Prayer Journal
Sunday, October 22, 2000
"Samuel said, 'Why do you consult me now that the Lord has turned away from you and become your enemy?'" 1 Sam 28:16
Samuel was dead. King Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land as God had instructed. The Philistine army was massing their forces at Shunem and the Israelites under Saul's command were assembling at Gilboa to hear a word from their king. Saul wanted a word from God before the battle could begin. He'd always gotten it before, but would today be any different?
Saul called on God but failed to get any response. The Urim and Thumin revealed nothing. The other prophets had no revelation. So, where does a leader turn when he needs counsel and no one is around to give it? One might think repentance and confession before God would be a good start, but not this man. He preferred the counsel of a witch before he would humble himself before Almighty God.
Even the witch knew it was a wrong move, because she rebuked Saul for putting her life in danger by seeking her out. Here's how low Saul sank: He lied to the witch, blasphemed God and falsely assured her she would not be in danger if she listened to him. Such is the trail of sin that awaits the man who fails to get godly counsel. You can be sure you're in trouble when your enemy knows God better than you do.
Today, we have many spiritual resources available to us. Pastors, teachers, ministry leaders, evangelists, Christian Psychologists and Christian friends are all potential sources to help us in spiritual matters. In addition, the word of God has been translated and paraphrased into hundreds of languages and commentaries and available not only in bookstores but on the Internet 7/24/365.
With this wealth of information and accessibility, it might seem that godly counsel is easy to obtain. However, the problem lies in the fact that knowledge without discernment is futile and most often counter productive. If that weren't enough, intermixed among the good material is junk, based on ignorance and little or no godly discernment.
In the end, the only way to truly recognize good counsel is to compare it to the counsel of the only perfect Counselor - the Holy Spirit. Here's something to think about: If the Holy Counselor lives in you, he will reveal those who rightly divide the word of God and those who don't. And if He doesn't, perhaps you need to repent and confess and restore a right relationship with Almighty God.
Just Thinkin'.. WebServant
(1) Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society
(2) The images used herein were obtained from the Learning Company's ClickArt Christian Graphics Deluxe product, (c)1999 The Learning Company, Inc and its subsidiaries, 88 Roland Way, Novato, CA 94945 USA. All Rights Reserved.
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