“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3, KJV
We receive advice daily. Solicited and unsolicited. Wise and foolish. We cannot control the advice we are given, but we can control how we respond. As Christians, we have to be mindful of the counsel we receive. We should only take guidance that aligns with the Word of God. The advice might not be wrong per se, but if God said otherwise, follow His instructions.
1 Kings 13 shows what happens when we value the counsel of people over God. Read it here.
The man of God from Judah was sent to Bethel to prophesy against a corrupt and idolatrous kingdom. God gave him specific instructions to follow after completing his assignment:
For the Lord gave me this command: “You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.” – 1 Kings 13:17 (NLT)
The man of God from Judah began to follow these instructions. He took a new route home. But on that road home, he met an old prophet who deceived him into consuming a meal.
But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’” But the old man was lying to him. So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home. – 1 Kings 13:18-19, NLT
As the story progresses, we learn that the man of God’s disobedience resulted in his death.
God told the man of God from Judah to fast. Whenever God calls us to fast, it is to restore our communion with Him. Communion is “the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.” Fasting is a unique discipline where our senses, without food and drinks, are sensitive to the voice and needs of the Holy Spirit. Instead of consuming natural meals that feed our flesh, we consume spiritual meals of God’s bread and wine – Jesus Christ (John 6:22-59).
The man of God from Judah broke his fast prematurely to appease the old prophet. As a consequence, he was killed. It sounds extreme. However, it is crucial to understand that disobedience disrupts our destiny. Holding a person’s word in a higher regard than God’s word is idolatry. This was the very thing God was trying to keep the prophet purified of. We cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). We must serve God with our complete devotion. He is a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24) and will not allow us to continue serving Him while worshiping another god. God desires us to be uncompromised believers who will serve Him wholeheartedly (Numbers 14:24).
While we may not experience a physical death as a result of choosing to please people over God, we will experience a spiritual one. We lose our communion with God. We lose the opportunity to be a vessel of God. We lose God’s trust.
The temptation to please people rarely comes in the form of a complete stranger. They are usually someone we are familiar with, like a family member, friend, or person we look up to. In 1 Kings 13, the old prophet related to the man of God from Judah by saying, “I too am a prophet as you are.” When someone’s advice contradicts God’s word, we must be bold enough to declare: God Said Otherwise!
My best friend said… God Said Otherwise!
My parents told me to… God Said Otherwise!
My pastor prophesied that… God Said Otherwise!
It is easy to take advice from an influential person as we have likely received helpful wisdom from them. Yet, it is even easier to follow God’s counsel when we acknowledge who He is. God is our creator. He has a purpose and plan for our lives. He knows what our future holds. No human can fulfill any of these roles in our lives. Simply trust that God’s will is the best way.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”
Jeremiah 29:11-13, NLT
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