Ignoring Bad Advice
“In the Lord I take refuge, how then can you say to me: ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain.’” - Psalm 11:1
In Psalm 11, David is afraid of Saul, and his friends give him some well-intended yet bad advice to flee from Saul instead of trusting in God. David had often run from the adversity of Saul and hid himself in the mountains, but David understands now that he cannot allow his present opposition to keep him from his future opportunity.
Like David, we must ask as we embark on our next chapter whether we will put our trust in God. If we want to follow God and place our faith and trust in Him, we are going to have to ignore bad advice. In verse 1, the psalmist asks, “How can you say to me, ‘Flee like a bird to the mountains?’” What David is referring to is the way in which his friends had advised him to handle his dilemma by running away.
This advice was perhaps well-intended, but it was not timely, nor was it what David needed. If David ran away, he would miss out on a key opportunity. He would miss out on the chance to trust God in a trial and in the process, be developed and strengthened for what is coming next.
Real faith and relationship with God occur when you have developed the kind of Christian maturity that mutes out the voices of others over the voice of God. What your friends say may sound like good advice; even what your parents advise (that might have worked for them), whether it be in marriage, finances, or something else, might not be what is best for you.
When seeking the input of others, you must discern whether there is validity for you in the moment. Just because something worked in the past does not mean it will always work, especially in your current situation. Everything that was done by others may not be what you should do.
If you are going to follow God’s destiny, you must learn to ignore bad advice. God sees things humans don’t. Others might not see why you are doing what you are doing. But it does not matter. Trust God, and let others watch how He makes it work for you!
In Psalm 11, David is afraid of Saul, and his friends give him some well-intended yet bad advice to flee from Saul instead of trusting in God. David had often run from the adversity of Saul and hid himself in the mountains, but David understands now that he cannot allow his present opposition to keep him from his future opportunity.
Like David, we must ask as we embark on our next chapter whether we will put our trust in God. If we want to follow God and place our faith and trust in Him, we are going to have to ignore bad advice. In verse 1, the psalmist asks, “How can you say to me, ‘Flee like a bird to the mountains?’” What David is referring to is the way in which his friends had advised him to handle his dilemma by running away.
This advice was perhaps well-intended, but it was not timely, nor was it what David needed. If David ran away, he would miss out on a key opportunity. He would miss out on the chance to trust God in a trial and in the process, be developed and strengthened for what is coming next.
Real faith and relationship with God occur when you have developed the kind of Christian maturity that mutes out the voices of others over the voice of God. What your friends say may sound like good advice; even what your parents advise (that might have worked for them), whether it be in marriage, finances, or something else, might not be what is best for you.
When seeking the input of others, you must discern whether there is validity for you in the moment. Just because something worked in the past does not mean it will always work, especially in your current situation. Everything that was done by others may not be what you should do.
If you are going to follow God’s destiny, you must learn to ignore bad advice. God sees things humans don’t. Others might not see why you are doing what you are doing. But it does not matter. Trust God, and let others watch how He makes it work for you!
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