22ND JANUARY
1 Kings 12:13-14
“And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, ‘My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”
Who you allow to speak into your life decides if you move forward or end up shipwrecked in the process!
Rehoboam was chosen to be king and reign in Solomon’s place. Before his coronation, the people of Israel came to him and asked to have their burdens lightened. Rehoboam sought the counsel of the old men and they told him that he should lighten people’s yoke. Rehoboam also sought his young friends’ counsel. They advised him to do the opposite and make people’s yoke heavier than ever before.
Sadly, Rehoboam listened to his friends who were lacking wisdom and the results of that decision were catastrophic. It caused division in Israel and eventually led to Rehoboam’s death.
Be wise about the people you seek counsel from. Choose carefully who you allow to speak into your life. Look for one or two people who walk closely with God and have life experience. Trust their counsel.
To be an effective witness, it’s important that you surround yourself with people of great wisdom, people who are friends of your destiny, people who are filled with the Holy Spirit. The last thing you need is to allow the wrong people to speak into your life because their influence might be deadly.
MAKE IT PERSONAL:
Think about the people you allow to speak in your life. Do they influence you positively or negatively? Do they encourage you to get closer to God or do they tend to lead you astray?