Counsel of Purpose
Scripture Reading - Proverbs 20:18 KJV
Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.
Today’s lesson picks up on a previous lesson when we spoke about the “Counselors of God’s Word”. In that lesson we also mentioned that the “Counsel of God’s Word” is far superior to the “Counsel of Man”. However, in today’s lesson we will blend the two. What we (ihlcc) mean by that is the “Counsel of God’s Word” should serve as the foundation for every purpose that involves men. Notice today’s verse did not say “some” purposes are established by counsel, nor did the verse say “only Godly purposes” are established by counsel. No, the verse clearly states “every purpose” is established by counsel. This basically means all purposes you have are either established by (or through) the Counsel of God or the counsel of someone else or something else. Yes, there are people giving counsel all over the world starting with close family members to distant relatives to philosophies around the world. There is even counsel being given on all types of social media, some counsel is good and much counsel is bad. We (all Christians) must come to the realization that multitudes of people in the earth are deceived due to bad counsel. They believe the lies of the devil that serving God, if there is a God, is not important. No, the world system doesn’t breed dependency upon Jesus but rather independency from God. The world thinks that serving yourself is paramount and occasionally helping someone else is a good deed only done because you are a good person (self-righteousness). The World system must acknowledge that love is a force to be reckoned with but just leave God out of the equation. This is the reason we (ihlcc) are mentioning the topic of “Counsel of Purpose” because we firmly believe that your “purposes” must be founded upon the Word of God. Yes, not just what church you go to but also the majority of ideas you have in your heart. Some would say, “God doesn’t care what type of clothes I wear or what I put into my body.” However, we would reply, “Do you care what type of clothes your 5 year old daughter wears?” Or “Do you care what type of food or drink your 4 month old infant puts into his body?” If you are a good parent the correct answer is “Of course I care!” It is funny how many people don’t think of God as a loving good Father (our very real parent) that wants to be involved in all aspects of your life. Yes, Jesus Christ came to the earth and died on the cross just so we could have close fellowship with God, The Father, so it wouldn’t make any sense for a true child of God not to include their Heavenly Father in the key decisions of their life. It is for that reason we believe that doing inventory on your current life on a regular basis (perhaps annually) is a good idea. We all need time for self-introspection to consider where we are at in our life and more importantly just where we are at with God. If you first consider that you are a child of God you will know that God’s Will should be revealed to the world. If you secondly consider that as a Child of God (a Christian) we should be more quick to speak God’s Word over your own words you will be miles ahead of many in the Body of Christ. Many baby Christians believe that only preachers and ministers should speak God’s Word and all others should only speak God’s Word when necessary (when they have to). Although this type of thinking is erroneous it is still common in the many Christian camps. The more mature approach believes that all Christians are to be true disciples of Jesus Christ and speak after His Word’s (God’s word) with no fear, no reservations or no doubts. The problem many face is to speak boldly about the things of God requires an accurate knowledge of God’s Word first. We must first be students of God’s Will (His Word) to be in a teaching position to help others. When we know God’s Word first we are in a more confident position to share God’s Word with others and this same Word of God will start to influence “our purposes in life”. We must “purpose to be like Jesus Christ” and moreover we must “purpose to spend extra time with God” in reading His Word and worshipping Him. Yes, many people are too busy for God, only a few children of God set aside a specific time each day to fellowship with God. We should “purpose” to eat right to present God’s Holy Temple (our body according to 1 Corinthians 3:16,17) in the best condition possible. We should “purpose” to think right by renewing our minds to the word of God. We should “purpose” to speak right as the oracles of God and that doesn’t mean only speaking God’s Word but also speaking right to all people we communicate with. Yes, we (ihlcc) do not favor trying to use King James Christian language to explain to your boss what you are working on at your job. No, speaking right to others includes being able to speak their language to offer help during a time of need. Speaking right also includes a kind word when appropriate and good sound practical “counsel” in handling your financial obligations and decisions. All these “purposes” and more are found in the “Counsel of God’s Word”. Furthermore, we should “purpose” to love right because that is the only way people can truly see God in your life. Love leads by example and that is the only universal language that transcends all races, nations and governments. We said all this to simply say the “purposes” of your life should come from God’s Word because God is right. If you look closely into what you believe and why you believe it you will find it came through the counsel of something or someone. We simply ask all the Children of God to re-examine their “purposes” unto the glory of God which includes “removing bad or idle purposes” to replace them with the “Counsel of Purpose” from God’s Word to be pleasing to God in all things and to be victorious over this world’s system and all the things in it. It is through this “Counsel of Purpose” from God’s Word that we operate in the Grace of God to overcome all things in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen!