Are You a Righteous Guide? – The Proverbs Series

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“One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

Proverbs 12:26

Have you ever counseled and guided someone before? It could be a friend, family member, or an acquaintance. Counseling is an important tool for helping others deal with all kinds of issues – finances, relationships, or other personal things. Counseling guides people to figure out the best way to resolve those issues that need addressing. It helps them get back to a sense of normalcy in life.

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Be Careful of Who You Accept Counsel From – The Proverbs Series

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The thoughts of the righteous are just;
the counsel of the wicked is deceitful.

Proverbs 12:5

The “thoughts of the righteous” and the “counsel of the wicked” bring to my mind the image of a just and fair king who has a corrupt advisor. An example that immediately comes to my mind is from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. There is King Theoden of Rohan and his wicked, greedy advisor, Wormtongue. Wormtongue lied to the king and subtly influenced the king through his deceiful counsel when the king was making decisions. This wicked advisor wanted to undermine the king’s authority and take the kingdom for his true master, an evil and cruel leader. 

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Are You Living Up to God’s Standards?

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If we think about relationships, do you think it’s possible to have a successful relationship without having any standards? Maybe in a romantic relationship, you want to be with someone who lives a certain lifestyle that matches yours. Maybe in a friendship, you make an effort to keep friends who are positive and encouraging instead of gossipy or cynical.

Even if we don’t want to admit it, we all have standards and expectations for our relationships. And we should. Having standards is a way of ensuring you can trust the other person while also protecting your own heart. But let’s also think about when you have clear or set standards in a relationship, but the other party constantly breaks or ignores them. How would you react? Even when you sincerely love a person, you set standards that you hold them to and usually they do the same for us. For any of us who say we’re in a relationship with God, should we expect God to be any different?

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How Can I Live a Righteous Life?

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Am I good enough? Does God care about me or listen to my prayers? Am I Iiving a righteous life? How do I know if I am doing things the ‘right’ way? If you’ve ever had these types of thoughts, then you’re surely not alone. I know I personally struggled a lot with these questions and negative feelings when I was growing up, despite always making sure to put on the facade of a good, happy, Christian daughter.

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