Giving And Taking Advice

What advice can we give to ourselves or take to someone who is on a newly traveled difficult road?  

Posted on

Who would have thought that in the Spring of 2020 we would be locked in our homes, practicing social distancing, and be right in the middle of a pandemic in the world?  

How did we respond while on this difficult road?  It’s not over yet, either.  What advice can we give to ourselves or take to someone who is on a newly traveled difficult road?  Trust our God!  

In our story of Job, we see the counsel that is given from Job’s friends.  Within their counsel are elements of truth.  The reason they have been criticized by Biblical theologians is that they try to interpret WHY Job is going through his suffering.  They assume to know God’s purpose in allowing Satan to assault him.  

  • Be wise when offering counsel.  
  • Don’t try and play God.

In this pandemic, I keep asking the Lord to let us learn what we are to learn and take us to a higher place in Him, to a place that we’ve never been before.  Outpouring is on our doorstep!  We are not being confined, but refined!  

There are WHY questions that we ask, that we don’t have an answer for.   If someone fearful asks, “Why is this happening?  Just be honest and say, “I don’t know, but I do know that God is good.  He will use it in our life for good to grow and advance us.  Just cling to Him.”  

  • Sometimes people are looking for answers we can’t give.  Let God do His work.   

Job’s friends assume there must be some sin in his life for this to have happened.  Ouch!  That is not always the case.  If I remember correctly God said “That there was no on earth like him…”(Job 1: 8)  Job was in a league of his own.  

Prophetic gifting and insight are to encourage, exhort, and build up one another.  If it’s used to condemn, it will do harm to people’s wounded hearts. I am passionate about folks using this gift correctly!    

  • Tearing someone down will take them longer to grow up in the things of the Lord.  
  • Adding wounded grief, to an already hurting heart, is not helpful to anyone.  
  • Don’t give the enemy a foothold in kicking someone down.  We are called to lift them up and out!  We must extend our hands and our heart.  
  • Pull them up to where God created them to be. 

One of my favorite verses supporting this is:  “If I have the gift of prophecy and fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and I have faith to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”  (1 Corinthian 13: 2)  

Pay attention and watch what we declare.   Peter declared, to Jesus, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.  And all the other disciples said the same.”  (Matthew 26: 35)  We all know Peter not only denied Jesus once but three times.  

  • Peter, in his forerunner calling, led the disciples to a declaration that he himself could not keep.  

The other morning as I awakened to pray, early, I was so tired.  I positioned myself, put on my Tallit, sat on the bed in our spare bedroom, and before you know it, I started looking at the back of my eyelids as I laid down on the bed.  I plugged in my music and I could hear the whisper of the Lord saying, “Keep watch with me.”  I sat straight up and yielded to what the Lord had asked me to, but more importantly, what I had declared I would do!  “Practice what you preach sister,” is what I said to myself!  

Does Jesus need us to pray with Him?  No, but He chooses to.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked the disciples to “Stay here and keep watch with me.”  (Matthew 26: 38) 

As we learn from Job, from his friends, and from Jesus, we learn the importance of exhorting, declaring, and blessing.  As we give and take advice, here’s a blessing in the Old Testament that Moses declared that we can leave someone with:   “May the Lord the God of your Father’s, increase you a thousand times and bless you as He has promised.”  (Deuteronomy 1: 11)  

 

 

 


UNBROKEN LOVE SERIES

You can find all of the Unbroken Love series posts by clicking the button below.

VISIT SERIES PAGE

The views and opinions expressed by Kingdom Winds Collective Members, authors, and contributors are their own and do not represent the views of Kingdom Winds LLC.

About the Author

Mary Beth Pecora, a faithful wife, mother, grandmother, friend, worshiper and servant leader, who loves life and loves people. More importantly, she passionately loves God and the fullness of who He is! For twenty-three years she has served in leadership positions within the ministry of Aglow International. Currently, she and her husband serve at The Secret Place--A Psalm 91 Ministry. It's a place for individual folks to come, be exhorted and prayed for, while being ushered to ministry stations within the room. They continue to serve monthly in the Prayer Room at their home church that they have been a part of for almost forty years. In April of 2022 they both received their Ministry License and were Ordained in May of 2023. She delights in encouraging folks of all ages within various walks of life. Her love of writing is now her passion, which led her to publish two books, "Restoration Explosion In The New Year," and "Navigating The Mysteries Of God." Above all that’s been accomplished and concluded, the BEST thing to her is knowing her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is her everything—her very best friend. Visit: Mybelovedsvoice.com