Who Do You Go To For Advice?

Who do you go to for advice? Is it your spouse? Friends? Co-workers? Pastor? Instagram or Facebook?

How do you know if their advice is helpful or harmful?

Francis Bacon says, “He that gives good advice builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example, builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other.”

Psalm 11 reminds us today that we must carefully discern who we go to for advice. Verse 1 says, “In the Lord, I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain?’” Here, David is receiving advice from his friends. Basically, they tell him to be in fear and run away. Why? During this time, David was in constant danger as King Saul went after him to kill him. So his friends had good intentions in telling him to flee. But was it helpful, godly advice?

According to David, it was bad advice, because he said, no, in the Lord I put my trust. And verse 4 continues, “The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord’s throne is in heaven.”

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t run to safety when danger comes at us. Using wisdom and protecting ourselves is godly and biblical. However, the message here is who are you ultimately trusting in? Is it fleeing from danger or having faith in the Lord, who is accessible and powerful? David’s friend’s savior is fleeing the danger, not Jesus the Savior.

Friends, words are important. The words we give to others are important. It can either move them toward Jesus or move them away from Jesus. It can induce fear or faith. What kind of advice do you give?

Psalm 11 says when we give advice, remind them who God is, where God is, and what God can do. As Francis Bacon said, let us provide good counsel and be an example by believing this advice for ourselves so God can use us to be good neighbors to give godly faith-raising advice for the glory of God!

Amen!

Pastor Sean

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