By Stephen Wolemonwu

The purpose of counsel, someone said: “Is to provide guidance, expert advice and objective perspective to improve decision-making, ensure safety, and foster success. It acts as a safeguard against mistakes, helps resolve complex issues (legal, personal or financial), and assists in navigating life’s challenges by leveraging the knowledge and experience of others. The benefit of Counsel can not be over-emphasised.

The Importance Of Counsel:
• Counsel enables you to consider several angles and perspective to a matter before taking decision.

• It aids guidance and wisdom: offering expertise to navigate complex situations, such as legal matters (via attorneys), or personal issues (via counsellors). You leverage on the expertise of others to make meaningful decisions.
 
• Strategic decision-making: Helps you or your organisations define goals, identify strengths and make informed choices.
 
• Risk management: protects you from potential pitfalls, legal disputes and bad decisions.
 
• To gain clear perspective and clarity: provides an objective, third-party viewpoint that brings clarity to emotional or complex situations. 

If considered in specific contexts:
• Legal Counsel: Ensures compliance with laws, manages disputes, and provides expertise in negotiation and litigation.
 
• General counsel: often functions as a strategic partner, providing legal and business advice to leadership to prevent issues, rather than just solving them afterward.
• Personal/Spiritual counsel: offers wisdom for life, relationship management, and moral guidance. 
 
• Seeking counsel is recognised as an act of wisdom that aids in achieving victory and avoiding destruction caused by a lack of knowledge
 
• Establishing and succeeding in plans: Proverbs 15:22 states that plans fail without counsel, but succeed with many advisers, guiding decisions and actions. 

• Safety and protection: seeking counsel, particularly from godly, experienced individuals, provides safety, prevents falling and offers protection from bad decisions. 
 
• Alignment with God’s will: true biblical counsel aligns with Scripture, helping individuals discern God’s purpose rather than relying on their own understanding. 
 
• Correction and growth: it helps individuals see through their own “blind spots,” provides needed correction, and fosters spiritual maturity. 
 
• Guidance from the Holy spirit: Jesus refers to the Holy spirit as the “Counsellor” or “Helper,” whose purpose is to teach all things and guide believers in truth. 
 
• Preventing failure: by seeking wise advice, individuals can avoid the disastrous consequences of foolish choices. 

Sources Of Wise Counsel
Counsel and advice are received through a variety of channels, ranging from human, professional sources to spiritual and internal sources, including mentors, spiritual leaders, books, and the Holy spirit.

These Channels Often Include: 
1. Spiritual and Divine Channels
• The Holy Spirit: Often described as a primary counsellor providing internal guidance, comfort, wisdom and correction.

• The Word of God (Scripture): Acts as a foundational guide for life decisions. Scripture is the ultimate source of counsel, offering infallible wisdom and direction.
 
• Prophetic Words: Most times God through His seasoned servants can share insights on specific areas of life at a crucial time to provide guidance.
 
• Personal intimacy with God (Prayer and Fasting): A direct, personal channel for seeking divine direction and wisdom. 

2. People and Human Relationships
• Mature Believers/ Elders mentors: Proverbs encourages seeking counsel from those with experience, godly character, and spiritual maturity. Experienced individuals who have already navigated similar life phases can be of great assistance in the journey of life.

• Spiritual Authorities/ Leaders: clergy men with sound teaching and outstanding testimonies can guide through godly counsel.

• Family and Friends: Close relatives and peers who provide informal, emotional, and practical advice.

• Counsellors and Life Coaches: Trained experts who use specialised skills (such as asking questions) to guide decisions. 

3. Personal Study and Intellectual Resources
• Books and Literature: Materials written by experts, mentors, or spiritual leaders offering wisdom on specific topics.

• Seminars and Conferences: Structured events designed for education and expert guidance.
• Personal Reflection/ Meditation: Analysing one’s own life and circumstances in light of wisdom. 

4. Situational and Formal Channels
• Life Circumstances (Trials/Blessings): personal experiences when intentionally reflected upon provide lessons and guidance.

• Formal Consultations : Structured meetings with professionals like lawyers, doctors, priests, or financial advisors. 

Key Considerations For Receiving Advice
• Discretion: It is advised to test counsel by ensuring it aligns with God’s word; to also seek advice from multiple, credible sources to avoid biased or recklessness.
 
• Openness: Receiving counsel requires a teachable spirit and an open heart, rather than relying solely on one’s own understanding.
 
• Actionable Steps: The best advice is often applied through small, actionable steps in one’s life.
 
• The Bible warns against following the “counsel of the wicked” or ungodly advice, which leads to destruction and poor outcomes (Psalm 1:1, 1 Kings 12
 
Conclusion
God is still leading us today, especially through counsel and advice from positive channels. Counsel from authorities is ever green, especially spiritual authorities. You can access the leadings of God by opening up yourself to receive counsel from spiritual authorities: Fathers, mentors, elders; men with results and experience. Most of these men and women have learnt and earned this right over time through their personal experiences, victories and results.
 
No one can over grow advice; you should never come to a time in your life where you consider yourself to be above advice. Many people are saved from destruction because of counsel; never you under estimate the power of counsel.
 
When we consider ourself above counsel due to success achieved, heights attained and progress made we become guilty of vain glory. Jesus taught that those who exalt themselves will be humbled (Luke 18:9-14). James 3:16 notes that where selfish ambition exists, there is “disorder and every vile practice.  Philippians 2:3 instructs: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” 
 
Sometimes God will not come directly, so, counsel may come through a dream. Open up yourself to counsel; and when you are listening to people who have results counselling you, even if you don’t agree, keep quiet. Respect and honour their words born out of years of experience and expertise. You can go back and apply the berean principle of crosschecking what you have heard, but never at the point of counselling.

It is an insult to result; to sitting comfortably with a person of significant result to assume that you are discussing with your colleague, it can be considered a total foolishness. Beware! When you sit before great people and minds and they are quiet watching and listening to you; it is possible that your doom is close. Sitting with pride and arrogance before greatness is ignoring the opportunity to grow. Every one needs counsel!
 
• The Ven. Stephen Wolemonwu, Rector, The Ibru International Ecumenical Centre 08035413812; [email protected]