Who Speaks into Your Life?

 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Romans 8:15

Unless you live in a monastery there are probably people around you who try to speak into your life, passing on their point of view about you and about the situations in which you find yourself. Sometimes their comments are helpful. Sometimes they're no better than background noise. Most of the time those comments are well intentioned but that doesn’t always guarantee that they are what’s best. So how do you know when to listen and when to politely say thankyou and then move on? One surefire way to know is to prayerfully see if the words spoken to you line up with what God says in the Bible.

A few years ago I had a coworker share their fears about the future of my job. At the time our company was facing a number of challenges and our leaders were exploring a number of avenues, trying to find the best path. It was in this climate that my coworker spoke of how they felt my job was on the line and gave me advice on how to handle the situation. It was clear that this person meant well and was concerned about my future. At the time what they said made a lot of sense.

Taking things at face value, the advice was sound and I was a day away from doing exactly as the person suggested. What stopped me? Actually I should say: Who stopped me? God stopped me, as that night He spoke to me during my prayer time. It wasn’t an audible voice and yet it came across loud and clear, revealing the fear behind the advice. By the end of that prayer time I understood that God had a plan for me and would provide for my family whether or not I got laid off. The next day I took what God revealed to be my next step, moving forward in the confidence that God would not drop the ball.

Today, I am still employed at the same company, which is doing better than it was a few years ago. Not only that but I just received a promotion. Yes, the person was right about my job disappearing but neither of us could see the blessing that I am receiving in moving from one position to another. This is God’s plan and He knew along what would happen even though I could not see. Where my coworker understandably spoke out of fear (and out of concern) the Spirit within me spoke out of adoption and out of all knowing wisdom. I thank God for His plan and for speaking to me that night when I needed His advice.

While I am grateful that my coworker cared enough to give advice, that advice did not line up with God’s plan because this person was not seeing things through God’s eyes. Do the people around you give you advice that comes from a Biblical point of view or from what seems right to a human (Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25). Who do you allow to speak into your life? Whose advice are you willing to follow? Is their advice godly or will they lead you onto the wrong path?