I can’t say enough about this one. How many times have you done something really stupid and later you think, “I should have asked so and so their advice.” It happens time and time again all through our lives. When we are kids we think our Dad is the smartest man in the world, there is no one smarter! When we become teenager, we start to think that Dad doesn’t quite know everything. In our twenties, we realize that Dad still does have some smarts. When we reach our thirties, it is obvious, Dad really was/is smart!

It hasn’t been hard for me to realize that there are lots of people out there smarter than me, my Dad was one of them and so is my wife. Wives and Moms are the most underappreciated species on the face of the planet. They are filled with wisdom, grace, mercy and when need be, judgment. Both of my parents have passed on and I often wish I could call my Dad up on the phone and ask for advice regarding situations and life issues. James Calloway was such a wise man to have a eighth grade education. Without a shadow of a doubt my Dad’s wisdom came from his walk with God and the friendship of wise men in his life.

You might be thinking, “What good does it do to get counsel if you have already decided what to do?” That is the point. You have decided the direction you need to take. What you are seeking to do at this point is listen to men and women who are godly and are focused on growing God’s kingdom. These people are not hard to find. There will be hopefully at least one in your church or your family or circle of friends. These people will know hear your heart not your ideas. They will be excited to see you excited and probably be able to help you refine the details of the vision you are about to implement.

It is no secret that people are here to help you through life, not to hinder you, because you have been around some real knot heads. God created us to have a relationship with Him, but also to have relationships with each other. Two heads are better than one and three heads are even better than two! There are times when people give advice without you asking and there are times when some advice isn’t worth listening to. Again, this is why it is extremely important that any counsel you receive, lines up with the teachings of the Bible. Do not be afraid to get other Christ followers involved in helping you discover God’s vision for your life and putting it down on paper and helping you implement it. You can’t go wrong with people who give you godly counsel, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” I advise you to seek counsel from those who know God’s vision for their life and can share it very clearly with you.

You may be tempted to shortcut this area of seeking godly counsel, but I would not recommend that for your own good. Almost everyone has either read or heard about the story Job in the Old Testament. Job was a man who loved and respected God and was God’s friend. He was a very successful businessman, had a great family, and the respect of friends and associates. Satan approached God and attributed Job’s success and love for God only because God had blessed him greatly. Satan believed that if God would allow him to test Job, then Job would buckle and thus prove that his allegiance to God was only apparent when God was blessing him. God gave Satan permission to test Job. Satan could touch everything that belonged to Job, except his soul! Job lost his servants to invaders, lost all his livestock to calamity and theft, then his children were killed in a freak storm, and then he is struck with boils all over his body. Job’s wife gave him counsel to curse God and die. He had three friends who come not to comfort Job, but to blame Job for the predicament he is in and Job cried out in amazement that no one had a good word to give him. That is until God arrives on the scene and explains to Job that He is Sovereign, (knows what is going on and has a purpose for it) and that there has been a purpose to what has happened. What does Job do? He prays for his three friends who provided him with unwise counsel and when he does, God restores all that he lost plus more. When you are seeking God’s vision for your life, be sure you surround yourself with those who can and will provide godly counsel.