Wisdom in Partnering - Charles D Harris

Without counsel plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed. – Proverbs 15:32

The last few weeks we have been establishing our vision, dreams, goals and plans. Now that we are equipped we are ready to take action and fulfill our dreams right? 

How many of you have had or have goals and plans and yet have not achieved them or are frustrated about your progress or journey thus far? All of us have. We struggle with our inner demons and limitations…we focus on the here and now and have a tough time breaking away from past failure and regret. We find ourselves stalled out, shipwrecked and in some cases eventually just give up.  Anyone been there with your goals or dreams?  Do you find yourself having a tendency to compare your worst with others’ best? 
Anyone want to change that cycle?


Having a partner or counselor for your goals could be the missing ingredient. Let's define counselor.  In the book “Richest Man Who Even lived by Steven K Scott, he describes it this was “A Partner or Counselor is anyone who can provide needed insight, advice, wisdom, or any practical help for the effective achievement of a specific project, goal or dream.”
It can be a legal partner or it can be a friend, spouse, coworker, adviser, mentor or an author. 
It’s seeking out guidance and assistant from other people’s experience. Think of it as a well of experience and refreshing you can draw from to accelerate in the pursuit of your dream versus trying to pump your own water and self motivate.

Does this sound great, a counselor according to this definition can be a book, set of teaching, person, coach, etc as long as it is someone else.  I heard a funny saying once, A person who counsels himself has a fool for a coach.  A lot of truth in that statement.

So what can a counselor provide?  Acceleration in achieving goals, dreams, vision

Every purpose is established by counsel – Proverbs 20:18

How many of you would like counseling as described in this fashion?  The why don’t we seek it out through mentorship, books, coaching, etc? This is not new….This is not rocket science

We all counsel however sometimes it's with nay sayers through gossip, people who don’t want to change, the media, romance novels, etc.  Our mediocrity vision board is loaded with pictures of failure hurt and pain of past which is projected into the future. There are lots of “counselors” available free of charge to fuel those old pictures of yourself aren't they?

We need to seek out counselors that stretch us higher past where we can see ourselves, providing us a hand up not a hand out.

Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety. – Proverbs 11:14
  
Why don’t we counsel?  Fear and shame which come from lack of trust.  Some where in our experience we have received failure as a destination instead of a step on the way to success.  We have been hurt by others which causes hardness of heart and let our hearing get dull.

while it is said,
“TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,
DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.” – Hebrews 3:14

There are many major aspects of counsel and partnership that we don't have time to get into today however 2 keys I feel are vital and are Big Rocks that can help accelerate and propel you toward your goals and they are .. Effective Listening and Accountability

Effective Listening
In Mark chapter, Yeshua explains in the parable of the sower that the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to us, but to others he speaks in parables…
To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that SEEING THEY MAY NOT SEE, AND HEARING THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND.
11 “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. 12 Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance. 16 “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 18 So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.” Luke 8: 10-18

Hearing and listening are 2 different things, hearing is noise vibrations on ears but listening is seeking to understand.  If I know it all already I have a tendency to prepare responses without seeking to understand. 

'Hearing' is the physical activity of sound falling on the ears and the biological processes involved in its perception. 'Listening' is the ability to pay attention to what the sounds means and understand it. We hear noise, but we listen to music. That is because noise falls on our ears without any effort at our end. Google quote 

Listening requires humility, remember humility is in the Hebrew picture language as a furrow brow focusing on an object

As Yeshua is saying if I am careful HOW I listen the mysteries of the kingdom of God can be revealed and I can receive 30, 60, 100 fold returns on the seed of the Word of God!

Accountability
Many of us fail to reach our goals, dreams, vision because we don’t want to allow any other authority providing input into our life.  We view authority as a negative perhaps because of someone in authority inappropriately influencing us. Let’s look at the story of a centurion who understood authority.

5 And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is]lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” 7 Jesus *said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 10 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. – Matthew 8:5-10

First of all this person recognized he was under authority and had accountability.  Yeshua recognizes this as faith.  

We are all accountable for every word and dead for which we must give an account. 

Why not partner with someone who can help us to overcome and become who we were meant to be! 
11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:11-13 NKJV


1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. - Psalm 1:1-6 RSV

Activation:

Multitude of Counsel
In this activation you will partner up in teams of three people.  Two of the people will serve as counsel of the Lord and one will be the recipient or mentee.

The recipient will reveal one limitation that is heavy their your heart that is causing them to feel stuck. What is the counsel of this limitation saying to you?  Examples…You will always be in debt – you mom, dad, grandma, etc was in debt, You will always be sick with this disease….I am always going to struggle in relationships, I can’t keep a job

After receiving from the Lord the counselors will share what the Lord revealed to them.  Recipients please just relax and receive paying attention to HOW you are listening. Does this information align with your vision dreams, goals, etc.? Take a mental note of it.

Note: Counselors to elaborate or try to explain as you would try to provide your own interpretation.  Just say what you see, or feel, the Lord gave you.

Switch recipients. Repeat exercise for others on the team.

Homework
1.) Commit to gain wisdom everyday by reading Proverb of the day – God is a great counselor
2.) Identify one goal you will seek out someone to counsel with to achieve it – Name, date for goal achievement


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