Recently at a prayer meeting, I began urging everyone to be careful not to receive advice and spiritual direction from the wrong people. Not everyone, no matter how kind or close they are, should be in charge of your life. Advice directs your life and can determine whether or not you will fulfill your destiny. This has been a recurring theme for me, as I have seen time and time again the damage bad advice can do to people's lives and their walk with God.
As I thought about it a little later, two people came to mind, a son and a grandson of King David respectively, and both ended badly. One lost his life, and the other lost a large part of his kingdom. Why? Both listened to the wrong people. Of course, one could say, and it is true, that God was not in favor of either of them, and they would have failed anyway, but what is interesting is to see the means by which their failure came: by following the wrong advice.
God let them follow bad people who led them down a bad path.
The son who lost his life
When Absalom, to everyone's surprise, decided to oust his father from the throne, he had an obvious military advantage: he could pursue his father's armies, rout them with ease, and capture his father. He failed to do so, and at that point, he lost the war. However, Absalom had on his team one man whose advice was always accurate. He was considered infallible: Ahithophel. Even David, upon learning that Ahithophel had sided with Absalom, prayed and cried out to God to thwart Ahithophel's advice. He also sent one of his own, Hushai, who was to pretend to be on Absalom's side and thus be able to counter Ahithophel's advice.
Absalom listened to Hushai rather than Ahithophel, and his fate was sealed. He placed his destiny in the hands of a man with ulterior motives. He lacked the wisdom to discern the quality of the advice he was receiving and to discern from whom he should be receiving advice. As a pastor, I have seen this happen again and again. People ignore those who can show them the right path, preferring instead to seek advice from people who are not worth listening to. Hushai, a follower of David, worked for Absalom's downfall and David's victory. He succeeded. Of course, it was God's will for Absalom to fail. But it is not God's will for you to fail. Now if you do the same thing as Absalom...
The grandson who lost the kingdom
Rehoboam, one of David's grandsons, succeeded Solomon on the throne. The people came to pray to him to lighten their burdens. The elders advised him to grant the people's request, and the young men not only to refuse but to threaten them with even heavier burdens. He chose to listen to the young rather than the old. The people turned against the house of David and established Jeroboam as king of Israel, that is, the ten tribes. Rehoboam was left with only the two tribes that made up the kingdom of Judah. His kingdom was cut short. Once again, as in the case of Absalom, it was God's will. But how did this happen? By letting Rehoboam follow bad advice. Once again, you must not share the lot of those who lack wisdom, of fools.
Share the lot of the foolish
Many in the Church today share the fate of these two foolish men. They listen to the wrong person and take action that jeopardizes their relationship with God. They are unstable, they go from church to church and meet without seeing any progress in their lives. They become disconnected from their leaders; some marry the wrong person, and their lives fall apart. Why? They follow bad advice and false counselors; they do not want to settle down and be led by the right people.
No child of God should share the fate of Absalom and Rehoboam. What lessons can we learn from their story and choose, with the wisdom God gives us, to identify good and false counselors?
There are different categories of false advisors.
They marry the wrong person because they followed the advice of a fool Share on XWho are these false advisors?
Those with hidden motives
Some give bad advice because they have ulterior motives, like Hushai whose loyalty was to a
- share strange ideas and visions with you to mystify you and gain an advantage over you
- criticize people you know and have good relationships with
- have “a word” to share with you in secret
- always have a different opinion privately about leadership and share them with you to push you into rebellion
- poison your heart against someone they have a problem with
- erode your innocence and goodwill towards others with their language
Run away from them !
Beware of false counselors in the church who have unacknowledged motives Share on XThose who are ignorant
Some people give advice born of their ignorance. This was the case with Rehoboam's young friends who advised him to be tough with the people. This cost him most of his kingdom. Bad advice can amputate a destiny. Identify the ignorant person who talks a lot and gives advice without realizing their own ignorance. Such people don't necessarily have hidden or unacknowledged motives (sometimes they do), they lack
Rehoboam thought he would appear weak if he agreed to the people's demands, and his friends thought the same. Sometimes the advice given seems to favor you, while what the 'old men' say seems to be against your best interests. One cannot judge the wisdom of a thing based on its immediate benefits to oneself. Think of survival, victory, and long-term progress. God will help you identify His advisers whose words could jeopardize your long-term interests.
Bad advice can cut short a destiny Share on XThose who like to talk
Then there are others who give bad advice because they like the sound of their own voice. They are neither profound nor spiritual, but seek to be both, and more. They say what seems good to them without digging deep enough to know if what they say is true or not, so as not to harm you. They like to express themselves, they like to have an opinion, so they talk. They tell you what to do without being certain that it is so; the idea seems good to them, that's all. They have spiritual ideas, but few spiritual actions; they have an interpretation for everything, and none of it is accurate. And yet, they talk. Expressing oneself is infinitely more important than the accuracy of what is said. Beware of such people.
Those who have a spirit of deceit
And finally, some of those who call themselves counselors have a spirit of deception. They believe lies and spread lies. The devil is no fool. He knows that false talk can destroy a life. He witnessed the loss of Absalom, the setbacks of Rehoboam, and countless similar cases. The moment a person begins to ponder lies, they give free rein to a spirit of deception that will perpetuate those thoughts and solidify them into firm conviction. Such people are dangerous to themselves and to others. They have been misled and will mislead others with confidence, a confidence born of their own convictions. Many, impressed by their certainty, allow themselves to be persuaded when these people speak of things they know little about. Such people are an instrument of deception and destruction in the lives of others.
Each person has the responsibility to seek guidance from the right people and to ask the Holy Spirit to show them who to listen to and what to do in each situation. Judgement should always be based on God's Word. If someone violates the biblical principles of humility, holiness, kindness, and purity in word and deed, FLEE, no matter how sweet their words; God is not speaking through them. If someone slanders others—friends, family, leaders—and claims that God is speaking through them, flee! If someone operates in rebellion and says God is leading them, flee!
When a slanderer says that God speaks through him, FLEE Share on XWhen someone tries to rule your life with their words, influence your thinking with their opinions, ask God if this person was sent to you by Him, by themselves, or by the devil. You are neither an Absalom nor a Rehoboam. God has not abandoned you to a spirit of error, so He will show you. Some may have an appearance of holiness, however, their words can be poison to your soul. Don't be fooled by the appearance they give themselves; judge the content and impact of their words. The tree is known by its fruit. Your life is precious, protect it; keep your thoughts free from pollution. When we believe lies, we limit our ability to hear God. So be careful!
Your life is a divine masterpiece under construction. You have a choice of building materials. Choose wisely!
When we believe lies, we limit our ability to hear God. Share on X
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