How to Get Good Godly AdviceSample

Day Three - If You’re Giving The Advice

Let me take a minute to talk about giving godly advice. First, just by asking for your advice, assume that a person looks up to you, and wants to follow you as you follow Christ. Realize they might act upon any advice you give them, so don’t just blurt out something without seriously considering your answer first.

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines advice as “an opinion or suggestion about what someone should do.”[5] Emphasis on opinion or suggestion. Remember, you are not deciding for them. You’re responsible to them, but not for them.

I’ve heard of extreme discipleship where younger Christians submit themselves to an elder for every decision, from where to attend school to how many children to have. That’s not scriptural. The main goal of advisers should be helping Christians align their lives with the Bible and discern the leading of the Lord for themselves.

I rarely butt into someone’s life with advice -- I wait for them to come to me. I usually only initiate advice if I get a very strong unction from the Holy Spirit. Even then, I tread softly to see if they’re open to receiving from me because if they’re not, no matter how good my advice is, it will fall on deaf ears.

If you’re called to advise on a moment’s notice, let the person know it’s your opinion, not a prophetic, “thus sayeth the Lord” unction. Of course, the Lord may speak to you, but if He doesn’t, don’t pin it on Him.

Say something like, “If it were me, I might…” That way they can weigh what you’ve said and see if it witnesses with them. That’s what we want them to do anyway—seek God, learn how to hear His voice and be led by the Holy Spirit for themselves.

Always lead people to the Word of God. The Bible is their answer book; when you help them to see what it says about their situation, they’ll know where to go for answers the next time they need counsel, too.

Just remember, you aren’t God. It’s not up to you to tell a person what to do or to make them choose a particular course of action. That’s the Holy Spirit’s job. He’s good at it—He’s been doing it a long time, and we can trust Him to do it.