“Where there is no guidance people fall, but in an abundance of counsellors
there is victory.” Proverbs 11:14.
One reason we need wise counsel is because there are powers that ‘counsel’
against us – Psalm 83:3,5, Ezra 4:4-5. As the Bible reveals, much of this counsel
does not originate in the minds of men and women. The truth is there are
spiritual forces behind human agents that will outsmart and deceive the
Christian who is unaware and listening to the wrong counsel. Demons lie
through the mouths of people. Read 2 Chronicles 18:18-22. As we know, there
are doctrines of demons. (1 Timothy 4:1, 1 John 2:18).
Napoleon Hill wrote one of the best-selling non-fiction books of all time “Think
and grow rich”, by consulting an, ‘invisible counsel’ of spirit guides that were
so real to him that he got scared and stopped for a number of months (p.254).
The teachings they gave him have spread across the world, so has his method
of contacting spirit guides for illumination (a widespread practice going back
thousands of years). Likewise, Carl Jung, one of the founding fathers of modern
psychology, received the basis for “all his work” from spirit guides. Jung had a
spirit guide he called Philemon, “For I observed clearly that it was he who
spoke, not I… It was he who taught me psychic objectivity, the reality of the
psyche.” (Memories, Dreams, Reflections, An Autobiography, p.218-219) Jung
goes on to explains, “From that time on the dead have become even more
distinct for me as the voices of the Unanswered, Unresolved and
Unredeemed… These conversations with the dead formed a kind of prelude to
what I had to communicate to the world about the unconscious… Today I can
say I have never lost touch with my initial experiences. All my work, all my
creative activity has come from has come from those initial fantasies and
dreams which began in 1912, almost fifty years ago. Everything I accomplished
in later life was already contained in them.” (p.228-229). Time magazine called
Jung “One of the three pioneers who build this Age of Psychology”. It is clear
that modern psychology has been build on, and grown from, demonic doctrine.
God’s Word clearly states that believers are to have no part in any form of
spiritual activity that is not from Him (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). How many
Christians have sought counsel from psychologists and counsellors, who basing
much of their theory and advice on Carl Jung’s body of work, have passed on
these demonic teachings? There are countless examples the world’s thinking
actually originates from the demonic realm. Spirits are counselling against God
and His people today. Hence why James wrote, “do you not know that
friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to
a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4.
It is vital then, to seek a multitude of counsellors as we are told in Proverbs
11:14. But where are all these counsellors? Kings and Queens have often
surrounded themselves with whole teams of advisers, and through their
counsel the realm has either flourished or fallen. It has been my experience
that wise counsel is a rare thing even in the body of Christ. It is a true blessing
to know a brother or sister who can offer wise counsel, but where is this
‘multitude’ to be found? The Lord has provided all we need! The solution is
found in Psalm 119:24. The literal Hebrew translation is “Thy testimonies are
my delight; they are the men of my counsel.” God’s testimonies are a facet of
God’s Word. The Bible is our counsel! Christ is the Word, therefore, it makes
sense that He should be called ‘counsellor’ in Isaiah 9:6! His Word is our
counsel, He is our counsellor.
2 Timothy 3:16 says Scripture is profitable for training in righteousness and for
every good work – that we may be complete. 1 John 2:14 tells us that by God’s
Word abiding within, victory over the evil one comes. Christ Himself set the
example, fighting the evil one in the wilderness through the sword of the Spirit,
the Word of God (Luke 4:1-13).
Ephesians 5:6 and Colossians 2:8 warn the believer against being deceived and
taken captive by empty words, philosophy and the traditions of men. The
warning must be heeded because, as we have seen, the spiritual forces behind
certain philosophies and many traditions of men are powerful. Only God’s
Word, aided by His Spirit, will destroy these things and guide us to victory.
It is war, a real battle – every day, though not against flesh and blood, but
against “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians
6:12). 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 instructs us, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do
not war according to the flesh, for our weapons of warfare are not of the flesh,
but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying
speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and
we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” We must use
the sword of the Spirit – the Word of God, to engage in a spiritual battle in
order to defeat the spiritual lies and deception, often being so subtle they go
undetected unless brought ‘captive to the obedience of Christ’. Meaning, the
only way to test if what anyone says, what the world teaches, even to examine
my own thoughts, is to bring all these things before Christ to see if they are of
the truth, simply by checking all things by His Word, thereby bringing them
“captive to the obedience of Christ” He is our Counsellor – Mighty God!