3 Prerequisites for Godly Counsel

A bullet-point outline from the message given in the Keswick Tuesday Zoom service on August 5, 2025.

3 CRITERIA TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT SOMEONE IS READY FOR YOUR GODLY COUNSEL

(How to know whether or not to deal with someone.  And also, how to determine if we, ourselves, are ready for counsel.) 

 

• We all need help from time to time, and we all want to help other people.

• We all occasionally need a shoulder to cry on, and we all have been that for someone else.

• But I've been contemplating the difference between simply being a shoulder to cry on and actually being able to give godly counsel and real help to people in need.

• We all need someone to talk to about our problems once in a while.  And we've all had situations where people want to talk to US.

Galatians 6:2    Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

• Sometimes people need to talk about finances or health, or things like that.

• But most people come to talk because they're having relationship problems with other people.

• Because these things happen.

• It doesn't help at all to just commiserate with someone.

• And sometimes people are just looking to get you on their side in an argument, looking for a sympathizer, someone to make them feel better.

• We understand these things.

• But we want to bring JESUS into a bad situation, whatever it may be.

•  Jesus said...

John 7:24     Judge NOT according to the appearance, but judge RIGHTEOUS judgment.

•  The Bible says of Jesus, himself...

Isaiah 11:3-4     ...and he shall NOT JUDGE AFTER THE SIGHT OF HIS EYES, NEITHER REPROVE AFTER THE HEARING OF HIS EARS: [4] But with RIGHTEOUSNESS shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth...

•  So, we want to be like Jesus in counseling others.

Proverbs 24:6    For by WISE COUNSEL thou shalt make thy war: and in MULTITUDE OF COUNSELORS there is SAFETY.

• Sometimes you CAN'T HELP someone yet.  They're NOT READY to be helped.

• If you try to counsel or advise before they're ready to receive your words, you'll only spin your wheels and go nowhere.

• Do you realize that GOD HIMSELF HAS CRITERIA In dealing with people?  Some people he WON'T deal with.
  

• If HE isn't dealing with them, neither should we.

•  Here are 3 ways to know when people are READY for Godly counsel... 
  

 

1.  WILL THEY RECEIVE BIBLICAL INSTRUCTION?

• The Bible is our primary counseling book.  Our counsel must be according to the Word.
  

• 8 places in the book of Psalms, we're told salvation for a bad situation comes according to God's Word, such as... 

Psalm 119:169-170     [169] Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord; give me understanding ACCORDING TO THY WORD.  [170] Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me ACCORDING TO THY WORD.

• Not all counsel is Godly counsel.  A blessing comes from Godly counsel.
  

Psalm 1:1-2     Blessed is the man THAT WALKETH NOT IN THE COUNSEL OF THE UNGODLY, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. [2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

• We ministers in the Body of Christ are not psychotherapists, trained by the world.

• It is our goal to counsel people in the Spirit.

• Godly Counsel is not seminary-learned.  It s a SPIRIT.

Isaiah 11:2    And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, THE SPIRIT OF COUNSEL and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

• The ONLY counsel that matters is what GOD says about a situation, not what WE think.

• We want to apply the blood of Christ--the Holy Ghost--to a situation so that the Death Angel will pass over.

• That's really the ONLY REAL SOLUTUON to any problem we have: what THE BIBLE says.

• As people of God, we help people by posing to them this question: "What does THE BIBLE say?"

• If the person you're counseling DOESN'T WANT TO HEAR what the BIBLE says, DON'T COUNSEL WITH THEM. 

• They might as well make an appointment with a worldly psychiatrist.  Worldly phychiatrists DO have some success.  But, in the end, can Satan really cast out Satan?  Can human nature really solve the problems of human nature without in intervention of God? 

• We have no authority, we have no solutions, except through the Spirit and Word of God.

• But, if the one you're trying to help WILL accept the authority of scripture, then you can help them. 
  

• And then there's a SECOND criteria.

 

2.  WILL THEY ENDURE CHASTENING?

• The SECOND way to tell whether to counsel someone or not is to TEST THEIR SPIRIT.

• My late father, Brother W.D. Streit, gave this scripture that directly tells us THE CRITERIA GOD HIMSELF USES to determine whether or not He will deal with a person.
  

Hebrews 12:7-8     [7] IF YE ENDURE CHASTENING, GOD DEALETH WITH YOU as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? [8] But if ye be WITHOUT CHASTISEMENT, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

• ...and God does NOT deal with us in that case.  He doesn't correct the Devil's kids.
  

• This is criteria #2: to be able to be corrected.   

• If GOD won't deal with people who don't receive correction, SHOULD WE?

• It may sound like we're uncaring, but we're not.  Sometimes it's a matter of someone BEING READY. If someone won't receive chastening, they're not ready for counsel.
  

• What we have is valuable, and sometimes, sadly, people may not see that.

Matthew 7:6     Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend YOU.  

 

• But, if their spirit IS such that they WILL receive godly CORRECTION, then they can receive godly INSTRUCTION.

• And then they can proceed to the THIRD criteria.

 

3.  ARE THEY WILLING TO FORGIVE THEIR OFFENDER?

• I received this from Brother Tim Drost the other day in Kelowna.  This is one of his criteria for counseling someone.

• Because some people just want to vent about someone else, looking for the counselor to sympathize, to make them feel justified in their offense.
  

• But it turns out, God himself won't forgive some people! 

Matthew 6:14-15     For if YE forgive men their trespasses, YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WILL ALSO FORGIVE YOU: [15] But if ye forgive NOT men their trespasses, NEITHER will your Father forgive YOUR trespasses.

• And God says forgiveness has to be genuine, FROM THE HEART.

Matthew 18:32-35     Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: [33] Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? [34] And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. [35] SO LIKEWISE SHALL MY HEAVENLY FATHER DO ALSO UNTO YOU, if ye FROM YOUR HEARTS forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

• So, those are THE 3 CRITERIA to determine if someone is READY for godly counsel or not.   

1.  Will they allow scripture to be applied to their problem or situation?
2.  Will they receive chastisement?
3. Are they willing, from their hearts, to forgive their offender?