Newness of Life With Good Counsel.

  What is it that everyone wants to give but no one wants to take? Advice.
  Actually there is the difference between advice and counsel that is important.  While advice focuses on a problem, counsel focuses on the person. Advice keys in on the what, while counsel keys more on the why.
  My problem is that many times I may receive good counsel, but then I do not take it to heart enough and take required action.  That practice would produce more wisdom, which I have great need of.
  What I find comforting is that we have access to the greatest counsel imaginable as children of God. There is the resource of other wise people to draw upon in the kingdom of God, and there are those who spent countless hours with Him and recorded their learning from Him, and then there is His indescribable gift of diving into the treasure of His Word to hear from His heart.
  Proverbs 11:14 lets us know, "Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety."
  Wise and trustworthy people in our lives help us, if only we will ask. I am grateful for parents and seasoned friends who have taken time to guide and encourage me along the way of life's adventure.  Add to this the great pastors and teachers that lead us in studying and applying God's awesome truth.
  Also I am grateful for God's faithful servants throughout time who have shared their gifts and lives and wisdom to help us press on. Hebrews 12:1 speaks of some of these, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses..." This is an enormously good reminder of faithful folks who trusted God and help us do the same by their example.
  Others have left a rich legacy of faithful lives of teaching and serving God- D.L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, Oswald Chambers, Alexander MacLaren are some who have helped me to confidently trust in God and learn more of His ways and spurred me along to live a life that pleases Him.
  Most importantly, my Saviour and Lord, Jesus, in Isaiah 9:6, is called Wonderful Counselor.  Why would I not seek counsel from Him first and foremost?  He has the qualifications, no doubt about it.  And in His qualifications, he exhibits the following: He shows us the eternal perspective, He is understanding, He loves us, He encourages us, He prepares us for the inevitable problems that arise, He is patient with us. Incredibly, He gives us the opportunity every day to know Him and seek Him and praise Him!  He has given us the treasure of knowing Him as the Living Word.
  Warren Wiersbe writes, "Your Counselor knows the decisions you must make and how important those decisions are to you and Him.  God is lovingly wrapped up in your life.  He has a tremendous investment in you and your future.  He has more to lose if you fail than you do, for His eternal glory is at stake.  He wants to be your Counselor and show you His will.  He doesn't want to counsel you only in the emergencies of life; He wants to counsel you every day in even the mundane things of life.  As you seek His counsel, you get to know Him better.  In knowing Him better, you understand His will."

Please pray with me:
  Heavenly Father, lead me in the way everlasting.  Please help me seek You each and every day and counsel me with Your powerful and loving guidance, so I may please You and make Your name known.  I pray in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.