The Purpose of Counselling!

Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. Proverbs 11:14 KJV
For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers. Proverbs 11:14 NIV
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. Good people obtain favor from the LORD, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes. Proverbs 12:1,2 NIV
The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:3,22
Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers. Proverbs 24:6 NIV

The first counselors present in our lives are our parents and when we have Godly parents, we get good advice and if we follow their good advice, we encounter fewer problems, but when we do encounter problems, we know how to address them.

At a point in time--at that time varies for all people--when we have been influenced by righteousness, we reach a time when we understand the need for God in our lives and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. When we receive Him and are filled with Holy Spirit--we have the greatest counselor living within us and if we hear and obey, we avoid many problems in life.

In a secular setting--those who journey through life without the guidance of Holy Spirit--there are counselors that are trained to give good advice so our lives can be balanced and more complete. If people heed their advice, many are able to overcome problems that could otherwise devastate them.
Having access to good counseling/advisors appears to be important to God since it is mentioned so many times along with "wisdom" and being "wise." There are those who do not seek wise counsel and end up doing foolish things and being exposed for their foolishness.

How do we know who is a wise counselor? We know Holy Spirit is the wisest counselor we could ever have, but absent His presence, we need to look at the people who are trying to advise us. What does their life look like? Is there evidence that wisdom was exercised in all they do? Is there evidence that they know God, hear and obey? Are they doing the same thing the person they're counseling is doing and yet think they can advise others?

To simplify matters and for the sake of clarity--let me explain further. A person who has never known success in marriage cannot offer any advice about anyone having a successful marriage. A person who does not exemplify Godly behavior in all they do, cannot advise anyone else about how God wants them to act. A person whose life is filled with past, unrepentant sin, cannot advise anyone else about how to live a Godly life or even a life that is above reproach. For The Word of God says, "The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them. “But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die." Ezekiel 18:20,21 NIV

Therefore, if anyone tells us that we will be held accountable for the actions of others--they lie and the truth is not in them. God holds us--individually--accountable for what we do, not for the actions of others. And quite frankly, I'm tired of people promoting this lie. I am responsible for the things I say and the things I do--no one else--and I cannot blame poor counseling or negative influence--I alone am responsible. But since I hear Holy Spirit when He speaks, I do not live my life concerned with committing sin--if I even think of the wrong thing--He checks me. When I'm writing my blog posts or even commenting on other online forums, He leads me in all I say. Even when others attack what I say and resort to name-calling; though my flesh may rise and want to counter the attack, He won't let me. As a result--Glory to God--many people who follow the same articles I do have commented on my patience with others in how I respond to them. It is not me, but Holy Spirit in me, that keeps me from making a fool of myself in a public forum. This is the evidence of wise, sound counseling, serving its purpose--that we don't make a fool of ourselves for all the world to see.

People can say whatever they want to say about me--I have a thick skin and Holy Spirit to guide me when I'm tempted to react. I realize I cannot control what people think or say; I can only allow Holy Spirit to control me so I do what I do--knowing if I ever take the wrong path, Holy Spirit will put me back on the right path.

The purpose of counseling is to keep us safe and avoid negative situations that could cause more grief-- from political campaign implosions and unnecessary wars (egos and nations).

I'm praying for people everywhere (specifically in this election cycle) to hear wise counsel--especially when there is a multitude of counselors--giving good advice. For in the multitude of counselors--Holy Spirit will reside in at least one of the people--giving advice.

When Integrity Is Lacking!

And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us. For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. Titus 2:7,8, 11-13 NLT

POLITIC ALERT!
At what point--in this election cycle--are people going to admit that Donald Trump would not make a good presentative of who Americans are?

Though I have tried to refrain from giving him attention, his actions--cannot be ignored. This is not about hatred or bigotry or incompetence--it is about the fact that this man has no apparent moral compass and even with his lame attempt to apologize, sincerity is seriously lacking and the fact that he attempts to deflect and dodge--turning the blame onto Bill Clinton.

Bill Clinton acted foolishly and immorally before he was voted as President and afterwards and he was punished for his actions. And no matter what Hillary did--as the woman wronged in the situation--the women who chose to involve themselves with her husband cannot justify their actions and in no way should anyone attempt to hold Hillary accountable for what her husband--who is not seeking the presidency--did. In fact, I don't know too many women who wouldn't have done the same thing Hillary did--letting those women know, she wasn't a doormat. The repeated lies that Bill abused women should stop and I pray that God will deal with those who originated the lie. Those women knew he was married and many of them plotted to get next to him in order to undermine his position.


I am so tired of the deflection and dodge game continually presented by the Republican party surrogates that I am beginning to doubt their relationship with God.

How can anyone--purporting to be a true Believer--continue to justify and gloss over Trump's behavior by blaming others?

Trump has repeatedly shown the world that his inflated ego will not allow him to seriously admit wrongdoing and truly be contrite with his abject apologies. His combative attitude is not lost to those who are watching what he does with clear vision--our minds are not blinded by party loyalty, but we see truth--in all of its glaring glory--and the man is not fit to be president of the United States.

Where there is no integrity--evil lurks--ready to spread its poisonous venom onto all who get in the path. And anyone who continues to justify the evil is just as evil as the evil itself.

Do I believe he is irredeemable? I don't know; only God knows. Do I believe--as some evangelicals are promoting--that God chose Trump? NO! For anyone to believe that lie--especially someone claiming to be a Christian--either doesn't truly know God through His Word and in Relationship with Him or they think God is a moron. Heaven help us all!

Until integrity and truth reign in the hearts of man and woman--we will continue to see this debacle--total exposure--for all the world to see and then wonder--"What's wrong with those Americans?"

This American understands the problem and I have more questions than answers, but I will not sit idly by and say nothing about the danger that lurks if America puts this man in the White House. He claims, traveling around the country has changed him, but we see no evidence of that when he continues to mock the disabled, continues to belittle minorities and women, and has no problem backpedaling faster than a spinning top spins. Someone truly needs to explain to him, "the art of sincerity" and "how to avoid deflection and dodge ball" when running for the highest office in the land.

If ever we needed the wisdom of God to pour out on the planet, that time is now.

Lord, show us who You are in a very public way, redeeming the time for those of us who Love You and will not bring shame upon ourselves or You.

We Are His Children!

“Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ Hosea 1:10 NIV

No matter what happens, The Word of God is for all of His Children and all who have turned to Him and away from sin are His children.

Like the children of men--we are not perfect, but He is a perfect God and He knows how to deal with His children--even the rebellious ones and He will never turn His back on His own.

So, to reiterate a theme of the week--don't allow fear to lead you to despair and eventual destruction. With Jesus on our side--we can rest with the assurance that He is more than the world against us and no matter what battle we face--in the end, we win.

Let the naysayers and doubters believe what they will--don't argue--for argument with the foolish and unlearned is futile; just stay focused on Him who loves all and will eventually be recognized and praised for who He is--even those who claimed they did not believe. Oh yes, the time is coming and will be upon us quickly when we will all stand before The Lord and be judged--not for what others have done, but for what we have done or not done that would promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

With the wisdom of God deeply embedded into our hearts, we have all we need to make decisions about every area of our lives. With the love of God overflowing onto all, we have all we need to make life sweeter for all we meet.

There are some things we'll never be able to change and there are some people who may never respond to the call of God to live as He lives in us and that will be their undoing. We have no control over what others do, but we do have control over what we do. When we stand before God, He will not ask us about other people and what they did, but He will call us to give account for all we have done since we came into the knowledge of who He really is. Those things we did for which we have repented will never be brought up to us by God for He forgives and tosses our sin into the sea of forgetfulness.

Our wonderful Father, who gives good gifts to all of His children--have no need to fear what the enemy is doing, but we need to be aware of the enemy's influence in those who attempt to turn us away from believing in God and His ways. We are His children and we have access to all His many benefits--let's receive and bring others into the fold so they, too, can enjoy His love and belonging to Him.

Return To The Lord!

In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo: “The LORD was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty. Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the LORD. Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever?  But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors? “Then they repented and said, ‘The LORD Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’ ” Zechariah 1:1-6 NIV

There are many people waiting for "revival" in the land. Considering the state of the nation, we may be waiting for a while. Revival--renewing our determination to live for The Lord, receiving a refilling of Holy Spirit--and reviewing and reflecting upon our commitment to promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

But where have we gone astray? When we promote man's ideology over God's Word, we open the gates of destruction because we forget that man's fickle beliefs--those that are constantly changing--do nothing more than to confuse and cause doubt. And when confusion and doubt creep into the hearts of people--fear takes the reins and then hatred and bigotry rise like lava until it overflows--leaving in its wake--destruction that cannot be restored.

When a volcano erupts and the hot lava flows--everything in its path is destroyed, nothing left to reconstruct any semblance of those things that were. And this is what has happened in our nation and across the globe--when hate, ignited by superiority complexes--rises and flows over the land into the hearts of people--all resemblance of common decency is destroyed and we wonder why we see such violence in the land.

There is a solution to the problem, but it will take more than a month, more than a year, and perhaps more than a decade to see a recovery of what has been destroyed--complete trust and dependence on The Lord. We know that has been destroyed because all too often we are encouraged to trust and depend on man/woman to relieve our situations.

Restoration of faith and trust can only be accomplished when we are totally dependent on The Lord and therefore, He is waiting for us to return to Him. When we return to doing things His way--based upon His Word--then we can enjoy peace in the land and see an end to the violence and hatred. But we must make a decision to do so now, before it's too late and all is destroyed, never to be seen again.

The Lord is--the Almighty God--and it is only when we obey Him that we can enjoy all of His many benefits. The first step--recognize who He is and then open hearts and minds to receive His wisdom and obey His Word.

Politicians don't have the answer and neither do the church leaders who are only concerned about making themselves to be something they are not. They are not God and no one should heed them over God's Word.

We are all responsible for what we do and we will stand before The Lord on That Day and we won't be able to blame the politicians or the preachers or anyone else for what we have done when we choose to ignore the dictates of God.

It is time we return to The Lord and learn to love all unconditionally--just as He does.

Don't Despair!

It shall come to pass in the day the LORD gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: “How the oppressor has ceased,
The golden city ceased! The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of the rulers; He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke,
He who ruled the nations in anger, Is persecuted and no one hinders. The whole earth is at rest and quiet; They break forth into singing. Isaiah 14:3-7 NKJV

Our day of rest is coming--rest from hearing adults act like children, rest from watching entire cities being bombed and entire populations diminished, rest from debating the merit of being religious versus being in relationship with God--rest--from all the cares of the world and we will see the world break forth into singing.

Is your song ready?

"Great is thy faithfulness, Great is they faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see."

"He's an awesome God."

"There is none like You."

"Worship Him."

Here's one I'll sing--and this is the first view:

Lord God Almighty,
How I adore You
How I wait--for Your Return
Lord God Almighty,
You who know all about us,
And loved us, equally
In spite of our flaws.
Lord God Almighty,
Though I may not be perfect,
I try to live Your Word
And more than anything,
Promote love as Your Laws.
Lord God Almighty,
Hear our plea
And Give Rest to The Weary,
Courage to the fainthearted,
Faith to the hopeless,
Standing Firm until the end.
Lord God Almighty,
Only You know
The Day of Your Return,
And I wait--to live with You forever!

For those who are thinking, "what's the point of continuing to live in such a crazy world," don't despair, live on any way. God has something wonderful in store for you--just for you--and He intends for it happen. Don't let the enemy influence you to become fearful of anything man can do or has done--just look to Him and know you are loved beyond measure and no matter what you have done--He is willing to forgive and keep you on the path He has established for you. Let Him into your heart and allow Him to reign and watch how blessed you will be--when you belong to Him.

Whatever is going on in your life that makes you want to stop living--remember--this is just a temporary moment--and it shall pass. Live the life that God has planned for you and give the devil notice that you will not believe his lies--you will live and praise God for His love and mercy and grace.

Don't Let Fear Mislead!

The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” “I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the LORD. Zephaniah 3:15-20 NIV

Our trust and allegiance should be to The Lord only.

It is The Lord who makes a way out of no way.

It is The Lord who knows all about us and it is The Lord who determines the end from the beginning. In the midst of all that is happening around--we who know The Lord, have no need to fear the rumor-mongers, the hate-mongers or the fear-mongers for their job is to create fear and doubt to control those who refuse to hear God.

So why are Believers fearful? When we listen to the wrong sources--those sources who do nothing all day long except create doubt and fear--those who listen, eventually become fearful and all they know to do is to promote fear. This is a trick of the enemy and fear--when allowed to control a person's thinking--always leads to devastating consequences.

If perfect love--unconditional love--casts fear aside, why are people allowing fear to creep into their hearts and minds and rule? Is their action a result of an absence of love? Or is it that they have believed the enemy and are afraid that their numbers will be diminished by those they hate?

We are in need of a Savior and for those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior--we're good. We have no need for a man or a woman to save us. But for those who don't know--salvation does not come through a mere human being and nothing they say will save us from the destruction ignited from people living in fear.

Fear causes people to do stupid things. They kill without thinking for they think everyone is against them. They malign others to deflect attention from themselves. They shriek instead of talking to people because the tone instills fear in others--making them believe the worst is about to befall us. Where fear reigns--Love is absent.

Don't be mislead by fear--especially the fears that are manufactured by fear-mongers who only want to control your mind and soul. Fill your heart with God's love to overflowing and allow that overflow to spread like a wildfire so others will know Love.

There's no need to fear--anyone or anything--when the love of Christ resides in our hearts.

With Eyes Opened!

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. Ephesians 4:11-25 NKJV  (the entire chapter is an eye-opener in times like these)

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray!

Open the eyes of our hearts and minds and help us to remove the blinders that keep us from seeing truth when it is right in front of us.

Remind us O Lord, that our goal in the earth is bring others into the knowledge of Jesus Christ and encourage them to live for You on a daily basis.

Keep us focused on Your Word that we might use it as a filter to seeing and understanding Truth for we know there is nothing in Your Word that would lead us to anything that is not like You.

For those who have been blinded by lies and deceit, I ask that You dissolve the scales from their eyes and give them a heart of flesh which will allow the light of love to shine brightly in those dark places that promote hatred and bigotry. Help us to resist the urge to hate when You are Love and to turn away from lying for we know the lake of fire has been prepared and is reserved for liars.

Help us to see O God, that Your Word is the only standard or benchmark by which we can measure goodness, gentleness, kindness and integrity.

Lord, I thank You for hearing and answering prayer and for keeping us looking to You for all the answers to any questions we might have about living for You.

Amen!