"A wise son heeds his father's instruction" (Prov. 13:1 up knowledge" (10:14 nkjv), because you never know
Proverbs
3. Instruction "A wise son heeds his father's instruction" (Prov. 13:1 niv). "Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life" (4:13 nkjv). "Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning" (9:9).
reading of the whole Word of God. "Wise people store up knowledge" (10:14 nkjv), because you never know when you'll need some truth from the Bible to help you overcome a temptation or make a decision.
But there's another factor involved, and that's prayer, because the Word of God and prayer go together (John 15:7; Acts 6:4; Eph. 6:17–18). "If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable" (Prov. 28:9 niv; see 15:8). The word translated "law" in this verse is torah, which means "instruction." If I won't listen to God's instruction, why should God listen to my petition?
In order to "trust in the Lord," we must have His Word to instruct us, because "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17 nkjv). Scripture is "the word of faith" (Rom. 10:8) that generates and nourishes faith in our hearts, and we can depend on His Word. "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him" (Prov. 30:5 nkjv; see 22:17–21). To deliberately act apart from the instruction of the Scriptures is to rebel against the revealed will of God. "He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded" (13:13 nkjv; see 19:16). To ignore the Word of God is to deprive ourselves of the guidance we need for making the decisions of life. "Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge" (19:27 niv).
4. Counsel "Plans are established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war" (20:18 nkjv). If experienced generals seek counsel as they wage war, shouldn't we seek counsel for the battles of life? It's dangerous to rely on our own wisdom and experience and to ignore the wisdom and experience of other believers who have successfully walked with the Lord. "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise" (12:15 nkjv).
The first source of wise counsel is Christian parents. "Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old" (23:22 nkjv; see 6:20–23). "A wise son heeds his father's instruction" (13:1 nkjv). Not everybody has the privilege of being raised in a godly home, but even then, the Lord often provides "substitute parents" who can share the wisdom of the Lord.
Most of the situations, opportunities, and decisions the average person encounters in life are already dealt with in the Word of God. Consult a topical index to the Bible, or even to the book of Proverbs, and you'll see how thoroughly Scripture deals with the practical affairs of life. Of course, we can't expect the Bible to specifically tell us the name of the person we should marry, which job we should accept, what car we should buy, or where to spend our vacation, but if we're saturated with God's wisdom and sincerely seeking His will, we'll be ready for Him to guide us by His Spirit and the providential circumstances of life.
Christian friends can also listen, counsel, and pray. "Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by hearty counsel" (27:9 nkjv). The Living Bible paraphrases the verse, "Friendly suggestions are as pleasant as perfume," but sometimes a friend's counsel may not be perfume! It may be acid! Even then, we have nothing to lose; for "as iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend" (27:17 nkjv). The sparks may fly, but God will give us the light that we need. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful" (27:6).
"A man's steps are of the Lord; how then can a man understand his own way?" (20:24 nkjv) God overruled Joseph's brothers' envy and used their evil deeds to build Joseph's faith and save Jacob's family (Gen. 50:20). At the time, nobody could understand what the Lord was doing, but He was working out His perfect plan. In the school of faith, sometimes we don't know what the lesson is until we've passed—or failed— the examination!
How we accept and apply rebuke is a test of how devoted we are to truth and wisdom and how sincere we are in wanting to know God's will. "He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise" (15:31 niv). "He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding" (v. 32 nkjv). Friends who flatter us and avoid telling us the truth are only doing us harm. "He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue" (28:23 niv; see 29:5).
When we studied Proverbs 1—4, we learned that it is necessary for us to apply ourselves to God's Word if we hope to receive His instruction. According to Proverbs 2:1–4, our responsibility is to receive the Word, treasure it, listen to it, apply our heart to it, cry out for it, and search for it the way a miner searches for treasure; then we will "understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God" (2:5 nkjv).
Not every friend is a good counselor, so we must choose wisely. "The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out" (20:5 niv). We don't know our own hearts (Jer. 17:9), and only God's Word can honestly reveal "the thoughts and intents [motives] of the heart" (Heb. 4:12). It takes
Reading and meditating on God's Word ought to be a daily habit with us. "Blessed is the man who listens to me," says Wisdom, "watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors" (8:34 nkjv). If you want your faith and spiritual discernment to mature, there's no substitute for the disciplined, systematic