible is found a multitude(an abundance, excellent, great amount) of counselors. Many of us look everywhere else and talk to everyone else before we turn to God to hear what He has already said. The greatest counsel, and the safest counsel is going to always be the counsel that comes straight from the Great Counselor (Isaiah 9:6). We must be diligent to search the scriptures to find the answers to life’s questions and the problems that come into our lives.