Be Careful Who You Listen To

Welcome to the AMVETS podcast with Charles Stanley for Wednesday, March 9. You sure you're getting good advice. Learn to carefully evaluate any instruction you receive in today's podcast cautioning you to be careful who you listen to be careful who you listen to because people are listen to on goblet on wise counsel.

Some of found themselves deeply in moral bondage because others have refused to listen to godly counsel chose not godly counsel. They have lost financially. Others have lost their families. Often times people choose the wrong vocation as a result of listening to the wrong kind of counsel. Sometimes people make decisions that they regret all the rest of their life because they listen to ungodly on wise counsel. It's very important what we listen to who we listen to is very important we understand how to listen and be able to discern what is godly and what is ungodly counsel.

Look, if you will, and Proverbs chapter 12 for a moment because her to the verses you and what you noticed that we are encouraged in spite of the fact that God hears and answers prayer. In spite of the fact that he encourages us to come to him and to seek him for direction. He also encourages us to seek godly wise counsel. The 12 chapter. The Proverbs the 26 verse listen. The righteous is like God to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray and so oftentimes we have the privilege of giving counseling and giving of someone else instruction look in the 13th chapter the 10th verse of Proverbs. He says through presumption comes nothing but strife, but with those who who receive counsel's wisdom.

The 13th chapter, the 21st like event, he who walks with wise men will be wise with the companions of fools will suffer harm in the 15th chapter and the 22nd verse says without consultation. Plans of frustrated with many counselors. They succeed, even though you and I have the privilege of coming to the Lord and asking them for direction for a life. He says oftentimes it is wise for us to seek godly counsel listen. Not just any counsel but godly counsel now a bomb of the situation. I want to know the truth.

I want to talk to somebody whose lifestyle. First of all is such that I can trust. I will talk to somebody that I know is going to be absolutely honest with me whether I like it or not. And so what I'd like to do in these next few moments as I will he give you. I will give you some ways that you can detect whether the Council that your hearing is godly on government that does not mean, for example, a person that every single one of these will be true but I want you to adjust these down I think will be helpful to you. I just want to bring up some issues here that if you were talking to somebody about your family about your vocation about your schooling if you talk to somebody about that your finances are some decision that you make the how can you detect that what you're hearing is this godly counsel ungodly.

So I went to think about these.

First of all, one of the evidences of ungodly counsel is that there is little or no mention of God, the Bible or Jesus Christ. If you get in this situation were you seeking wise counsel in the word of God is not mentioned. Jesus is it mentioned the Bible is not mentioned is the best thing you can do is get out of there because godly wise counsel is going to be wrapped up with the principles of the teachings of the word of God. And so when the evidences of it.

No mention of God, the Bible, prayer second thing I mentioned is this.

And that is that will be an absence of prayer, not just mention it in the absence of prayer notices here you are seeking wise, godly counsel, and that you talk and talk and talk and talk and nobody says that spring Novartis is what we ask God what we ask him to give us direction at this moment.

So what to do is what's happening oftentimes a person who is a counsel will not mention anything about prayer, nor will they pray, and the implication is you know I have the answer I can answer your prayer.

Listen any wise counsel knows that prayer is a vital part and if you can get a person talking to God and listening to him that you have moved a step forward in the whole counseling process and I was to say that if that person never attempts to pray never ask you to parade never lead you to pray never talks about pray I would find myself another counselor, no matter who it is.

The third thing that you can detect is this, that is the subtle defense by the counselor of unscriptural action that we could talk about immoral things that oftentimes is a well if so-and-so is doing this that you want to have your your font. You will do this in Samhita tell you little subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle suggestions that you know the first time you hear them is something unscriptural about what they're saying what they did this to you.

This is what you want to do back there is nothing in the Bible about me taking out vengeance on one someone no matter what they do very suddenly. Oftentimes it is spoken of, or thing is this. Sometimes you hear counsel that suggest that you violate the word of God will advance what they did that you will not taken the court and just sue them for everything they've got. Does that sound like God does that sound like G1. I gotta protect myself. Does that sound like the word about what about what Paul said when he said go ahead and be defrauded because the person who defrauded you the person who abuses you misuses you. They've Artie lost and so when a person in their counsel a counsel's you did takes him unscriptural action. You know that's not godly counsel.

It may be what you want to do.

It may be what you feel like doing it may be that you so angry at the moment you think that's exactly what I'm going live. Why would you do something that I went to counsel. This is what they said that's not the issue. The issue is that what God said if God didn't say it, get out of there my friend listen so many people have written their lives wrecked their marriages wrecked their finances wrecked their life borrowed because they listen to unwise ungodly counsel. Likewise, I think one of the things that you have to ask is do you sense that that person is little by little, becoming controlling of the book along the telling you what to do how to do it who to talk to who not talk to what to say what not to say before. Listen carefully, ungodly counsel, as many of them listen. They will talk about controlling controlling their patients are controlling the people that they are counsel while because you see on ungodly counsel if they can get control. They got him coming back over and over and over again. What are they doing it is costing these people costing them lots of money over a period of weeks or months and years and years and years ago the same counsel and not have a viable counsel and somebody came to me for years.

You know what I think. I think I'm an absolute faith, a botanist, if I can't do them anymore. Good and they come to me for about 1015 20 years and they're still coming to me for the same reason I came to the first time I Myself an absolute failure to take my shingle down and say I am absolutely unfit to be a counselor I can help you to help you why, because they been coming for years and years. If you go to counsel for help and strength that you go to counsel in order to be healed emotionally to help settle some decision your life and submit person gets into some kind of real emotional trauma and their life they need help not just going over and over again, sitting down, listen to somebody while they absolute control. God never told us to control the children without the control each other we love each other we don't control one another and when the person to whom you are sharing your life and trying to help you make a decision to come home inside little by little, becomes a controlling factor in your life you need to break out of that that is not godly counsel, godly counsel does not control the person they're trying to help with something else that you can look at and detect what is God and not look at the lifestyle of the counselor look at the lifestyle of the counselor is making is what the shingle says the issue is, what can a life of a lip. I do not believe that a person who is godly in their counsel and who has a right relationship with God a relationship with Jesus Christ is in the word. Listen seeking counsel for themselves and direction of the life growing their own spiritual life. How in the world could they counsel people all day long, and never bring up God, Jesus of the Bible when he is the heart portobello light is something desperately missing in a person's life be very very careful when you find that kind of a situation existing then when you hear counsel that listen that attempts to help you escape your responsibility rather than face up to it. Leave it that is not godly counsel, godly counsel is going to always point the what is my responsibility. What is my share in the situation. What is not responsible. In this circumstance is not how to get out of it, not how to escape it. Poor thing.

You just get out justly, that is not godly counsel, and often times people give counsel. This is what I would do if I were you and the ideas is what I think and you know you don't have that responsibility. You just walk away. We listen all of us have responsibilities in our circumstances may not like what my responsibilities but I have a responsibility, not like my circumstance but I have responsibility to be obedient to God. In that circumstance, no matter what.

So when somebody counsels you to walk away from your responsibilities.

My friend, you need to be very very sensitive. Is this what God would say would God tell me to walk away from responsibility away not and so I don't believe he does. Sometimes you have a check in your spirit and what that person is saying and you don't know why you can't say it's for this reason that reason of the but somehow in your spirit listen carefully the spirit of God will check your spirit. You hear something that you can't you can't prove it's wrong. You can't argue with the person you can't give them a Scripture necessarily. You just know that something that person said what I called is I: spiritual static. Something doesn't fit. Somehow it it it doesn't fit in your spirit when you sense that listen, don't argue with it, don't say wise is probably my thinking more than likely that's the spirit of God sending you a warning that what you just heard is godly counsel. What you just heard doesn't fit God's ways and in his plan for your life. And so when you have a check in your spirit. That is some indication. Watch out for that counsel. Then, when a person would counsel you at any time to openly do something that you know is ungodly. You know it deep in your heart you know that is not the Christian thing to do.

That is not the scriptural thing to do on I know it's not in my friend. You've heard ungodly counsel and you see what you hear any of these things. It's time to walk away because, listen if they will counsel you in an ungodly fashion of some ungodly conduct some ungodly attitude in one aspect, how do I know the not going encourage me do something in some other area and often times it starts out very simply and very innocently, but as those sessions go on and as you keep going back to that person or talking with that person. Sharing your life of them. If that's not godly counsel. Somehow it just one problem against the ad to another and before long. Sometimes when it's too late. You've heard a whole lot of ungodly counsel and their problems then become monumental because maybe you've made a decision that is absolutely disastrous decision. Your life will often times a person will give counsel listen give counsel encouraging you to seek personal gain at someone else's expense. Any time someone counsel to do something that whereby you personally gain at someone else's expense does not godly counsel, and so oftentimes people in business have the other will his the situation and the went to talk to so-and-so. He said well that's just good business. I'm here to tell you, you put good business." That's shrewd business that's wise business that's just good business. That's just the way you make a profit. Listen anytime anyone would counsel me to make a decision that would profit me at someone else's expense. I know that is on godly counsel and the world is full of it full of make a profit at someone else's expense. That is, you don't worry about how it hurts someone else. It is going to profit you.

That's the thing that matters.

And I hear people talk about the kind of counsel they have received and watch the kind of decisions that they've made, and the kind of hurt and harm that is going on. As a result of that on godly counsel that takes no thought of someone else only to satisfy the desires of this person take advantage of the people, whatever is necessary.

You do what is good for you. Listen, you know what is never good for me.

Never good for you. It is never good for us to miss treat someone else never good for us to take advantage of someone else never good for us to profit at someone else's expense. Yet that is oftentimes a kind of counsel that people receive.

Likewise, when that counsel openly supports ungodly activities by other people, you better walk away and often times you hear that will what you know so-and-so of this group of that group or whatever and I don't think that so bad when you know nobody is perfect, listen when someone supports on got listed ungodly lifestyle. When someone supports things that you know you not know that openly are unscriptural. You need to walk away ungodly counsel in a person is an ungodly counsel and they have their own problems of their hostility, their bitterness, their anger, their resentment, they grew up in that they never dealt with their own. You know what they do enable project upon the people there counseling their own anger, hostility and bitterness and you just what they'll do. That's when they encourage them to take advantage of this treat someone else under the guise of defending the person there counsel. It is so subtle, so open that a person has a discerning spirit they can spot every single one of these things then if that counselor says will, in a very subtle fashion. Some way. Would you know maybe you and I could and what they do is they what they do is they drop you just an update to say. Or maybe you and I could have fellowship. You and I can have a relationship like because friend that is strictly straight from the devil. If you talk to someone and you share your heart with them because you're having a problem. Now they suddenly found themselves moving toward you.

They don't listen.

They're not trying to help you they are again listen their own selfishness is coming out and this is why I'm saying to you that people who counsel and people who share and people who want to help other people listen you have to be very very careful where are they coming from where they coming from and I went to a particular hospital one occasion at the visit and the and talking. I with the counselors there, you know, I discovered every single counselor in that industry came out of a horrible situation himself and herself and supposedly got themselves straighten out now.

They're there to help other people. I don't doubt that that's true but you know what unless that person is totally whole and totally healed is exactly what they did. They will project. They will interpret in someone else's life the same feelings that they had the same circumstances that they go through.

That's why you have to be very, very careful who you listening to. Are you hearing me say amen you have to be careful who you listing to because oftentimes even the Council does not even understand what the don't even realize what they're doing well, then I would say last of the probably lots of things I can say my friend if you're a believer.

Do not go to an unbeliever for counsel. I don't care who doubted him, shingle or have I don't care how many degrees they have that person is not a believer. Do not go to an unbeliever seeking godly counsel, they don't know how to give it to resend the rib beginning. You don't mention the Bible.

You don't mention Jesus. You don't mention God have the right will give you godly counsel if that listen how you get godly counsel from someone who does not know the principles of Scripture. How does a person learn the principles of Scripture getting in the word of God interpreting the Scripture watching how God operates and so a godly counsel is going to be a person. The book ungodly counsel is going to be a person who knows that apart from sitting on their face before Almighty God. They will never be able to help someone and to help bring healing and that person's emotional traumas and difficulties and hardships in life, they will not now you and I may ask the question began with this the very start.

In the very beginning of the message because I wanted to make this emphasis here.

One of the consequences of going ungodly counsel will. It should be pretty evident. First of all, you make wrong decisions. Secondly, you gonna bring hurt and harm to yourself. You gonna bring hurt and harm to other people. You could listen you could divide your family divide your children in my friend. It is absolutely impossible to listen to ungodly counsel over and over and over again without disaster happening in your own life cannot tell you how important is to be careful who you listen to because wise counsel will develop you and guard you strengthen you and enable you ungodly counsel. Ultimately will destroy. It is my prayer, my friend, that this book become your guide Jesus Christ become your Lord God the father become your father and that you walk in the ways of the living God and father how grateful we are that you did give us the Holy Spirit to enable us to be able to discern what is right what is wrong what is truth. What is untrue when we are being deceived and when we are hearing the truth. I pray in Jesus name, that those who are listening will examine the counsel they're receiving the opinions they hear the advice that so freely given and ask themselves this question is this godly counsel will this lead me closer to Christ. With this lead me into a holy life. Will this lead me into a life of obedience with this lead me into life of joy, peace, and content. This strengthen my relationship to Christ all will it do the very opposite father granting each of us a discerning spirit and the will to be obedient in Jesus name, amen.

Thank you for listening to be careful who you listen to. We would like to invite you to join us in celebrating 45 years that God.in tax.org/45 years to learn more after the presentation of intense ministries Atlanta, Georgia