Old Counsels

Old Counsels

1/28/19

In this day and age of constantly wanting something new to look towards we have a tendency to forget that what is older may be the better option.  Our lives seem to gather more wisdom as each year is added to our existence and when the tiredness of everyday pathologies surround us we tend to seek out such old counsels in order to provide comfort and security when needed.  New is a good thing but as a standard of measure, it cannot be relied upon to guarantee certain expectations in our daily meetings it is at this time we must rely on those things that have been around for a long period of time to serve as our reference.  There cannot be anything or anyone older than the God of the Ancient Days and the wisdom He brings to our lives, all we have to do is to allow Him access to our hearts and we shall immediately see the difference His presence makes.  It is time we turn back and seek God and to allow His Son to cover our hearts so that He may begin the restoration process of purity once again in our hearts.

We have all been in the position to listen to older people hand down advice to us younger folks at some point in our lives.  None becomes more important to our hearts until after our elders have left our presence for it is at this time that our hearts begin to realize that their advice and knowledge was proven to be an invaluable asset that we tended to ignore or not even heed when it was given.  Every human being has lost a loved one or a mentor in their lives that we wished that they were still around to ask advice or just listen to the words of wisdom that they talked about for no real reason.  I often think about how I would have reacted to the words of Abraham, Isaac, or Jesus when they were on the earth and if I would have ignored them just as I did the words of my parents when I was younger. 

I miss my grandparents and a few of my uncles, aunts, and cousins for they have gone from this earth and for a number of reasons I was interested in other things while I was around them.  However, I have the faith in what I do know about them to continue my searching for the Ancient of Days’ eternal Life and His wisdom that He has given through His Word and it is my command to share with you all that God has shown me so far; my old counsels are alive and living within my heart and He serves as the source of this wisdom He shares with you so that you as well can share to the dying world that He loves you and desires nothing more than for you to spend eternity with Him your Creator.  God serves as the only source of eternal life and lives in complete contrast of what the world provides, so let us take heed of His Word and return to His Covenant protection before things drastically change before our eyes.

With the culture of death rapidly gaining steam, it has become apparent that the young people of today believe that they are righteous enough within themselves that they do not need or require the advice from the ones who have been around for quite a bit longer.  I understand the concept that the younger generations have for all of us have at one point in time been younger and thought a little bit different than people before us, but to continually slam and then ignore the people who have forged this nation and have protected the ideas of this nation for centuries is absolutely absurd and dangerous when looking upon those who wish to destroy this nation.  Our ways of thinking about the spiritual aspect of our lives have changed as well and no longer do we consider God to the be the leading candidate for our representation nor do we even want Him to be involved in our daily lives enough to find guilt when our hearts chose to do wrong.  No longer do we rise up early in the morning and seek God before anything else occurs in our day and we would not know how to properly pray if we had a scripted prayer in front of our eyes.  Our old counsels are no longer considered important enough to derive any useful information from and thus left alone and ignored, no wonder the culture of death runs rampant today.

The passage that God shares with us today is Isaiah 25:1-2 and in this passage Isaiah tells us how important it is to keep the old counsels close in our hearts and that when we do not keep these counsels terrible things have a probability of luring us into deadly traps.  This passage also gives us details that when we keep our old counsels that many indifferences and horrific problems will not be any threat to us for our spiritual lineup is in accurate order.  Isaiah declares that when old counsels are heeded their advice and wisdom far outstretch any adversary that will produce themselves in our times of peril.  This passage also gives us a clue in what old counsels we need to seek advice amongst as well, for we know that throughout human history wise counsel can be supplanted by old worldly ideas that prove generous at first but disastrous in the long run.  It is not an unknown idea or concept that we seek out true values when it comes to help in times of need and how we follow through during these times are clearly represented as we walk through such angles.  The readings of true and faithful guides are the only way possible to stimulate our minds well enough to think clearly in order to prove our worth during trials and temptations.  When we publicly and openly declare that God is our source of wisdom, knowledge, and guidance there cannot be any question about how sure-footed we shall defend our decisions in both the calm moments of our lives and in time of battle.  Verse 1 of this passage begins with such a declaration and as soon as the declaration is completed the blessings of a godly return are immediately noticed. 

Verse 1 of this passage also brings into advocacy of such faithful and true resources and how if we rely upon the Word of God and His Ways we shall be provided with perfect information even if the battle does not arrive.  Now, one may say that Isaiah really did not need any counsel since he was one of the more famous prophets recorded in the Bible, but we cannot forget that he was also a human being and had fears and trials just as you and I do today.  So, when we look at his life and his purpose that God had for him and then add the human aspect in with it we cannot ignore that fact that Isaiah needed such counsel and reassurance when times were rough.  It is a known fact that Isaiah lived a long time after Abraham but many times Isaiah and the other prophets often refer to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as references due to the wisdom that they displayed well before the prophets’ lives a trend that they used but many people who they prophesied over refused to adhere; kind of sound like something we would offer ourselves into accordance with today?

If you are wondering about these wonderful old counsel references are located and the importance of such examples we can find them in Genesis Chapters 12-15 when God is directing Abraham according to the establishment of God’s Covenant with him and for the remaining people who would follow Abraham in life.  So binding was this faithfulness and truth that the origins of this Covenant came from God Himself as the originating source, not mankind which means that God, once He established the settings, cannot break or violate such agreement because He cannot violate or deviate from anything He Creates and establishes.  How can anyone use a more definitive source of information that faithfulness?  Are we faithful to everyone around us at all times, no way.  It is the establishment of Covenant with God’s people that defines the good, true, and faithful design of references for God through His own definition cannot violate His non-varying existence which means that His advice to us is freely given but at the same time necessary that we understand His Ways according to His definition and NOT ours.

The word faithfulness that is used here in verse one comes from the Hebrew word emunah which means firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, and steadiness.  All of these words that are used to define this word faithfulness in verse one refer to a solid and firm foundation that does not waiver for anyone or for any occasion.  The act of God is true and pure without any deviances present and thus can be stood upon as the solid foundation when storms or adversaries approach.  When God’s Word says that He is faithful it means that He shall never leave us no matter what the occasion might be, our only issue is that we forget about Him and His stance with us because of our oversight concerning our self-righteousness, and when this occurs we cannot help but miss the truth about what God has promised us in verse two of this passage.

Verse 2 states the following: “For thou hast made of a city a heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.”  What a mighty testimony of truth about how God shall make all of our immediate and personal issues disappear if we only understand and use the statement in verse one of this passage.  God has not changed one bit from the time Genesis 1:1 came into existence, He did not change when He walked with Adam and Eve nor did He vary when dealing with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Lot, David, Daniel, Amos, Joel, Habakkuk, and we must include Jesus in this non-wavering category from His Father because Jesus asked at one point but God said no.  God’s standard concerning truth and faithfulness came under attack long before humanity was ever Created when Lucifer challenged God for supremacy and God proves this eternal truth and faithfulness content through the fall of Lucifer when He told Abraham in Genesis Chapter 12 that He shall bless those who bless thee and curse those who curse thee and God has not failed in any of these holy categories as of then or this moment.

In a world that daily screams for truth, it can only provide dice to which our hearts continually roll to see what relevance we can find in that outcome.  Our eyes have become so blinded upon selfish attitudes we cannot see that God is right next to us tapping on our heart’s door trying to give us the answers we are crying out for, but we refuse to acknowledge His presence and continue to listen to the ways of the world which only provide more anger and more confusion on every level.  God has never directed us in a wrong direction or placed us on a path of destruction only we have done this by listening to the ruler that hates our existence.  When human faithfulness becomes the sole reliance category for truth and completion it can only be asserted on a personal and selfish method of achievement, all of which are based on flaws and lies.  Gravely, we are subsequently seeing a divide growing in all directions and we have now turned to this divide as a wonderful concept in ridding of those ideas we deem unacceptable not knowing exactly the permanent and eternal damage we are doing to our existence on this earth.  Relying upon selfish counsels is one of the oldest levels of counsel that humans are familiar with; however, it is this selfish ordinance that caused us to fall from purity and thus setting the standard for our demise ever since.  When you put into perspective this truth about our faithfulness and truth to ourselves and toward others, there is no way possible that we can ever believe that our ways are sufficient for any major decision or election in our lives, which means we have only one eternal and true option for counsel and that is God Himself.

Okay, Church, it is your turn to confess about who you consider as your old counsel?  Any answers from those who are reading this letter?  Do you dare speak that God is your counsel yet keep the ways of the world in your heart and forebrains?  If any of you question as to why the world is in the shape that it is in, then it is quite evident that you have not studied the Word of God very well for as each day passes the Bible is being portrayed as absolute truth before our eyes.  Yet, the Church sits silently on these measures and conducts herself in a manner quite contrary to God’s definition and what is more asinine is the fact that she believes that there is nothing wrong with her spirituality while participating in such follies. 

I used to have a difficult time in understanding why the Bible said so many horrific things would appear and then be accepted as normal in the last days, but God continues to show me exactly why He wrote those words and the reasons why these issues are coming to pass before our eyes.  A recent President’s motto was so clearly correct that we need a change, but what he was advocating was a change in the wrong direction and the Church flat missed it.  How far from understanding are we you ask?  During the American Civil War, there is no question that both sides suffered greatly but while this needless bloodbath was being conducted both sides continued to have faith in God and trusted Him that things would end very soon.  We have surpassed this effort to keep God in our lives so in doing so we place ourselves at the mercy of our flawed and finite vision in order to solve these gigantic cities in front of us.

Over the last few pages, we have learned that God is the only way possible for us to have a counsel that is not only stable for the times of today but eternally stable for as long as humans have been in existence.  If we only seek His face on all areas of our lives and incorporate His Ways into our lives we would find that 1) human logic is futile and not stable on any level and 2) that our lives and surroundings would run a lot smoother and controlled.  Yet, we continue to play the world’s game of selfish believing and create far more internal and spiritual self-inflicted injuries that cause more harm and hurt than answers.  We have read the Scriptures superficially and found nothing and cry out to God that He is no longer around in our times of need, but according to this passage of Scripture He is not only there with us but leading the charge against our enemy’s fortified cities but we have no clue about His presence due to our not knowing His Word.  Church, we have fallen and are continuing to fall as we read this letter from God, but there is good news and this good news is that if we turn our hearts back to God He shall stop our fall and stand us up on solid ground again.

It is time we stop our petty differences and self-righteous attitudes towards God and follow His Ways as they are written.  The Bible is there for us to have a guide and a wisdom reference and not as an interpretive measure for our pleasure.  The eternal war that the Bible contains is not self-contained but eternally bound for our positioning and for us to tell others that there is a way out of this mess, but we first must know the Way so that we may continue Jesus’ command to us.  We have at our fingertips the best old counsel that mankind has ever received and we throw it on our tables and allow it to collect dust.  There is a way that will lead a man astray and it is guaranteed that when this occurs that man is not in the Word of God as he should be.  It is evident that this truth has hit the Church as well and it is time that we change this scenario and then let the world a light again for God.  Our change back to God lies within the ways and words of the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David, not of the world.  Satan is no old counsel, he is a liar for only God is the eternal and pure old counsel that shall see us through and defeat all enemies but we have to turn from our wicked ways in order for our eyes to know the faithful truth right next to us.  The glorious answer to our problems, the One who cannot violate His agreement and places all responsibility on our presence to uphold this great faith and trust for when we do everything is given to us freely and without discourse.

DLB