We know that a healthy diet and exercise are key to our physical wellbeing, but many of us neglect those. Then, when health issues arise or we don’t get the test results we expected, we are quick to go to the doctor (or doctors) for their opinions or medication in hopes of a quick fix. We turn to fads and crash diets for quick and easy results, all while neglecting the most important foundations of good nutrition and exercise. The same is often true spiritually. Time with God, prayer, and time in the Word are the most important components for a believer, but aren’t always priority. We know by the Word of God that this is what we need, yet this is not always what we choose. Therefore, when there’s a bump in the road or an adversity, we run to someone else for their advice, instead of going directly to the One who knows what’s best for us.   

There is a plethora of misinformation, flashy supplements, and “experts” out there that will gladly take our money.  Similarly, 1 Peter 2:1 says, “There were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them…And many will follow their destructive ways.” 

God is not a fad or crash diet. He’s not interested in quick fixes. He desires an intimate relationship with us. The Bible says in John 8:32, “Then you shall know (gnosko– intimate knowledge of) the Truth, and the Truth (revelation through intimacy, not head knowledge or facts) shall set you free.” Knowledge puffs us up, but love edifies. ( 1 Corinthians 8:1) I heard a pastor say, “If we’re not careful, head knowledge without revelation through intimacy will cause the thing we know to be right to condemn us because we’re not walking it out.” Wise counsel is not a bad thing; it’s actually biblical: “Where no wise guidance is, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”(Proverbs 11:14 ) “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”(Proverbs 12:15) “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22) God said, He IS the Spirit of Counsel, and Counsel is His. That means that any “counsel” that isn’t from God (or says what God ISN’T saying) isn’t counsel at all.  Another pastor mentioned that when someone comes to Christ, there’s often someone else who will tell them that they still have baggage or some root issue they need to work through. That pastor says, “No, what you need is truth! You need truth, but that pursuit of truth can’t be done for you by a counselor. That pursuit of truth can only be done by THE Counselor.”  So, while godly counsel is a good thing, we should never use it to replace our relationship with God through prayer and time in His Word. We ourselves have to know what God’s word says. We can’t take someone else’s opinion as the gospel truth. If we don’t know His word for ourselves, it will be very easy to be misled, even by well-meaning people.

The Good News-tritionist