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"The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD." (Isaiah 11:2)
We are now at our fourth stop along the adventure of the Seven Spirits of God. Today we are going to study together in partnership with God to understand the Spirit of Counsel. Looking at the word counsel is advice that we receive from a counselor. A prudent plan is given to provide a proper course of action, a word of guidance to help us in the achievement of the purpose of God through the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit. It is an action of God’s grace that we receive direction to achieve a specific task according to His purposes in our life.
When we seek counsel it should be a wise choice on our part as to whom we take counsel from. Everyone has an opinion and from that opinion they gladly give advice. But most of the, what I call street advice, comes from public opinion and has no true root in truth or eternal wisdom, which can only come from an eternal being. When I seek counsel I look to the ones who have far-reaching vision into the future founded on truth learned from their experience of a long history. When I was in my youth I sought counsel from my peers and gained only small steps forward. When I sought good counsel I looked to the words of my father, as in spite of our differences, his counsel was always founded on the truth of God’s Word. His counsel was founded upon eternal vision. Now that the days of my folly has passed I seek counsel from my pastor, prayer and God’s Word. The latter two being the foremost.
When we seek a good counselor we look to the strong one. The one who cannot be shaken from the foundation of his core beliefs based upon the truths his life is built upon. There are many wise and prudent men in the world who give good counsel, which I would not turn away from. But at the beginning and the end the best counsel comes from the Wonderful Counselor, our Lord, and Master Jesus Christ. "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) He is the Word of God that is always righteous, is the absolute truth and is what is needed at the time.
Upon the shoulders of the Wonderful Counselor, the government will rest. The Wonderful Counselor is the Head His Church. "And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church." (Ephesians 1:22) The Church, the neck, is in submission to the head and through the Church, the will of God extends to the soldiers down to the hands and executes His counsel providing direction to His government. Christ as the head of the Church extends His counsel to the body to enact His fivefold ministry to the world by equipping the body through the power of the Holy Spirit.
"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-13)
In Ephesians, we see the five ministries of the body of Christ. The ministry of the Apostles, Evangelist, Pastors, and Teachers, to equip the Saints for the work of the Church’s service to God and man. Let us not overlook that the body of Christ, the Church, must be built up in the unity of the faith, a firm knowledge of Jesus, spiritual maturity, to achieve the stature which is the fullness of Christ. We must not remain babes in Christ but must rise up to be men of the covenant.
As we mature through the nurture and admonition of the Lord, we grow strengthened in the faith. "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4) When then find ourselves in like-mindedness with other members of the body as we have like-mindedness with the Lord. "Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose" (Philippians 2:2) It is then the body will be in the full counsel of the Lord and enabled to carry out His purpose here in the world.
If the Church would “Go” and make disciples of all the earth then His glory, His presence and nature would be fully known in the world. His government would be established in His people, the members of His Church, to bring His Kingdom to the earth that all things would be accomplished in Him. To do this the body of Christ must be in full counsel of their Lord and Master.
By being in agreement with God’s Word and His Spirit we are able to rise up to the heavenly places, the realm of the spirit that we may walk freely in the Spirit. Through the counsel and leadership of our Lord, we are able to fulfill His purpose and accomplish His plan for our life. We are able to do that which we have been called to do for the glory of God. "I will bless the LORD who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night." (Psalm 16:7)
As we submit to the Lord with a full heart and not a parcel desire, we will find ourselves in tune with our brothers and sisters in the faith. If the Lord is truly at the center of our life, then our life is truly in Christ. There will be until we are safe at home, trials, and tribulations that come into our life here in this world. But they will serve their purpose as we walk in faith with the Lord. They are only reminders of the flesh tent we still must reside in. We will see that we are still prone to allow the wrong spirt upon the throne of our lives. The Lord is always faithful to forgive when we stumble and He will always carry us when our feet become tired. We need only to submit to our Master who will sort through the wreckage and purify us that we may be drawn closer to His divine nature in the wisdom of His counsel. We must never fail to stand upon the rock, the truth of His Word, our refuge and strong tower. "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
Thomas N Kirkpatrick
First Baptist Church of Durant, May 17, 2015
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