Monday, July 19, 2010

counsel yourself, Diane!

So, what am I thinking about today?

I'm thinking about how easy it is to give others advice and counsel and how hard it is to follow your own counsel. Has this happened to you?

Today, I was giving counsel and encouragement to a friend who has a problem in her life and as I was talking to her I was thinking, "Now, do YOU do this, Diane? Do YOU trust all things to God and not fret and not worry?" I was telling this friend to not seek the assurances of other people but to seek comfort and assurance from God's Word. Then, in the back of my mind I heard myself say, "Do YOU seek comfort and assurance from God's Word alone, Diane?"

UGH! of course not. This particular friend will seek counsel from various people, trying to find the perfect answer to whatever is ailing her. This morning I realized that I am not any different. I'm worse! I am not the sort of person that talks to everyone about what's troubling me, seeking advice and input... nope... I TALK TO MYSELF!!!! I'm not even willing to seek counsel from others... I'll just help myself, thank you very much.

I mull things over, I fret, I re-enact conversations, I worry about what could happen, what did happen, what may never happen, what I said, what he said, what she said, what might happento me.... LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY! I work myself into a tizzy!!!!!

I need to follow my own advice. Am I worried? Concerned? Fretting? I don't need to talk to a bazillion people for assurance and WORSE, I don't need to try and assure myself. I need to go to God's Word and seek my comfort and hope there.

Two scriptures come to my mind:

Psalm 94:19 "When the cares of my heart are many Your consolations cheer my soul."

and

Psalm 131: O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
[2] But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Some things are just to great and marvelous for me to occupy myself with. All things are best left to God and His perfect plan for my life... Oh may I follow my own advice and seek a calm and quiet soul as I rest in God and His Word. May I not raise my eyes too high and may I not occupy myself with things too great and marvelous for me to figure out. May I go to your Word, Father, and seek my consolation there.

PS.... the bible is very clear that it is wise to seek counsel and wisdom from godly people when seeking God's will for areas of decision in your life as well as Scripture. This is not what I'm talking about here.. I'm talking about the mind that sets itself on the course of worrying and fretting.... better off going straight to God and Scripture for that... worrying and fretting lead to well, more worrying and fretting. Ask God for help! He will help you! He has helped me!!!

So, that's what I'm thinking about today. What do you think about this?


1 comment:

  1. I hear you,Diane! This is a matter of one finger pointing at someone else equals 3 pointing back at me! It's humbling to have someone ask for advice or prayer, knowing that they are seeking godly counsel. If I am not giving advice that lines up with that from Our Great Counselor then they might as well ask their paper boy or letter carrier or the greeter at WalMart. We need to be renewing our minds regularly with the scriptures so that we will be transformed. Meditating on passages or even verses until they really become part of us is one way to do that. We may not have hours to be in the Word, but the logos word has to be in us before it can be a rhema word to us or to others. Sharpen your swords, ladies, we're in a battle for our souls.
    Terri Metcalf
    goldenruleterri@yahoo.com

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