Seeking GODly Counsel

God is currently teaching me about ADVICE and this is what He says:
(Spiritual Disclaimer: This is not literally God speaking. This is my one sentence summary of what I'm currently learning from Him. I just put it in red to make it stand out.)

Seek your Lord's voice above all else.

For 3 reasons...
1. God knows the whole story
2. Man's perspective is flawed
3. God's voice requires obedience


1. Sometimes when I try to talk to my friends, I feel like I have to start from the very beginning. And then I know my story is skewed. And it's still only my perspective of the story, which makes it flawed. Not to mention that my friends' perspectives are flawed to begin with (I mean, we're all human here.) But God knows, inside and out, every aspect of every story without flawed vision or perception. Doesn't it just make sense to ask for His advice first? And then again before you make the final decision, just to be sure it's Him you're listening to?

2. The Bible talks repeatedly about Christ coming as the Prince of Peace, about God bringing peace to His saints and children, about the gospel being a message of peace...
Of course, God sends our brothers and sisters into our lives to encourage us, to spur us on, and to impart wisdom from Him. I'm not in denial of that. But sometimes we get different pieces of advice from different friends. And it's not always in accord with what we think is right. So then you have all these alternatives bouncing around in your head and it's so confusing! What should I do?!
If we lean on our friends, counselors, pastors to make decisions for us, well we're not serving God. He brings peace and He speaks clearly, so come to Him first. And come to Him last. And obey Him, above all others, no matter how good their advice may be.

3. This part is my favorite. Even when friends give Godly advice, it's not always what I want to hear. So I don't have to listen, cause 1.They don't know the whole story and 2.Their views are flawed (just like mine)! It's great to get advice you don't have to take right?
But when God tells us we should do something, now that's a different story. That requires obedience. Or blatant disobedience. I shudder to think of showing God such disrespect, even though I do so often.


So I don't always wanna ask God first, or even last, what I should do, because that carries such a heavy weight of obedience... I mean, I might actually have to do something I don't wanna do! But if I want clarity and if I want to be obedient to my Lord, then I need to come to Him. I need to ask Him to speak to me first. I can listen to friends and others, but I need to come to Him again at the end before I make whatever decision it is I am seeking counsel over.

I know it sounds so basic -- Go to God first! But in the chaos of confusing thoughts bouncing around in my head like crazy, and not knowing what to do, it's good for me to break it down into these simple principles so I can remember to Whom it is I should respond when seeking counsel.