Seeking wisdom from those who have gone before you

One of the first signs of pride is that you have all the answers to every situation in life. When you always have an answer to every situation in life that shows that you are not only a "know it all" but you also think you are the authority on every issue. Since God created us to rely on each other we can not be a "know it all" and we cannot rely on our own knowledge. God created us for each other so that we rely on each other as we seek Him.

In 1 Kings 12:1-15 we see Solomons son take over as king. He is quickly put to the test with his first request from the people to lighten the load his father had put on the people. He makes the first wise decision when he tells the people to come back in three days for him to have time to make a decision. If someone is pressing you to make a decision quickly then you need to find out if this is a decision that can wait. Most decisions can and only in dire situations do decisions need to be made quickly.

He then makes another wise decision by seeking out the elders that had served with his dad. He asked them what he should do and they gave him some great advice. They told him that if he would lighten the peoples load then the people would serve him forever. Unfortunately, like many of us, he decided to go to his buddies and ask them what they think. Like most guys who say dumb stuff when they are together, these guys were no different. If you do not believe me read it for yourself. Statements like "my finger is bigger than my father waist" and "I will whip you with Scorpions" all show that his pride got in the way of him making the best decision.

He started off making the right decision but then when he did not get the advice he wanted he quickly moved on to find someone that agreed with him. That is not seeking advice that is just making sure you have friends that agree with you. Unfortunately because of his decisions he split the kingdom.

If you read about successful people they will tell you that they do not know it all. What they will tell you is they do know people that know about areas they need to know about. They know who to ask and who they can trust that will not just tell them what they want to hear, but what they need to hear.

Proverbs 1:5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance-

Upgrade your GPS

If you want to be wise then you need to seek advice from those who either know or who have traveled the road ahead of you. The problem we sometimes run into is that we inherit bad road maps (advice) along the way. My GPS does not have all the updates that it needs for me to get where I need to go all the time. In fact my own house does not show up on my GPS so when I pull into my driveway my GPS shows that I am in the middle of nowhere. Part of the problem is I am cheap and I refuse to pay the money for the upgrade. Because of that it sometimes takes me a direction that takes more time because it does not have new roads that now exist. With all of us, whether we like it, or want to admit it, we have inherited maps from our parents. It is our way of negotiating through life. Because we have not paid he price to upgraded our system, it tends to cost us time and money in our journey. Yes it is our way of doing things but that does not mean it is the best way to go.

Don't Follow the Herd

Another common mistake is to believe that since so many people are going a certain that it must be the right way to go. Have you ever been following a group of cars somewhere only to find out the guy in the lead has no clue where they are going? That is so frustrating especially if they are the type of person that swears they know where they are going. The issue only gets worse because they are not willing to admit that they are lost and they will not stop and ask for directions. So just because many people are heading a certain way does not mean that it is the right way direction.

Don't be afraid to pull over

If you ever been lost you always have this feeling that it is just around the next turn that your destination awaits. This can be so deceiving and it can lead you to keep going even when you need to stop and get directions. No one likes to admit they are lost but at points in our lives we have to swallow our pride and realize that others can help us get where we need to be, if we would just ask. It may be time for you to stop and ask for directions and seek the advice of others to help you on your journey.

Proverbs 11:4 For lack of guidance a nation falls,
but many advisers make victory sure.
Get a Coach

Does Tiger Woods have a coach? Does Micheal Phelps? These athletes would be good athletes by themselves but they know that if they want to be the best they can be that they need someone who will be willing to tell them the flaws they have in their life. The only way they can get better is to have someone help evaluate their flaws and give them advice on how to improve. We all need people that are not afraid to tell us the hard things in life. Unfortunately, like Rehoboam, we usually only surround ourselves with people that tell us what we want to hear. Sometimes the best people we can have in our lives our those that see things from a different perspective than us. People that are willing to ask us questions and to help us evaluate where we are going. If you do not have a coach ask God to put one in your life. Someone who can help you be better tomorrow than you are today.


Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool seems right to him,
but a wise man listens to advice.

Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.

If you do not evaluate where you are going, and seek advice from those who have gone before you, then you will wind up in a place you never intended to be.