Proverbs 11

Proverbs 11

- v14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

I was so bound by this verse until only very very recently. I always thought that if you didn't take the advice of the multitude of counselors (who always happen to give u the same standard advice simply because all the counselors come from the same church and follow the same pastor), you walk out of the will of God; you are a proud fool and your own path will lead to destruction; you leave safety.

Then after I visited YSWA, I realised that, qi2 guai4, how come the same piece of advice doesn't apply to everyone. Why? Because everyone leads very different lives! When you step out of school, your peers are not your "classmates", they dun go through the same life as you do. And then I found out, that the grace of God is such that it doesn't turn us into religious robots who lead the same life.

Now, am I saying that it's alright to not heed the advice of not having pre-marital sex/take drugs/sin? No, of course not. But the problem here is, life isn't that simple all the time - you cannot put everyone's life into a box. And at the end of the day, whoever's advice you take and whatever decision you make, you bear the consequences of your own decisions. The multitude of counselors won't offer restitution if their advice turns out to be wrong for you.

So what now? Is there no more safety in the multitude of counselors? Have we been so sheltered that we can no longer face life's uncertainties outside the confines of our youth ministry? Why is it that the Bible says that the sons of the world are wiser than the children of light?

I asked God this and He told me to check out Heb 4:12 -

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

The Word of God is alive. Other than the 10% tithe (which is not even compulsory), nowhere does it say "it is recommended to stay in your first job for 3 years", nowhere does it say "you should not get attached until you start work" - and who says after you start work, you are automatically qualified to be financially stable to start a relationship? , nowhere does it say "if God brought you to this church, then stay here, because if you leave, you miss what He has in store for you here." - this was what the multitude of counselors in my ex-church told me. Wow, I guess I really screwed up my life now that I'm here in NCC....

I'm not against taking advice from multitude of counselors. I'm just saying the Spirit has already been given to you to help you discern whose advice applies to you. We should not live in fear with this belief that (I did!) if you do not take the advice of the multitude of counselors, then you are taking a longer detour to get to where God wants you to go. Who wants to go take a walk in the valley of the shadow of death for fun? Thus, I was SO bound by that statement - and I believe that is what you call "spiritual blackmail".

Now, there is such a release and freedom (to me, at least) when you know that:
a) not taking the advice of the multitude of counselors does NOT mean that you walk out of the will of God - advice/recommendations/insert-whatever-word-that-is-synonymous should not be given the same status as the Word itself
b) you have access to wisdom and peace from the Holy Spirit in you to discern which piece of advice impresses upon you and is applicable to you
c) you bear the consequences of your own decisions - at the end of the day, no counselor is going to take any responsibility for that.

I'll end with what Joyce Meyer says in her "Everyday Life Bible" with regards to Provers 11:14.

"Proverbs 11:14 teaches us that there is safety in a multitude of counselors. Do you have wise, godly people who can provide sound counsel in your life? If so, consult them often. Never put them ahead of God, and do not let them make your final decisions, because those should be made between you and God. However, wise counselors are valuable, and if you do not have such people in your life, ask God to send them."

Thank you Joyce Meyer! I am so looking forward to seeing you at Hillsong Conference in July! =)