My dear readers,

From Mind to Mouth

Proverbs 12:5: “The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.”

All of us give counsel. Most of us like to give counsel more than others. The reason is because we believe that we know better. The basis of our counsel is our own lives and past experiences of success. Success is defined and measured by what we believe to be right and good in our own eyes. Therefore, if it is good enough for me, it must be good enough for everyone else. There is no limit to this counsel. What we do not know we will search the omniscient Google and with a few clicks of the mouse the answers stare us in the face. Sometimes we feel like we know a lot because of the copious amount of counsel we give out daily, from home to all kinds of work life issues. There is nothing that we do not have an opinion on. The problem is that once counsel is given, our pride prevents us from correcting ourselves. Correction means that we admit we have given the wrong counsel, and that is a great dent to our ego. Yet this is what we need to learn to do, according to Proverbs 12:5.

Every counsel begins from the heart. The heart is where every motive originates. The mind structures the counsel accordingly. Hence the following scenarios:

• A right motive but wrong counsel – Many of us help with an altruistic motive. We do not mean to hurt anyone by our counsel. We sincerely want the best for them. However, we know from life experiences and a host of observations in many lives that we can be sincerely wrong. Many lives have been seriously hurt because of very well-meaning but wrong counsel. For example, a parent giving the advice that we should not use the rod of correction as this will leave behind scars that will ruin the children’s lives in the future. But the Bible is very clear on this issue; using the rod of correction will save our children’s souls from hell. Proverbs 22:15: “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” And Proverbs 23:13-14: “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.”

• A wrong motive but right counsel – There are those who manipulate others for personal gain. Their motives are evil when they give counsel. Their counsel can be biblical, but is laced with the “poison of a forked-tongue serpent.” The counsellors rob the hearer of his loyalty away from Christ to themselves. Such deceit is the worst of all deceits where people will lose money and even physical lives. But when these evil men deceive the simple in the Name of Christ, they send many to hell. 2 Peter 2:1-3: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”

This implicit trust in Christian counsels can become an open door for wicked ones to deceive them. One example of such deceptions is the “gospel” of health and wealth. The preacher promises the hearers that believing in Christ who died for their sins will bring them wealth and health on earth. This lie appeals to the lusts of the flesh and of the eyes in every sinner. The ones who believe in this lie are promised a luxurious earthly life and heaven. The poor and the rich flock to these churches like bees to honey not knowing that their souls are being deceived and still bound for hell. To make the deception more potent, these wicked ones have to demonstrate the efficacy of their health-and-wealth message by being wealthy and healthy. This cunning ploy effectively licenses them to live in luxury and their gullible followers are told that they will be next in line to be rich. How can these “pastors” who preach the health-and-wealth gospel not be rich? Preachers have to practise what they preach. Pastors who preach the gospel of holiness have to be holy, just as “pastors” who preach the health and wealth “gospel” have to be healthy and wealthy!

Making merchandise of their followers in the name of Christ is the worst kind of deception! The counsels of the wicked are deceit indeed!

What comes out of our mouths begins from the mind. If the mind is righteous, the thoughts will be right, for they are of God and are according to Scriptures. The counsels that originate from a righteous mind will bring forth righteous living. But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. The result is one of ruination and destruction leading to hell.

What is in our mind behind every counsel that we give?

• A right motive and right counsel – God’s children must only give counsel constrained by the love of God. They seek no personal gain but only the spiritual well-being of the ones they give counsel to, for this will glorify God. Their counsel will be from God’s Word, for they know that God’s Word is perfect and God’s counsel is never wrong and will always bring glory to Him when obeyed.

Therefore, only truly born-again believers can give righteous counsel. They must do it right. All counsels begin from the thoughts. Thoughts are unspoken whereas counsels are deliberately given with a clear mind and motive. The former emphasizes the start of an action whereas the latter the end. The motive behind every spoken word is always more important than what is spoken. Proverbs 12:5a describes it as “the thoughts of the righteous are right.” The righteous here are believers, for they are the only ones who have been imputed with the righteousness of God in Christ at salvation. They have thoughts that are righteous because they have been given the mind of Christ at the second birth.

The ability to think like Christ does not mean that they are actually thinking like Christ. They think like Christ means they think according to Holy Scriptures. To experience this in their lives, they need to study the Scriptures consistently and diligently, thus filling the mind with the Word of Christ. With the love of God and the mind of Christ constraining the believer’s thoughts they will truly be righteous resulting in righteous counsel that is according to Holy Scriptures. The ones they help will live more like Christ and grow in grace and knowledge of God. Christians are to bring spiritual blessings to others, helping them to conform more to the image of Christ. Such righteous blessings have eternal significance because the recipients of their help will in turn impact others for Christ. The growth of Christ’s salvific work is immeasurable.

In contrast, the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. Counsels are meant to be good especially when they are given in the Name of Christ by professing believers. Therefore, the counsels they give are considered Christian in nature, thus reflecting Christ’s person. Generally, the world has a good impression of Christians. They trust the counsels to be good for them. Thus, when a “Christian” behaves badly, the common refrain “you call yourself a Christian!” is often heard.