When is it wise to follow advice (and when is it not)?

So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” Genesis 41:37-38

Have you ever had a friend or acquaintance tell you about some new, interesting or exciting event in their life and then ask your advice about what you would do if you were in their situation? What do you tell them? Do you base your answer on opinion, the Bible and God's laws or both? Sometimes it can be awkward or just plain unpleasant to give advice in a tricky situation. I would like to hear from you about how you answered the friend in your particular situation. I think it would be good to learn from each other; the mistakes as well as your advice of how you have learned what to do to make your answer more gracious or biblical etc....

1 Samuel 25:33 says, “And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand.”

God can use the advice of someone to:

~give wisdom in difficult situations

~restrain someone from evil

~bring peace, healing and restoration

2 Samuel 17:14 says, “So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel...”

Some advice can be foolish or unwise.

Proverbs 11:14b says, “But in the multitude of counselors, there is safety.”

In 2 Chronicles 10:8,13 it says, “But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.

Then the king answered (the people) roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders.”

Often, when counsel is rejected, it causes trouble as it did for king Rehoboam when he followed the unwise advice of his friends who weren't experienced in the matter that he asked them to give him counsel about. He chose not to heed the wise advice of his father's counselors who had been in sticky situations like this one many times before.

Sometimes, it is best not to follow the advice of friends (which might seem like the obvious thing to do because you know them the best and trust that they are giving you the best advice they know of), but instead to follow the advice of a person older than you who is a wise Christian, who has gone through a similar situation and has experienced the good and the bad of it. They are the ones who suffered when they made that bad decision and now have knowledge of what they should of done instead that they should want to share with you so you don't have to struggle through it like they did. And as you have experiences like that, you can then share what you have learned with those who have asked you for advice. Make sure it is biblical before you speak it as a fact.

Thank you, Lord.  Blessed be your Name. Glorify yourself. Continue to provide for me and teach me what you want me to learn.