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Welcome to our look at Proverbs chapter 12 in Daily Drive Time Devotions. The
verse we're going to focus on in Proverbs chapter 12 is verse 15. That verse
says, "The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who
listens to counsel.

" You ever said to yourself, "If I just listened, if I just listened to my
husband, if I just listened to my wife, if I just listened to my friend, if I
just listened to that wise counselor, I would not be in this mess. What am I
going to do now? It seems so obvious now.

Why didn't we listen to the advice then? That's my question. When you get to
that point where you realize I should have gone a little bit different direction
and you look back and you remember someone who was willing to give you advice,
it seems obvious.

So why didn't I listen to their advice then? The honest question I have to come
up with in my life, and I think a lot of us can relate to this, is because I
think I know what's best for me. It's just pride.

I think I usually know what's best for me. And because I want what I want, we
all tend to want what we want, we naturally convince that our idea for getting
what we want is a great idea. And so we say, and you can sort of fill in the
blank, I knew that blank maybe was not the best blank, but I had to do blank
anyway.

You can fill it in your life. I knew that that relationship was maybe not the
best relationship, but I just had to go for it anyway because it seemed at the
time like a great idea. The humble truth is, and this is humbling, but it's
throughout the Bible, I am more likely to be wrong than right in my first
impressions in life.

The goal is not to be right the first time. The goal is to be right in the
eventual decision that you make in the end. The practical way that we live out
this truth, the fool, the way the fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man
listens to counsel, is to recognize if I just go based on what I'm thinking, it
is right in my own eyes, but I'm going to be disappointed in the end.

I might be devastated in the end, but if I recognize I need the counsel of other
people and I listen to that counsel, my life's going to be different. The
practical way to live out this truth is by listening to the advice and the
opinions of other people. You might be facing an important decision right now,
maybe even today.

Maybe this is a just-in-time proverb for you, with a reminder to get some wise
counsel before you make that decision. How do I know if the advice I'm getting
is good advice? All kinds of people like to advise you.

Here are four qualities I've always looked for in wise counsel. Is it biblical,
truthful, practical, and experiential? Is it biblical?

Is it confirmed by and not contradicted by the Bible? Is it truthful? Sometimes
the people closest to you don't give you the best advice because they don't want
to see you hurt.

They don't want to see something said to you that maybe is going to hurt their
relationship with you. So you've got to find people who are going to be truthful
to you. Sometimes your parents, as much as they love you, don't give you the
best advice.

I'm not talking to teenagers here. I'm talking to those of us that might be a
little bit older. Parents of teenagers, it's easy for them to be truthful.

But sometimes, sometimes when somebody moves out of the home and you're trying
to give advice about a marriage or relationship, sometimes it's not as truthful
as it should be because they don't want to hurt you. They want to be on your
side. Is it truthful?

Is it number three, practical? Does it tell you what to do next? Does it give
you a sense of what action should I take, not just a philosophical discussion?

And then number four, is it experiential? Is it based on the real life
experiences of the one giving you the advice? Who do you need to ask for advice
today?

Biblical, truthful, practical, experiential advice. Let's pray for God's wisdom.
God, in this decision that I'm facing, whether it's today or I need to make it
in the next week or month, I pray you'd give me the wisdom not to try to make it
on my own.

To be humble enough to see this truth that my way can be right in my own eyes.
It can look like exactly the right thing to do, but it can be exactly the wrong
thing to do. So help me to listen to counsel, to hear from others.

Give me the humility in my heart to recognize that I need to hear your counsel
first of all, and to look, to search through your word. But also God, that I
need to hear the counsel of other people, that you tell me in your word to
listen to what other people have to say. So show me right now who to talk to.

Help me as I make this decision to listen, to put my pride to the side, to
listen to you and to listen to others. I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.