Dr. Phil, Jerry Springer or God?

Where do you go for advice? Ellen? Dr. Phil? Judge Judy? Jerry Springer? (Goodness. I hope it isn't the last one!) Or maybe you turn to your friends whose lives are a mess, too.

Our natural reaction is to go to a person who will agree with us and tell us what we want to hear. If our issue is with another person, we want someone else to be mad right along with us, someone who will be outraged on our behalf, someone who will not only listen as we drag our "enemy" through the coals but will throw in a few zingers of their own. It feels good at the time to receive confirmation that our reaction is justified and the other person is at fault.

If it's a decision we need to make, we look for someone who is already doing the very thing we are pondering. Hooking up with an acquaintance? Moving in with a boyfriend? Quitting a job? Spending money we don't have? Eating too many french fries? Your friend who is already participating in foolish behavior will probably never tell you that you shouldn't, even if in fact, YOU SHOULDN'T. 

It may feel good temporarily but often times that kind of advice doesn't solve a problem or result in a good outcome. My dear friend, Debbie, says, "How is that working out for you?" We can't keep making the same knuckle-headed decisions and expecting things to turn out differently.

I love that Proverbs says that WISDOM isn't quiet. She calls aloud, she raises her voice, she cries out. We can be wise if we truly want to be.  

If we want to make the wise choices, let's try this:

• Get into the word. Proverbs is a great place to start, and I challenge you to read a different chapter in that book each day. It will change you.
• Ask God for it.  James 1:5  "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."  
• Pray about it with a mentor or someone who has your best interest at heart and will help you see all sides of a situation.
• When we know the wise thing to do, do it.       

Let's be known as a community of wise women who is allowing the Holy Spirit to CHANGE us from the inside out as we make the wise choices for our families, our communities, ourselves.  That is the kind of life that will bring glory to Jesus.