Mensa Otabil - Walk With the Wise
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God has an inheritance for you. You have to walk into it; you have to walk in the name of the Lord. You have to walk in the Spirit, and you have to walk with the wise. Proverbs chapter 13, verse 20: «He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.» One of the blessings of having the Holy Spirit in us is the guidance that He gives us. He leads us to the right kind of people who can help us on our journey in life. If you look at the passage, there are two kinds of people mentioned: the wise and the foolish. Unfortunately, there are people in the world who are not exactly wise.
Wise men will help you make wise choices, and the foolish, as the passage says, will destroy you. The kinds of people we walk with and take counsel from will determine how far we go in becoming the people that God wants us to be. So perhaps you should take an inventory of the people from whom you take advice. Take counsel from people who influence your choices. Are they wise or the opposite of wise? It’s possible for people to be Spirit-filled and still make very bad decisions. Being Spirit-filled and walking in the Spirit does not totally exempt you from making bad decisions. That’s why we have to trust the Holy Spirit and rely on Him to guide our friends and to guide the places we take counsel from and the wisdom we seek.
Please note that simply because a person is a pastor or holds a clergy title does not necessarily mean they can give you wise counsel. They may be spiritually powerful but not provide wise counsel. The passage says if we walk with wise men, we will be wise, but if we walk with fools, then we will be destroyed. Moses heard from God in the burning bush, but he also heard from Jethro, his father-in-law, who gave him wisdom. So it’s possible to hear from God and still hear from a person that God has ordained with wisdom in your life.
Paul learned about Christ through revelation, but he also learned at the feet of Gamaliel, a very wise teacher of the Scriptures. Here you see a balance of walking in the Spirit and still walking in wisdom; that’s how God wants us to live our lives. We walk by the Spirit, but we also walk by wisdom. You have to choose the wise counsel that you will open your heart to, and sometimes you do this through the books you read, the broadcasts you listen to, or the pulpit messages you receive. Through personal relationships, choose the voices that will advise you, the voices that will guide you, and the voices of wisdom.
And please note it’s not just about spirituality alone. You have to hear from the Spirit, but you also have to hear words of wisdom that will guide you on the right path that you should take. I pray that God will help each one of us to walk in the Spirit and walk in wisdom at the same time. Are you ready to do both? Why don’t we pray? Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I ask that You surround me with the wisdom I need for my assignment. Deliver me from foolishness and connect me to wisdom. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» May the Lord make you wise in all that you do. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.