HOW TO MAKE QUALITY DECISION Pt.6

LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF WISE COUNSEL

The story of Rehoboam is a lesson for us all. He sought the counsel of the elders and they gave him quality counsel that will make his reign last and fruitful. However, he kept their counsel aside and heeded the counsel of his peers. The kingdom of Israel divided during his reign because the decision he took to listen to the wrong set of people was his undoing. His decision affected generations yet unborn all because he listened to the wrong counsel.(1Kings12). I was a victim of disobedience to wise counsel. I entered into a relationship emotionally. I took my heart on the journey but I left my head behind. The only person who saw I was in the wrong counseled that I exercise patience but I felt she doesn't want my good so I went ahead with my decision. I got my fingers burnt.

Quality decisions are made through wise counsel. Do not be afraid to let your decision pass through the furnace of wise counsel. Those that are full of themselves hardly consult those who know better and will likely make wrong decisions back to back. Proverbs 18:2 says, "A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind." I have discovered that wisdom can't be bought in the market. You may have attained great height in your endeavour but you will always need the counsel of men with depth. That's why Jethro's counsel brought a relief to the ministry of Moses. As far as that era was concerned, Moses was the happening man because he had the largest congregation. He had seen God and performed great miracles but his knowledge of delegation of duties was low. He may have collapsed under stress but blessed be God, he didn't see himself as a man who needed no counsel from a mere mortal. He listened to Jethro and it paid off.(Ex18:1-27). Our spirituality will never exclude us from needing wise counsel.

If you want to make quality decisions in life, you must be a lover of wise counsel. Always surround yourself with wise men not "yes men". The former will tell you what you need to hear but the latter will always tell you what you want to hear. The truth is that we know those who tell us the truth even when it hurts but we often avoid them because we have tendencies to always want to hear from those who will tell us what we want to hear. In counseling, one thing I've seen repeatedly are people with ready-made minds on what they intend doing only seeking for the validation of a counselor. They dislike critical analysis of their intention. Some are fond of intimidating counselors with "thus saith the Lord". Often, when such people come around, I don't say a word because according to them, the Lord has spoken, who am I to speak/ counsel? Believers with this attitude often fall into grave errors. If you're privileged to meet men with depth, don't shut their counsel down with "thus saith the Lord" unless they ask you to tell them what the Lord has said. You owe them listening ears first. Later, you can go back to check if their counsel is in alignment with what God is saying or may have told you. Aside hearing the voice of the Spirit, I've known God to always surround His children with covenant relationships where they can draw wise counsel from. Blessed are those who take advantage of those covenant relationships.