Day 9: Proverbs 12:15

“A fool’s way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise.”



Surely you’ve done this before. You get this great idea, I mean, like make a million dollars good idea. It’s so good you don’t tell anyone else about it, out of fear that they will steal it (it’s that good). So you set to work on your idea. You work hard, and finally the day comes to unveil your masterpiece. Then it bombs. Maybe it’s a school project, a paper, a business idea, or a lemonade stand, I don’t know. So why did it bomb? Because you didn’t talk to anyone else about it. Sometimes we’re so caught up in not wanting anyone else to get the credit that we don’t get anyone else’s advice. Bad move. We usually end up falling flat on our faces that way.


God speaks to us in many ways. He speaks to us through His word, the Bible. He speaks to us through prayer and quiet time. And sometimes He speaks to us through other godly people. The fact is that we need Christian people around us at all times speaking into our lives. Just because we are leaders doesn’t mean we know everything. In fact, a good leader is one who can admit that not only do they not know everything, they don’t know much of anything. The greatest leaders (bar Jesus, who really did know everything) are ones that surround themselves with extremely wise people to help you make decisions and let you know when you are going to fall on your face.


Who do you let counsel you now? Anyone? Noone? As you develop yourself as a leader, develop a group of contacts that can give you wise counsel as you make decisions. Start with pastors, youth leaders, parents, or extremely godly friends and teachers. Whoever it is, they’ll steer you clear from trouble, and maybe you’ll get to speak into their life to.


CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE: We all need wise people to give us advice. We can’t go it alone, and God didn’t make us that way, anyway. Don’t ever make a decision by yourself. Give God the opportunity to speak to you through a trusted friend or advisor.


Here’s a set of verses to meditate on today: I Kings 4:1-6, and 2 Timothy 4:9-18.


Prayer: Father, show me people that you would like to advise me. Please humble me so that I never think I can do things on my own. Give me a godly, loving group of people who will give me good advice and speak Your words to me. In Christ’s name I pray, amen.