Be careful of those who are in the habit of counselling you against the word of God. Yes, be very careful of those who are continually offering you alternatives to the will of God, and stay as far away from them as you can, regardless of who they are. That is because such people don’t have your well-being in mind—it is your destruction they are after.
Truly, it is possible for someone to continually offer you ungodly counsel because he is totally ignorant of the way of God. That is understandable. And such a person can be helped to see that his ways are darkness while God’s ways are light. But when someone who is supposed to know the truth is often counselling you against the will of God, you need to stay away from him, even if he is a preacher. Otherwise, you will soon enough be polluted and set on the path of destruction. (Cf. Rom 16:17–18)
Do you remember King Jeroboam of Israel? Well, Jeroboam was the young man who was ordained by God to be king over ten of the tribes of Israel. And that was because of the apostasy of King Solomon. Unfortunately, instead of being devoted to leading God’s people in the way of righteousness, as stipulated in the Law of Moses, this young king was only concerned about how he was going to establish a dynasty for his household. This man totally forgot that he did not make himself king over Israel—God made him king. And in fact, God had promised to build him a dynasty if he would faithfully obey all His commands and follow Him wholeheartedly. But he set aside all that and came up with his own ways of establishing a dynasty for himself, proving his lack of faith in God. (Cf. 1 Kings 11:29–39)
To cut a long story short, this man, according to the Scriptures, made two golden calves and said to the people God had placed him over:
“It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of Egypt. Worship them!”
Look at that. Jeroboam told the people that the will of God was just too much for them to handle. So, he gave them an alternative way of worship, and they foolishly followed it. And with that singular act, according to the Scriptures, he set the stage for the future captivity of the whole nation of Israel. (Cf. 1 Kings 12:28 & 1 Kings 14:15–16)
In the same vein, anyone who is counselling you against the will or way of the Lord is simply preparing you for satanic enslavement. So, be very careful of him. Don’t allow him to use his religious title, age, reputation or position to lead you to do anything that is contrary to what you know to be righteous. As long as what he is saying is an alternative to the way of God, reject it. Even if he says to you, “Many people have tried this thing, and it worked for them,” don’t listen to him. That is exactly how many of God’s people were misled into error and ruin.
Think about it. How did people come to accept that it is all right to pray in other names apart from the name of Jesus? Or are you not aware that people pray in the names of certain saints of old and in the names of certain angels, angels whose names are not even in the Scriptures? People still do that today because there are those who are telling them that it works.
Also, ask some people why they still offer some kinds of prayers, prayers that are clearly inconsistent with the word of God, and they will tell you that what they are doing is working. What they don’t know is that, by talking like that, they are unconsciously saying it is all right to accept an alternative to the will of God, as long as it works.
But remember Moses. Remember how he acted against the will of God in the wilderness, striking the rock twice when he was commanded to speak to it. And did it work for him or not? It worked for him. But, as a result of that, he lost his place as the one to lead God’s people into their inheritance. (Cf. Num 20:1–12)
So, it is not every alternative to the will of God that fails to work. And as I said before, each time you follow an alternative to the will of God, whether consciously or unconsciously, there will be a price to pay. That price could be as great as your soul. So, always be careful. And may the Spirit of God always keep you from the counsel of the ungodly and strengthen you to abide in His will. Amen.
Life application: Think of the voice in your life that most often says, “Just do it this way; it works.” So, always test every piece of advice against what God has actually said before you act on it, and keep your distance from any counsel that asks you to bend His word, no matter how respected the person giving it. Before every major decision, ask yourself: “Is this what God has said, or only what works?”