Category Archives: What The Bible Says

What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart?

What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart?Follow your heart” is a creed embraced by many people around the world. In fact, it’s a statement of faith in one of the great pop cultural myths of the Western world. Today, there are many calls to “follow your heart” in books, movies, songs, slogans, memes, and blogs. Some related pieces of advice are “believe in yourself,” “trust in yourself” and “follow your instincts.” A sequel dictum is “your heart will never lead you astray.” Notwithstanding, none of these statements is Biblical. They are based on the belief that your heart is a compass inside of you that will direct you to your own true north if you just have the courage to follow it.
Furthermore, it teaches that your heart is a true guide that will lead you to true happiness if you just have the courage to listen to it. According to this creed, one is lost and can be saved by his/her heart.

Unfortunately, this creed can sound so simple, beautiful, liberating, and captivating. For those who do not know The Truth, the creed is tempting to believe in. Those living in the truth know that instead of trusting their hearts, they are to commit their hearts to God: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6). Behold, this Scripture explicitly commands us not to trust ourselves but the Lord God Almighty. Likewise, it gives the Promise of Guidance to those who choose to trust and follow the Lord God. Likewise, Proverbs 28:26 says, “Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart?

The “follow your heart” creed is not found in the Bible. Its non-biblical nature makes it something not to be encouraged within the Christian community. Unlike what is encouraged by this creed, the Bible teaches that the heart is sick: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, pointed to this sickness when he said, “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:19). Behold, our hearts lie to us more than we think they do. And as such, if our hearts are compasses, they are Jack Sparrow compasses. In fact, they don’t tell us the truth; they just tell us what we want. Likewise, if our hearts are guides, they are Gothels. They are not benevolent but are pathologically selfish.

Brethren, if we do what our hearts tell us to do, we will pervert and impoverish every desire, every person, every beauty, every joy, and every wonder. Our hearts want to consume these things for our own self-glory and self-indulgence. Behold, our hearts will not save us as promoted by the “follow your heart” creed. Rather, we need to be saved from our hearts. In fact, our hearts were never designed to be followed, but to be led. Likewise, our hearts were never designed to be gods in whom we believe; they were designed to believe in God. Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” If we make our hearts gods and ask them to lead us, they will definitely lead us to narcissistic misery and ultimately damnation. Our hearts cannot save us because what is wrong with our hearts is the heart of our problem.

Biblical Facts About Whom to Follow

If our hearts believe in the Lord God, as they are designed to, then the Lord God saves us (Hebrews 7:25) and leads our hearts to joy (Psalm 43:4). Following this, we should not believe in our hearts but direct our hearts to believe in God. That is, instead of following our hearts, we should follow Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. John 14:6 says, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In John 14:1, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” Notice that Jesus did not say, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, just believe in your hearts.” And as such, when our hearts try to shepherd us, we should not follow them.

The heart is not a shepherd and if it’s one, then it’s a false shepherd. We should not follow it. Without Christ, our hearts are far from the truth and will only tell us what we want. Therefore, we should only listen to it to note what it’s telling us about what we want, and then take these our wants, both good and evil, to Jesus as requests and confessions. Jesus Christ is the One and only True Shepherd (Psalm 23:1; John 10:11). His voice that comes to us through His Word is the only voice to listen to and follow. John 10:27 says, “The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me.” Jesus Christ replaces the sick heart with a new and spiritually healthy one making the one who comes to Him a New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

More Biblical Facts About Whom to Follow

Note that for anything to provide proper direction it must be based on objective truth. The Bible teaches that humanity is to follow God. Jeremiah 17:7 says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.” God has perfect unlimited knowledge of everything (1 John 3:20), a trait referred to as omniscience. The Lord God is fully aware of all events that have ever transpired, are currently occurring, and will happen in times to come (Isaiah 46:9–10). Behold, God’s knowledge goes beyond mere events and extends to thoughts and intentions (John 2:25; Acts 1:24). The Lord God is equally aware of every possibility, every eventuality, and every imaginable outcome of any series of events (Matthew 11:21). God’s Ability, combined with His grace, love, compassion, justice, faithfulness, and goodness, enables Him to give the best possible direction for humanity to follow.

God says of the unregenerate heart: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Scripture tells us that there is nothing more deceitful in all of creation than the heart of a man because of his inherited sin nature. Therefore, if we follow our heart, we follow an untrustworthy guide. Luke 6:39 says, He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man guide [another] blind man? Will they not both fall into a hole in the ground? Without Christ, we are blinded to our own heart’s deceitful nature. Relying on ourselves for wisdom makes us unable to tell right from wrong. Unfortunately, the hit song of 1977, “You Light Up My Life,” contains these words: “It can’t be wrong / When it feels so right.” Thus, determining right from wrong based on “feelings” is a dangerous way to live (Proverbs 3:5).

What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart?

Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Proverbs 3:5-7 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Psalm 20:7 – “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Luke 12:34 – “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 15:19 – “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Proverbs 28:26 – “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Psalm 73:26 – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Romans 10:10 – “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Ecclesiastes 11:9 – “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

Luke 6:45 – “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Romans 5:5 – “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Jeremiah 29:13 – “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Great 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Proverbs 15:13 – “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.”

Proverbs 23:19 – “Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.”

Deuteronomy 6:5 – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Numbers 15:39 – “And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.”

John 14:1 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”

Philippians 4:7 – “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Luke 21:34 – “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.”

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Ezekiel 11:19 – “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,

Jeremiah 17:1-27 – “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars, while their children remember their altars and their Asherim, beside every green tree and on the high hills, on the mountains in the open country. Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your high places for sin throughout all your territory. You shall loosen your hand from your heritage that I gave to you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.” Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. …

Psalm 130:7 – “O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.”

Isaiah 1:1-31 – “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! …

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Proverbs 23:26 – “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.

Proverbs 19:21 – “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Ecclesiastes 10:2 – “A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left.”

Proverbs 17:19-22 – “Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction. A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity. He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy. A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Psalm 119:11 – “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

2 Corinthians 9:7 – “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Psalm 51:10 – “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

Romans 12:1-2 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Proverbs 19:3 – “When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord.”

Ephesians 4:18 – “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.”

Proverbs 3:1-35 – “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. …

James 1:11 – “For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Proverbs 4:1-27 – “Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. …

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Matthew 18:6 – “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Job 38:1-41 – “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? …

Psalm 19:14 – “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

2 Corinthians 4:4-6:13 – “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; …

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Proverbs 29:5 – “A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

Ecclesiastes 8:5-9:12 – “Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him. For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt. …

John 13:2 – “During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,

1 Corinthians 4:5 – “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.”

Jeremiah 22:17 – “But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Psalm 42:1 – “To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah. As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.

Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 – “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.

Deuteronomy 30:6 – “And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”

Deuteronomy 29:19 – “One who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike.”

Ecclesiastes 5:1-6:12 – “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words. When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. …

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

3 John 1:1-15 – “The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, …

1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:20 – “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. ...”

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Luke 18:1-43 – “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” …

Ephesians 4:1-32 – “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, …

Habakkuk 2:4-5 – “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. “Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Ezekiel 36:1-38 – “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God: Because the enemy said of you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The ancient heights have become our possession,’ therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Precisely because they made you desolate and crushed you from all sides, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people, therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and the hills, the ravines and the valleys, the desolate wastes and the deserted cities, which have become a prey and derision to the rest of the nations all around, therefore thus says the Lord God: ...”

Matthew 10:39 – “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Matthew 22:30-39 – “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching. But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. …

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Amos 6:5-7:15 – “Who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.” The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds, and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.” And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. …

Jeremiah 16:4-12 – “They shall die of deadly diseases. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth. “For thus says the Lord: Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people, my steadfast love and mercy, declares the Lord. Both great and small shall die in this land. They shall not be buried, and no one shall lament for them or cut himself or make himself bald for them. No one shall break bread for the mourner, to comfort him for the dead, …

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Proverbs 31:30 – “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

Proverbs 22:1-29 – “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all. The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them. …

Jeremiah 9:14-24 – “But have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them. Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them poisonous water to drink. I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.” Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider, and call for the mourning women to come; send for the skillful women to come; let them make haste and raise a wailing over us, that our eyes may run down with tears and our eyelids flow with water. ...”

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Proverbs 11:7-12:12 – “When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too. The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead. With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness. By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown. …

Proverbs 15:29-16:33 – “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones. The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. …

Psalm 120:1-7 – “A Song of Ascents. In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue? A warrior’s sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree! Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! …

Group 15 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Psalm 1:1-6 – “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; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 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. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; …

Jude 1:8-19 – “Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; …

Group 16 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

1 John 2:17-5:14 – “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. …

1 Peter 1:1-2:25 – “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. …

Group 17 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”

James 4:1-17 – “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? …

Philippians 3:1-4:23 – “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; …

Group 18 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

1 Corinthians 10:13-24 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. …

Galatians 5:7-6:6 – “You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. …

Colossians 3:1-25 – “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. …

Group 19 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Galatians 4:3-9 – “In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. …

Romans 8:1-39 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …

Group 20 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Matthew 19:1-30 – “Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? …

Mark 7:20-23And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Matthew 26:39-27:60 – “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. …

Group 21 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Jeremiah 29:5-31:23 – “Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord. …

Ezekiel 13:1-14:23The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’ Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the Lord. …

Proverbs 21:6-17 – “The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death. The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just. The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of the pure is upright. …

Group 22 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Jeremiah 10:23-13:27 – “I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me, O Lord, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing. Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not, and on the peoples that call not on your name, for they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation. The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. …

Proverbs 17:11-16 – “An evil man seeks only rebellion, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him. Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly. If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house. The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out. He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord. …

Group 23 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Proverbs 6:25-34 – “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life. Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished. …

Proverbs 13:12-14:30 – “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly. …

Proverbs 1:19-2:22 – “Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors. Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. …

Group 24 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

2 Samuel 12:1-31And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” …

1 Samuel 25:3-26:23 – “Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite. David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. …

Group 25 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Proverbs 25:1-28:28 – “These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied. It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel; take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness. …

Hebrews 2:1-4:16 – “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. …

Group 26 – What Does the Bible Say About Trusting Your Heart

Matthew 5:28-8:20 – “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. …

John 21:1-25 – “After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” …

Matthew 12:34 – “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

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What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart?

What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart?Follow your heart” is a creed embraced by many people around the world. In fact, it’s a statement of faith in one of the great pop cultural myths of the Western world. Today, there are many calls to “follow your heart” in books, movies, songs, slogans, memes, and blogs. Some related pieces of advice are “believe in yourself,” “trust in yourself” and “follow your instincts.” A sequel dictum is “your heart will never lead you astray.” Notwithstanding, none of these statements is Biblical. They are based on the belief that your heart is a compass inside of you that will direct you to your own true north if you just have the courage to follow it.
Furthermore, it teaches that your heart is a true guide that will lead you to true happiness if you just have the courage to listen to it. According to this creed, one is lost and can be saved by his/her heart.

Unfortunately, this creed can sound so simple, beautiful, liberating, and captivating. For those who do not know The Truth, the creed is tempting to believe in. Those living in the truth know that instead of trusting their hearts, they are to commit their hearts to God: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6). Behold, this Scripture explicitly commands us not to trust ourselves but the Lord God Almighty. Likewise, it gives the Promise of Guidance to those who choose to trust and follow the Lord God. Likewise, Proverbs 28:26 says, “Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart?

The “follow your heart” creed is not found in the Bible. Its non-biblical nature makes it something not to be encouraged within the Christian community. Unlike what is encouraged by this creed, the Bible teaches that the heart is sick: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, pointed to this sickness when he said, “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:19). Behold, our hearts lie to us more than we think they do. And as such, if our hearts are compasses, they are Jack Sparrow compasses. In fact, they don’t tell us the truth; they just tell us what we want. Likewise, if our hearts are guides, they are Gothels. They are not benevolent but are pathologically selfish.

Brethren, if we do what our hearts tell us to do, we will pervert and impoverish every desire, every person, every beauty, every joy, and every wonder. Our hearts want to consume these things for our own self-glory and self-indulgence. Behold, our hearts will not save us as promoted by the “follow your heart” creed. Rather, we need to be saved from our hearts. In fact, our hearts were never designed to be followed, but to be led. Likewise, our hearts were never designed to be gods in whom we believe; they were designed to believe in God. Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” If we make our hearts gods and ask them to lead us, they will definitely lead us to narcissistic misery and ultimately damnation. Our hearts cannot save us because what is wrong with our hearts is the heart of our problem.

Biblical Facts About Whom to Follow

If our hearts believe in the Lord God, as they are designed to, then the Lord God saves us (Hebrews 7:25) and leads our hearts to joy (Psalm 43:4). Following this, we should not believe in our hearts but direct our hearts to believe in God. That is, instead of following our hearts, we should follow Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. John 14:6 says, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In John 14:1, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” Notice that Jesus did not say, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, just believe in your hearts.” And as such, when our hearts try to shepherd us, we should not follow them.

The heart is not a shepherd and if it’s one, then it’s a false shepherd. We should not follow it. Without Christ, our hearts are far from the truth and will only tell us what we want. Therefore, we should only listen to it to note what it’s telling us about what we want, and then take these our wants, both good and evil, to Jesus as requests and confessions. Jesus Christ is the One and only True Shepherd (Psalm 23:1; John 10:11). His voice that comes to us through His Word is the only voice to listen to and follow. John 10:27 says, “The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me.” Jesus Christ replaces the sick heart with a new and spiritually healthy one making the one who comes to Him a New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

More Biblical Facts About Whom to Follow

Note that for anything to provide proper direction it must be based on objective truth. The Bible teaches that humanity is to follow God. Jeremiah 17:7 says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.” God has perfect unlimited knowledge of everything (1 John 3:20), a trait referred to as omniscience. The Lord God is fully aware of all events that have ever transpired, are currently occurring, and will happen in times to come (Isaiah 46:9–10). Behold, God’s knowledge goes beyond mere events and extends to thoughts and intentions (John 2:25; Acts 1:24). The Lord God is equally aware of every possibility, every eventuality, and every imaginable outcome of any series of events (Matthew 11:21). God’s Ability, combined with His grace, love, compassion, justice, faithfulness, and goodness, enables Him to give the best possible direction for humanity to follow.

God says of the unregenerate heart: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Scripture tells us that there is nothing more deceitful in all of creation than the heart of a man because of his inherited sin nature. Therefore, if we follow our heart, we follow an untrustworthy guide. Luke 6:39 says, He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man guide [another] blind man? Will they not both fall into a hole in the ground? Without Christ, we are blinded to our own heart’s deceitful nature. Relying on ourselves for wisdom makes us unable to tell right from wrong. Unfortunately, the hit song of 1977, “You Light Up My Life,” contains these words: “It can’t be wrong / When it feels so right.” Thus, determining right from wrong based on “feelings” is a dangerous way to live (Proverbs 3:5).

What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart?

Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Proverbs 3:5-7 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Psalm 20:7 – “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Luke 12:34 – “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 15:19 – “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Proverbs 28:26 – “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Psalm 73:26 – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Romans 10:10 – “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Ecclesiastes 11:9 – “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

Luke 6:45 – “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Matthew 12:34 – “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Romans 5:5 – “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Jeremiah 29:13 – “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Great 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

John 14:1 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”

Philippians 4:7 – “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Luke 21:34 – “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.”

Proverbs 15:13 – “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.”

Proverbs 23:19 – “Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.”

Deuteronomy 6:5 – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Numbers 15:39 – “And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.”

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Ezekiel 11:19 – “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,

Jeremiah 17:1-27 – “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars, while their children remember their altars and their Asherim, beside every green tree and on the high hills, on the mountains in the open country. Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your high places for sin throughout all your territory. You shall loosen your hand from your heritage that I gave to you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.” Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. …

Psalm 130:7 – “O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.”

Isaiah 1:1-31 – “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! …

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Psalm 119:11 – “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

2 Corinthians 9:7 – “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Psalm 51:10 – “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

Romans 12:1-2 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Proverbs 23:26 – “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.

Proverbs 19:21 – “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Ecclesiastes 10:2 – “A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left.”

Proverbs 17:19-22 – “Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction. A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity. He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy. A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Proverbs 19:3 – “When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord.”

Ephesians 4:18 – “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.”

Proverbs 3:1-35 – “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. …

James 1:11 – “For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Proverbs 4:1-27 – “Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. …

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Matthew 18:6 – “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Job 38:1-41 – “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? …

Psalm 19:14 – “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

2 Corinthians 4:4-6:13 – “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; …

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

John 13:2 – “During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,

1 Corinthians 4:5 – “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.”

Jeremiah 22:17 – “But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.

Proverbs 29:5 – “A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

Ecclesiastes 8:5-9:12 – “Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him. For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt. …

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Psalm 42:1 – “To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah. As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.

Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 – “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.

Deuteronomy 30:6 – “And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”

Deuteronomy 29:19 – “One who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike.”

Ecclesiastes 5:1-6:12 – “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words. When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. …

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

3 John 1:1-15 – “The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, …

1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:20 – “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. ...”

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Luke 18:1-43 – “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” …

Ephesians 4:1-32 – “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, …

Habakkuk 2:4-5 – “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. “Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Matthew 10:39 – “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Matthew 22:30-39 – “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching. But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. …

Ezekiel 36:1-38 – “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God: Because the enemy said of you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The ancient heights have become our possession,’ therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Precisely because they made you desolate and crushed you from all sides, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people, therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and the hills, the ravines and the valleys, the desolate wastes and the deserted cities, which have become a prey and derision to the rest of the nations all around, therefore thus says the Lord God: ...”

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Amos 6:5-7:15 – “Who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.” The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds, and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.” And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. …

Jeremiah 16:4-12 – “They shall die of deadly diseases. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth. “For thus says the Lord: Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people, my steadfast love and mercy, declares the Lord. Both great and small shall die in this land. They shall not be buried, and no one shall lament for them or cut himself or make himself bald for them. No one shall break bread for the mourner, to comfort him for the dead, …

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Proverbs 31:30 – “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

Proverbs 22:1-29 – “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all. The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them. …

Jeremiah 9:14-24 – “But have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them. Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them poisonous water to drink. I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.” Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider, and call for the mourning women to come; send for the skillful women to come; let them make haste and raise a wailing over us, that our eyes may run down with tears and our eyelids flow with water. ...”

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Proverbs 15:29-16:33 – “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones. The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. …

Psalm 120:1-7 – “A Song of Ascents. In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue? A warrior’s sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree! Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! …

Proverbs 11:7-12:12 – “When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too. The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead. With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness. By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown. …

Group 15 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Psalm 1:1-6 – “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; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 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. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; …

Jude 1:8-19 – “Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; …

Group 16 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

1 John 2:17-5:14 – “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. …

1 Peter 1:1-2:25 – “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. …

Group 17 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”

James 4:1-17 – “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? …

Philippians 3:1-4:23 – “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; …

Group 18 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Galatians 5:7-6:6 – “You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. …

Colossians 3:1-25 – “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. …

1 Corinthians 10:13-24 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. …

Group 19 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Galatians 4:3-9 – “In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. …

Romans 8:1-39 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …

Group 20 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Mark 7:20-23And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Matthew 26:39-27:60 – “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. …

Matthew 19:1-30 – “Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? …

Group 21 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Jeremiah 29:5-31:23 – “Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord. …

Ezekiel 13:1-14:23The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’ Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the Lord. …

Proverbs 21:6-17 – “The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death. The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just. The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of the pure is upright. …

Group 22 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Proverbs 17:11-16 – “An evil man seeks only rebellion, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him. Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly. If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house. The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out. He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord. …

Jeremiah 10:23-13:27 – “I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me, O Lord, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing. Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not, and on the peoples that call not on your name, for they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation. The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. …

Group 23 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Proverbs 6:25-34 – “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life. Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished. …

Proverbs 13:12-14:30 – “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly. …

Proverbs 1:19-2:22 – “Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors. Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. …

Group 24 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

1 Samuel 25:3-26:23 – “Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite. David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. …

2 Samuel 12:1-31And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” …

Group 25 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

Proverbs 25:1-28:28 – “These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied. It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel; take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness. …

Hebrews 2:1-4:16 – “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. …

Group 26 – What Does the Bible Say About Following Your Heart

John 21:1-25 – “After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” …

Matthew 5:28-8:20 – “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. …

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What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others?

What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others? As Christians, we ought to take advantage of every opportunity to do good and not evil unto others. Avoiding cheating and walking in integrity should be our way of life in Christ. Likewise, we are to act morally upright in all our ways; taking every opportunity to do unto others what we would have them do unto us. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, commands us to:

Treat others the same way you want them to treat you” (Luke 6:31, AMP).

And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31, KJV).

Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31, NIV).

And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them” (Luke 6:31, ESV).

So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets (Matthew 7:12, AMP).

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12, KJV).

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Mathew 7:12, NIV).

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12, ESV).

The verse in the Bible, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is commonly known as The Golden Rule. This Biblical principle is found in both Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31. It calls on us not to extend unto others what we do not wish upon ourselves. The Golden Rule is in the context of a lesson from Jesus about loving our enemies. Behold, Jesus Christ took the conventional quid pro quo method of treating people and turned it on its head (Matthew 5:38-48). Instead of doing to others what they have done to us or giving them what they may deserve, we are to treat them the way we want them to treat us. Rather than practicing the quid pro quo, we should develop and embrace love, peace, humility, integrity, compassion, goodness, kindness, self-control, forgiveness, and gentleness in our approach toward anyone who comes our way irrespective of what they have done or failed to do. Note that quid pro quo is a Latin phrase used in English to mean an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other; “a favor for a favor“. Popular phrases with similar meanings include: “tit for tat“, “give and take“, “one hand washes the other“, and “you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours“.

What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others?

As Christians, we should take every advantage that comes our way to do good and reflect God’s love for others. In Matthew 7:12 Jesus Christ says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Thus, the Golden Rule has always been a fundamental part of the Bible’s message or God’s instructions to humanity. Notice how later in Matthew, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus Christ responded, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). Similarly, Galatians 5:14 says, For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Likewise, on the night of His arrest, Jesus Christ said to His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

Brethren, Jesus’ love for us is perfect, self-sacrificial, and unchanging. Our capacity to love others the way our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, commands us comes only from our experience of His unfailing love and from the power of the Holy Spirit. One simple and practical way to love others better is to imagine ourselves in their shoes. Each time that we pause to think about how we might like to be treated in a certain situation, we build empathy for those actually living in that situation. Just as we like to be treated with love and respect, we should do the same to others. Matthew 5:43-48 says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? …” Likewise, 1 John 4:7-9 says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

Knowing Where/How to Draw the Line Between Helping Someone and Allowing Someone to Take Advantage of You

Luke 6:30 says, “give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.” Likewise, Luke 6:35-36 says, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” These verses as well as many others in the Bible teach us that Christians are to be loving, self-sacrificing, and merciful. Just like our Heavenly Father who has compassion towards all people, our hearts should be full of compassion when we see the needs of the people around us. Psalm 145:9 says, “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” Similarly 1 John 3:16-18 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

It is morally right to have a heart that would continually give to others, and it actually pleases the Lord God to see this wonderful character in our lives. However, when it comes to the area of giving and helping, the Bible also teaches that we must have wise discernment (Matthew 10:16). In fact, the Lord God gives us certain standards that we must take into account when it comes to giving our time, money and any other material possessions to others. It’s important to understand that when the Bible tells us we are to help others, the purpose is never for us to do this to the point where it becomes detrimental. While it’s important for us to take advantage of every opportunity to do good and help whenever we can possibly help, we should also remember that 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” This is because there are people who want to live an irresponsible lifestyle with absolutely no accountability. Such a lifestyle is not to be encouraged. So, there must be limits; we should help anyone in need, but if we see that it has become a chronic life pattern, it is wrong for us to continue to encourage such. We are commanded to give to those who ask from us but we should not tolerate idleness and laziness. Brethren, it’s very harmful to others to contribute to their indolence, lack of effort, and laziness. We should motivate and encourage each and every one to work hard and better themselves on a long-term basis. The old saying, “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime” is quite true. With this in mind and as long as we see that someone is sincerely making an effort, we should be there to support him/her in whatever way the Lord God leads.

How Do You Know If Someone Is Taking Advantage Of You?

Today, as was the case in the past, there exist many ways through which people can take advantage of others. That’s why it’s important for us to make this a subject of prayer, asking the Lord God to guide us and show us what He wants us to do. Behold, He will give us the wisdom to recognize a genuine need and discern between an opportunity and a distraction. James 1:5 says, “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.” Note that trying to help someone who is just not willing to take any steps towards a solution in the matter may be a hopeless cause. Again, bringing it to the Lord God in prayer, requesting wisdom, and exercising the discernment He gives is crucial in such cases. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

What If You’ve Already Been Taken Advantage Of?

What if you’ve already been taken advantage of? Truth be told, no matter how pure your intentions are, there are still people who just don’t care. In fact, they’ll milk whatever they can out of you. And such are the kind of people who abuse charity thereby making genuine givers doubt charity. If you happened to cross paths with such individuals and fell prey to them, take comfort in these words: “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. ” – Romans 12:17-21. With this Scripture in mind, we should never think of nor seek revenge. Instead, we pray for them that they may see the error of their ways. As Christians, we should continue doing good to others and even to those who have wronged us. And whatever we do, we should do it for the Lord God and not for men.

What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others?

Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Luke 6:31 – “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

Galatians 5:14For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

2 Peter 2:3 – “And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Leviticus 19:18 – “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

James 2:8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

Mark 12:31 – “The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

Matthew 25:40 – “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

1 Peter 3:9 – “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Group 1 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

James 1:19-20 – “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Matthew 7:1-5 – “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Romans 13:9For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Matthew 5:43-48 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? …

Group 2 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Romans 13:8-10 – “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Matthew 5:7 – “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

1 Peter 3:10For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;”

Luke 10:25-28And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

Group 3 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Matthew 7:1 – “Judge not, that you be not judged.

Romans 13:1-14 – “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. …

Matthew 7:8 – “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Hebrews 13:5Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

James 4:11-12 – “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Group 4 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Matthew 22:39 – “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Mark 12:30-33 – “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Matthew 5:44 – “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Matthew 5:45 – “So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

1 John 4:20 – “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Group 5 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Matthew 5:38-48 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. …

Matthew 5:17 – “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Acts 20:35 – “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Matthew 5:48 – “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 7:7-11 – “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Matthew 22:37-40And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Mark 12:28-31 – “And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

Matthew 20:21And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”

Matthew 8:1-34 – “When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, …

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Psalm 26:5 – “I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.

Psalm 119:113-115 – “I hate the double-minded, but I love your law. You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word. Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God.

Psalm 139:19-22 – “Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain! Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.

Matthew 5:1-7:29 – “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. …

Matthew 6:1-34 – “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. …

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 – “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Deuteronomy 9:5-6 – “Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. “Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.

Psalm 5:5 – “The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.

Deuteronomy 10:18 – “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 10:19 – “Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

2 Chronicles 19:2 – “But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the Lord.

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Leviticus 25:35 – “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 – “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Leviticus 19:34 – “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 19:17 – “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.

Deuteronomy 1:15-17 – “So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes. And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Exodus 34:6 – “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

Exodus 23:4-5 – “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.

Hebrews 13:1 – “Let brotherly love continue.

James 2:12-13 – “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Exodus 20:6 – “But showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Colossians 3:12-14 – “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Luke 10:25-36 – “And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” …

Matthew 23:1-39 – “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, …

John 13:34-35 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Matthew 23:27-28 – “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Matthew 22:40 – “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 23:1-33 – “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, …

Matthew 7:13 – “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

Matthew 22:36-38 – “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.

Matthew 23:1-33 – “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, …

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

1 John 4:1 – “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Deuteronomy 4:2 – “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.

Deuteronomy 15:7-8 – “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.

Matthew 5:5-9 – ““Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Matthew 7:1-29 – “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. …

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

1 John 3:18 – “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood …

James 1:26 – “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

James 4:1 – “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

James 1:22-27 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. …

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Ephesians 5:5 – “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Philippians 4:8-9 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Romans 13:8 – “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Luke 16:13 – “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Luke 6:35-36 – “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Mark 13:32 – “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Luke 6:27-29 – “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.

Mark 12:28-30 – “And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

Mark 16:15 – “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Luke 10:30-37Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. …

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Mark 11:25 – “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Mark 16:1-20 – “When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. …

Mark 10:19 – “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’

Mark 12:28-34 – “And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. …

Group 18 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Mark 9:35And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Mark 10:11-12And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Mark 7:20-22And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.”

Mark 9:1And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

Matthew 22:34-40 – “But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. …

Group 19 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Proverbs 10:9 – “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.”

Romans 12:17-21 – “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Matthew 25:31-46 – “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, …

Group 20 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Hebrews 13:5Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 – “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

Proverbs 28:6 – “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

Luke 6:32-42 – “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. …

Group 21 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Romans 14:1 – “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

James 4:1 – “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

Luke 6:29 – “To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.

Acts 20:35 – “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Proverbs 20:22Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.

Ephesians 4:26 – “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Mark 11:24 – “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Group 22 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Galatians 6:7-8 – “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

James 1:22-27 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. …

Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.

Matthew 5:42 – “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

James 4:11-12 – “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Group 23 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Proverbs 22:22-23 – “Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the Lord will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.

Matthew 10:16 – “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 – “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

1 Thessalonians 4:6 – “That no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.

Luke 16:10 – “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

Matthew 7:1-5 – “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Group 24 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

James 1:27 – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Amos 5:11 – “Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.”

Malachi 3:5 – “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Romans 14:10-12Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Luke 17:3-4 – “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.

Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Group 25 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Romans 12:19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Luke 6:35 – “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

Matthew 6:1-7 – “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. …

Proverbs 24:28 – “Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.

Galatians 5:16-26 – “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, …

Group 26 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Romans 15:1-2 – “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Proverbs 15:1 – “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 28:27 – “Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Hebrews 13:3 – “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

Isaiah 58:10-11 – “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Proverbs 4:5 – “Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 28:20 – “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

Group 27 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Psalm 12:5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

Jeremiah 22:3 – “Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.”

Hebrews 13:1-3 – “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”

Luke 21:1-4Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Matthew 7:15-20 – “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. …

Group 28 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Jeremiah 7:6 – “If you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm,”

James 3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”

Acts 3:6But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

Leviticus 19:9-10 – “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

Zechariah 7:10 – “Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Mark 10:19 – “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’

Proverbs 11:3 – “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

Group 29 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Exodus 22:22 – “You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.

Deuteronomy 10:18 – “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

Proverbs 28:8 – “Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.

James 5:4 – “Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

Proverbs 16:28 – “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.

Deuteronomy 27:19 – “‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

Proverbs 14:31 – “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”

John 16:13 – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

1 John 3:17 – “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

Group 30 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Romans 5:8 – “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Psalm 91:2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Proverbs 19:11 – “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Leviticus 25:35-38 – “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

Micah 6:8 – “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Proverbs 26:12 – “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

Isaiah 5:21 – “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!

Proverbs 10:12 – “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

Matthew 5:5-9 – “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Group 31 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Colossians 3:12-14 – “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Romans 13:8-10 – “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Proverbs 19:1 – “Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.

Psalm 50:16-17But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips? For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.”

1 Timothy 4:1-2 – “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

1 Thessalonians 3:10-12 – “As we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,

Group 32 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Isaiah 61:8 – “For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.”

Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 5:20-21 – “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!

Amos 5:24 – “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

Isaiah 61:1-4 – “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.”

Group 33 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Amos 5:12 – “For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Psalm 35:10All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

Psalm 119:61 – “Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law.

Proverbs 29:27 – “An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.

Ezekiel 18:4 – “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Group 34 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

1 Timothy 1:8-11 – “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 – “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. …

John 8:32 – “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Mark 9:42 – “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Group 35 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Isaiah 10:1-2 – “Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 16:29 – “A man of violence entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good.”

Proverbs 13:24 – “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

Psalm 127:3 – “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Psalm 82:3 – “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

Psalm 72:4 – “May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!

Psalm 55:23 – “But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.

Psalm 9:9 – “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Group 36 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Genesis 6:11 – “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.”

Leviticus 18:19-23 – “You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness. And you shall not lie sexually with your neighbor’s wife and so make yourself unclean with her. You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.

Genesis 3:19 – “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

Joshua 24:15 – “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Leviticus 18:22 – “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.

Deuteronomy 10:18 – “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

Group 37 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

James 4:6-7 – “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

1 John 3:1-3 – “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Titus 2:14 – “Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Hebrews 4:15-16 – “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Group 38 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Romans 14:16-18 – “So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.”

Galatians 3:27-29 – “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

2 Corinthians 1:20 – “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

Galatians 3:6-8Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”

Group 39 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

James 2:23 – “And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.

1 Peter 2:7-10 – “So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

John 16:24 – “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Jeremiah 39:18 – “For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.’

Isaiah 54:17 – “No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

Group 40 – What Does The Bible Say About Taking Advantage Of Others

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Titus 3:4-8 – “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

Ephesians 5:7-9 – “Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),

Ephesians 2:8-10 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

John 14:6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Luke 12:32 – “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Luke 9:1-2 – “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

Also Read

What Does the Bible Say About Clarity?

What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

What Does the Bible Say About Clarity? There is much that the Bible says about godly advice, counsel, suggestions, correction, instruction, giving advice, and receiving advice. As faithful Christians, we should seek and follow God’s advice or godly counsel in all that we do, great and small. Failing to follow God’s advice or godly counsel will only lead to sorrow and destruction. We should also welcome godly advice from others including godly parents, spouses, leaders, friends, fellow believers, and loved ones. Seeking wise counsel is a sign of maturity and humility. Importantly, we should not be quick to reject any advice while at the same time making sure that the advice we receive does not go against God’s word. Nevertheless, we should not be too quick to give advice without properly understanding the situation at hand.

Giving advice is good but sometimes we just need to show love and pray. In as much as we are willing to give advice, we should also be willing to listen to and follow good advice, even when it is tough. Wise people appreciate and follow good, godly advice. By following godly advice, we become wise.
Proverbs 19:20 says, “Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.”
Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no wise guidance is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

What Does the Bible Say About Clarity?

Brethren, it is without a doubt that life is challenging. Life sometimes presents us with decisions that are not easy to make on our own. In such situations, it is wise for us to pray, read God’s Word, and seek godly advice for guidance. Advice from godly people can be very helpful in such moments of confusion and uncertainty. The Bible explicitly points to the benefit of godly counsel and the damage of ungodly counsel. Proverbs 12:5 says, “The thoughts of the righteous are just; but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.” As such, it is important that when seeking counsel, we examine the character and values of the person from whom we receive advice. Likewise, we are to consider a person’s motives when evaluating the merit of their advice.

Notice how receiving advice from a person who has a vested interest or potential gain from the decision we make can lead us astray. Surprisingly, there are times when misleading advice can come from people who care about us but give advice based on their own fears, insecurities, or expectations. It’s important for us to seek advice from people who know and love God, seek His will, and will be faithful to the truth of God’s Word. In examining the counsel we give as well as receive from others, we need to ask ourselves the question, “Does this advice fit the character and nature of the Lord God Almighty as portrayed in the Bible?
1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, “but test everything; hold fast what is good.
1 Corinthians 2:15 says, “But the spiritual man [the spiritually mature Christian] judges all things [questions, examines and applies what the Holy Spirit reveals], yet is himself judged by no one [the unbeliever cannot judge and understand the believer’s spiritual nature].”

Biblical Counseling

What is Biblical Counseling? Biblical counseling is a fluid event and process in which a Spirit-filled or Spirit-empowered Christian ministers the Word to others. It’s a pastoral activity, a product of the spiritual gift of exhortation. It focuses on the application of God’s Word and Walking in God’s Spirit when dealing with matters of life. This aspect of discipleship is one in which a follower of Jesus Christ in the service of the Holy Spirit provides godly counsel/advice to others. Notice that for the counsel to be Biblical, it must be rooted in God, exalting of Jesus Christ, enabled by the Holy Spirit, and offered in love. For Biblical counseling to be rooted in God, it must acknowledge the sovereignty and authority of God in all things, and rely upon God’s Word for knowledge, wisdom, and direction. Likewise, it should reflect compassion and love.

The Gospel is the Core Message of Biblical Counseling which renews human hearts and sets them on the right path to God. Therefore, our counsel must uphold the deity of Christ, His message, His incarnation, the sufficiency of His wrath-bearing death on the cross, His burial and resurrection, His future or second coming, His present and future kingdom, and His ultimate judgment of the world. Our counsel should present Jesus Christ as Who He Is. As Christians, we live in the service of God’s Spirit. We are His ministers of grace. And as such, we actively trust the Holy Spirit to enable our counsel and transform the lives of the counselees. The relationship between the counselor and the counselee should be filled with and shaped by Biblical love.
1 John 4:7 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

Biblical Counseling Guidelines

  • Actively listen and make sure that you have properly understood the situation at hand before proceeding to speak (Proverbs 20:5).
  • Employ discernment (Proverbs 17:28).
  • Give a Biblical or Godly counsel (Matthew 5:38).
  • Evaluate your counselee’s interest in your advice (Matthew 7:1).
  • Trust in God to bring a solution to whatever problem your counselee has (Philippians 2:13).

Understanding the Difference Between Psychology and Biblical Counseling

Secular psychology is centered on the teachings of psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Carl Rogers. On the other hand, Biblical, or nouthetic, counseling is centered mainly on the revealed Word of God. Biblical counseling regards Scripture as sufficient to equip Christians for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). Biblical counselors believe and teach that man’s basic problem is spiritual in nature and as such atheists psychologists, who are spiritually dead themselves, have no real or true insight into the human condition. What is usually referred to as “Christian counseling” is different from “Biblical counseling” in that Christian counseling often makes use of secular psychology in addition to the Bible. Behold, this is not to say that a Christian counselor is not also a Biblical counselor. Still, most of the time Christian counselors are Christians who integrate secular psychology into their counseling.
Note that Biblical or nouthetic counselors on their part fully reject secular psychology.

It is worth noting that most psychology is humanistic in nature. Secular humanism rejects faith, the supernatural, and the Bible but explicitly promotes mankind as the highest standard of truth and morality. Thus, secular psychology is man’s self-serving attempt to understand and repair the spiritual side of man without reference to or recognition of the supernatural. Nevertheless, the Bible explicitly declares that mankind is a unique creation of God, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 2:7). The Bible clearly deals with man’s spirituality, including his Fall into Sin, sin’s consequences, and man’s present relationship with God.

The Problem with Secular Psychology

Secular psychology is centered on the atheist ideas that man is basically good and that the answers to his problems fully lie within him. The Bible tells us something completely different. Man is not “basically good“; he is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), and the unregenerate heart is “deceitful and beyond all cure” (Jeremiah 17:9). Following this, the biblical counselor takes a drastically different approach: instead of seeking solutions to spiritual problems within one’s own limited mind, he seeks to address the problem of sin, obtain wisdom from above (James 3:17), and apply the Word of God to the situation.

The Difference Between Biblical Counselors, Psychotherapists, and Some Christian Counselors

Biblical counselors, as opposed to psychotherapists, and some Christian counselors, regard the Bible as the one and only main source of a comprehensive and detailed approach to counseling (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:4). Biblical counseling is all about letting God speak for Himself through His Word. Furthermore, it seeks to minister the love of the One and only True Living God, a love that deals with the problem of sin and produces obedience.

Psychotherapy is need-based. The needs for acceptance, self-esteem, love, and significance tend to dominate. It is believed that if these needs are met, people will be kind, happy, and moral; if these needs are unmet, people will be hateful, miserable, and immoral. Biblical counseling explicitly teaches that true happiness, peace, and satisfaction can only be achieved from a relationship with God and a pursuit of godliness. For example, while the obedient child of God will find satisfaction in his joyful, unselfish giving (2 Corinthians 9:7), it’s clear that no amount of psychotherapy can make a selfish person unselfish. This is an indication that psychology doesn’t work with Biblical counseling. Secular psychology starts and ends with man and his little ideas. True Biblical counseling points counselees to Christ and the Word of God.

What Does the Bible Say About Clarity?

Proverbs 11:14 – “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 15:22 – “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”

Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”

Proverbs 11:14 – “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Proverbs 24:6 – “For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

John 16:13 – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Luke 14:28 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

James 3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Proverbs 13:20 – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

1 Kings 12:6-8 – “Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.

James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

1 Peter 4:11 – “whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Proverbs 13:10 – “By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.”

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

Proverbs 16:9 – “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Proverbs 18:24 – “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Isaiah 30:21And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

Proverbs 12:5 – “The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.”

Proverbs 28:26 – “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Ecclesiastes 4:13 – “Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.”

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

Isaiah 58:11 – “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

Ephesians 4:2 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Psalm 119:24 – “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.

1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Proverbs 12:18 – “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

Proverbs 3:12 – “For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Proverbs 27:9 – “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Proverbs 14:15 – “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

1 Corinthians 4:14 – “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.”

Jeremiah 38:15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”

Genesis 2:18Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

Ephesians 4:2-3 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Proverbs 6:20-23 – “My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Romans 8:1-4 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

James 4:10 – “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

Psalm 32:8 – “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Proverbs 31:10 – “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. …

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Proverbs 15:31-33 – “The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 19:8 – “Whoever gets sense loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will discover good.”

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Matthew 7:24 – “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Luke 14:28-30 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Ecclesiastes 11:2 – “Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Isaiah 30:1 – “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;”

Proverbs 27:5-6 – “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

Proverbs 23:19-21 – “Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.

Proverbs 22:24-25 – “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

1 John 4:1 – “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Proverbs 12:26 – “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

Romans 12:10 – “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

John 3:3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

1 Timothy 4:8 – “For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Proverbs 20:18 – “Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.”

Proverbs 24:27 – “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

Mark 10:9 – “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

Matthew 19:9 – “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

James 1:2 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

Job 2:11 – “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.”

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Proverbs 30:18-19 – “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin.

Proverbs 14:29 – “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

1 Chronicles 16:11 – “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Psalm 143:10 – “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

Proverbs 21:5 – “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Ruth 1:16-17But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Colossians 3:14 – “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Hebrews 13:1-25 – “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” …

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

Genesis 1:27-28So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Song of Solomon 8:7 – “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.

1 Corinthians 15:33Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Psalm 73:24 – “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.

James 3:13 – “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.”

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Revelation 3:18 – “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

1 Corinthians 13:13 – “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Ephesians 5:15-16 – “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

2 Kings 2:2And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 – “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Clarity

Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Proverbs 3:1-35 – “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. …

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

John 13:6-9He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

Proverbs 1:1-3 – “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;

Also Read

What Does the Bible Say About Direction?

What Does the Bible Say About Direction

What Does the Bible Say About Direction? There is much that the Bible says about godly advice, counsel, suggestions, correction, instruction, giving advice, and receiving advice. As faithful Christians, we should seek and follow God’s advice or godly counsel in all that we do, great and small. Failing to follow God’s advice or godly counsel will only lead to sorrow and destruction. We should also welcome godly advice from others including godly parents, spouses, leaders, friends, fellow believers, and loved ones. Seeking wise counsel is a sign of maturity and humility. Importantly, we should not be quick to reject any advice while at the same time making sure that the advice we receive does not go against God’s word. Nevertheless, we should not be too quick to give advice without properly understanding the situation at hand.

Giving advice is good but sometimes we just need to show love and pray. In as much as we are willing to give advice, we should also be willing to listen to and follow good advice, even when it is tough. Wise people appreciate and follow good, godly advice. By following godly advice, we become wise.
Proverbs 19:20 says, “Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.”
Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no wise guidance is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

What Does the Bible Say About Direction?

Brethren, it is without a doubt that life is challenging. Life sometimes presents us with decisions that are not easy to make on our own. In such situations, it is wise for us to pray, read God’s Word, and seek godly advice for guidance. Advice from godly people can be very helpful in such moments of confusion and uncertainty. The Bible explicitly points to the benefit of godly counsel and the damage of ungodly counsel. Proverbs 12:5 says, “The thoughts of the righteous are just; but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.” As such, it is important that when seeking counsel, we examine the character and values of the person from whom we receive advice. Likewise, we are to consider a person’s motives when evaluating the merit of their advice.

Notice how receiving advice from a person who has a vested interest or potential gain from the decision we make can lead us astray. Surprisingly, there are times when misleading advice can come from people who care about us but give advice based on their own fears, insecurities, or expectations. It’s important for us to seek advice from people who know and love God, seek His will, and will be faithful to the truth of God’s Word. In examining the counsel we give as well as receive from others, we need to ask ourselves the question, “Does this advice fit the character and nature of the Lord God Almighty as portrayed in the Bible?
1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, “but test everything; hold fast what is good.
1 Corinthians 2:15 says, “But the spiritual man [the spiritually mature Christian] judges all things [questions, examines and applies what the Holy Spirit reveals], yet is himself judged by no one [the unbeliever cannot judge and understand the believer’s spiritual nature].”

Biblical Counseling

What is Biblical Counseling? Biblical counseling is a fluid event and process in which a Spirit-filled or Spirit-empowered Christian ministers the Word to others. It’s a pastoral activity, a product of the spiritual gift of exhortation. It focuses on the application of God’s Word and Walking in God’s Spirit when dealing with matters of life. This aspect of discipleship is one in which a follower of Jesus Christ in the service of the Holy Spirit provides godly counsel/advice to others. Notice that for the counsel to be Biblical, it must be rooted in God, exalting of Jesus Christ, enabled by the Holy Spirit, and offered in love. For Biblical counseling to be rooted in God, it must acknowledge the sovereignty and authority of God in all things, and rely upon God’s Word for knowledge, wisdom, and direction. Likewise, it should reflect compassion and love.

The Gospel is the Core Message of Biblical Counseling which renews human hearts and sets them on the right path to God. Therefore, our counsel must uphold the deity of Christ, His message, His incarnation, the sufficiency of His wrath-bearing death on the cross, His burial and resurrection, His future or second coming, His present and future kingdom, and His ultimate judgment of the world. Our counsel should present Jesus Christ as Who He Is. As Christians, we live in the service of God’s Spirit. We are His ministers of grace. And as such, we actively trust the Holy Spirit to enable our counsel and transform the lives of the counselees. The relationship between the counselor and the counselee should be filled with and shaped by Biblical love.
1 John 4:7 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

Biblical Counseling Guidelines

  • Actively listen and make sure that you have properly understood the situation at hand before proceeding to speak (Proverbs 20:5).
  • Employ discernment (Proverbs 17:28).
  • Give a Biblical or Godly counsel (Matthew 5:38).
  • Evaluate your counselee’s interest in your advice (Matthew 7:1).
  • Trust in God to bring a solution to whatever problem your counselee has (Philippians 2:13).

Understanding the Difference Between Psychology and Biblical Counseling

Secular psychology is centered on the teachings of psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Carl Rogers. On the other hand, Biblical, or nouthetic, counseling is centered mainly on the revealed Word of God. Biblical counseling regards Scripture as sufficient to equip Christians for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). Biblical counselors believe and teach that man’s basic problem is spiritual in nature and as such atheists psychologists, who are spiritually dead themselves, have no real or true insight into the human condition. What is usually referred to as “Christian counseling” is different from “Biblical counseling” in that Christian counseling often makes use of secular psychology in addition to the Bible. Behold, this is not to say that a Christian counselor is not also a Biblical counselor. Still, most of the time Christian counselors are Christians who integrate secular psychology into their counseling.
Note that Biblical or nouthetic counselors on their part fully reject secular psychology.

It is worth noting that most psychology is humanistic in nature. Secular humanism rejects faith, the supernatural, and the Bible but explicitly promotes mankind as the highest standard of truth and morality. Thus, secular psychology is man’s self-serving attempt to understand and repair the spiritual side of man without reference to or recognition of the supernatural. Nevertheless, the Bible explicitly declares that mankind is a unique creation of God, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 2:7). The Bible clearly deals with man’s spirituality, including his Fall into Sin, sin’s consequences, and man’s present relationship with God.

The Problem with Secular Psychology

Secular psychology is centered on the atheist ideas that man is basically good and that the answers to his problems fully lie within him. The Bible tells us something completely different. Man is not “basically good“; he is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), and the unregenerate heart is “deceitful and beyond all cure” (Jeremiah 17:9). Following this, the biblical counselor takes a drastically different approach: instead of seeking solutions to spiritual problems within one’s own limited mind, he seeks to address the problem of sin, obtain wisdom from above (James 3:17), and apply the Word of God to the situation.

The Difference Between Biblical Counselors, Psychotherapists, and Some Christian Counselors

Biblical counselors, as opposed to psychotherapists, and some Christian counselors, regard the Bible as the one and only main source of a comprehensive and detailed approach to counseling (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:4). Biblical counseling is all about letting God speak for Himself through His Word. Furthermore, it seeks to minister the love of the One and only True Living God, a love that deals with the problem of sin and produces obedience.

Psychotherapy is need-based. The needs for acceptance, self-esteem, love, and significance tend to dominate. It is believed that if these needs are met, people will be kind, happy, and moral; if these needs are unmet, people will be hateful, miserable, and immoral. Biblical counseling explicitly teaches that true happiness, peace, and satisfaction can only be achieved from a relationship with God and a pursuit of godliness. For example, while the obedient child of God will find satisfaction in his joyful, unselfish giving (2 Corinthians 9:7), it’s clear that no amount of psychotherapy can make a selfish person unselfish. This is an indication that psychology doesn’t work with Biblical counseling. Secular psychology starts and ends with man and his little ideas. True Biblical counseling points counselees to Christ and the Word of God.

What Does the Bible Say About Direction?

Proverbs 11:14 – “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 15:22 – “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”

Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”

Proverbs 11:14 – “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Proverbs 24:6 – “For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

John 16:13 – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Luke 14:28 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

James 3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Proverbs 13:20 – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

1 Kings 12:6-8 – “Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.

James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

1 Peter 4:11 – “whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Proverbs 13:10 – “By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.”

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

Isaiah 30:21And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

Proverbs 12:5 – “The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.”

Proverbs 28:26 – “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Ecclesiastes 4:13 – “Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.”

Proverbs 16:9 – “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Proverbs 18:24 – “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

Psalm 119:24 – “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.

1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Proverbs 12:18 – “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Isaiah 58:11 – “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

Ephesians 4:2 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

Proverbs 14:15 – “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

1 Corinthians 4:14 – “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.”

Jeremiah 38:15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”

Genesis 2:18Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Proverbs 3:12 – “For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Proverbs 27:9 – “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Romans 8:1-4 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Ephesians 4:2-3 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Proverbs 6:20-23 – “My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

James 4:10 – “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

Psalm 32:8 – “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Proverbs 31:10 – “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. …

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 19:8 – “Whoever gets sense loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will discover good.”

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Matthew 7:24 – “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Luke 14:28-30 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Proverbs 15:31-33 – “The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Ecclesiastes 11:2 – “Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Isaiah 30:1 – “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;”

Proverbs 27:5-6 – “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

Proverbs 23:19-21 – “Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.

Proverbs 22:24-25 – “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

1 John 4:1 – “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Proverbs 12:26 – “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

Romans 12:10 – “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

John 3:3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

1 Timothy 4:8 – “For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Proverbs 20:18 – “Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.”

Proverbs 24:27 – “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

Mark 10:9 – “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

Matthew 19:9 – “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

James 1:2 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

Job 2:11 – “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.”

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Proverbs 30:18-19 – “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin.

Proverbs 14:29 – “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

Colossians 3:14 – “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Hebrews 13:1-25 – “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” …

1 Chronicles 16:11 – “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Psalm 143:10 – “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

Proverbs 21:5 – “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Ruth 1:16-17But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

Genesis 1:27-28So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Song of Solomon 8:7 – “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.

1 Corinthians 15:33Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Psalm 73:24 – “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.

James 3:13 – “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.”

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Revelation 3:18 – “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

Ecclesiastes 4:12 – “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

1 Corinthians 13:13 – “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Ephesians 5:15-16 – “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

2 Kings 2:2And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Direction

Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Proverbs 3:1-35 – “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. …

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

John 13:6-9He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

Proverbs 1:1-3 – “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;

Also Read

What Does the Bible Say About Guidance?

What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

What Does the Bible Say About Guidance? There is much that the Bible says about godly advice, counsel, suggestions, correction, instruction, giving advice, and receiving advice. As faithful Christians, we should seek and follow God’s advice or godly counsel in all that we do, great and small. Failing to follow God’s advice or godly counsel will only lead to sorrow and destruction. We should also welcome godly advice from others including godly parents, spouses, leaders, friends, fellow believers, and loved ones. Seeking wise counsel is a sign of maturity and humility. Importantly, we should not be quick to reject any advice while at the same time making sure that the advice we receive does not go against God’s word. Nevertheless, we should not be too quick to give advice without properly understanding the situation at hand.

Giving advice is good but sometimes we just need to show love and pray. In as much as we are willing to give advice, we should also be willing to listen to and follow good advice, even when it is tough. Wise people appreciate and follow good, godly advice. By following godly advice, we become wise.
Proverbs 19:20 says, “Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.”
Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no wise guidance is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

What Does the Bible Say About Guidance and Strength?

Brethren, it is without a doubt that life is challenging. Life sometimes presents us with decisions that are not easy to make on our own. In such situations, it is wise for us to pray, read God’s Word, and seek godly advice for guidance. Advice from godly people can be very helpful in such moments of confusion and uncertainty. The Bible explicitly points to the benefit of godly counsel and the damage of ungodly counsel. Proverbs 12:5 says, “The thoughts of the righteous are just; but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.” As such, it is important that when seeking counsel, we examine the character and values of the person from whom we receive advice. Likewise, we are to consider a person’s motives when evaluating the merit of their advice.

Notice how receiving advice from a person who has a vested interest or potential gain from the decision we make can lead us astray. Surprisingly, there are times when misleading advice can come from people who care about us but give advice based on their own fears, insecurities, or expectations. It’s important for us to seek advice from people who know and love God, seek His will, and will be faithful to the truth of God’s Word. In examining the counsel we give as well as receive from others, we need to ask ourselves the question, “Does this advice fit the character and nature of the Lord God Almighty as portrayed in the Bible?
1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, “but test everything; hold fast what is good.
1 Corinthians 2:15 says, “But the spiritual man [the spiritually mature Christian] judges all things [questions, examines and applies what the Holy Spirit reveals], yet is himself judged by no one [the unbeliever cannot judge and understand the believer’s spiritual nature].”

Biblical Counseling

What is Biblical Counseling? Biblical counseling is a fluid event and process in which a Spirit-filled or Spirit-empowered Christian ministers the Word to others. It’s a pastoral activity, a product of the spiritual gift of exhortation. It focuses on the application of God’s Word and Walking in God’s Spirit when dealing with matters of life. This aspect of discipleship is one in which a follower of Jesus Christ in the service of the Holy Spirit provides godly counsel/advice to others. Notice that for the counsel to be Biblical, it must be rooted in God, exalting of Jesus Christ, enabled by the Holy Spirit, and offered in love. For Biblical counseling to be rooted in God, it must acknowledge the sovereignty and authority of God in all things, and rely upon God’s Word for knowledge, wisdom, and direction. Likewise, it should reflect compassion and love.

The Gospel is the Core Message of Biblical Counseling which renews human hearts and sets them on the right path to God. Therefore, our counsel must uphold the deity of Christ, His message, His incarnation, the sufficiency of His wrath-bearing death on the cross, His burial and resurrection, His future or second coming, His present and future kingdom, and His ultimate judgment of the world. Our counsel should present Jesus Christ as Who He Is. As Christians, we live in the service of God’s Spirit. We are His ministers of grace. And as such, we actively trust the Holy Spirit to enable our counsel and transform the lives of the counselees. The relationship between the counselor and the counselee should be filled with and shaped by Biblical love.
1 John 4:7 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

Biblical Counseling Guidelines

  • Actively listen and make sure that you have properly understood the situation at hand before proceeding to speak (Proverbs 20:5).
  • Employ discernment (Proverbs 17:28).
  • Give a Biblical or Godly counsel (Matthew 5:38).
  • Evaluate your counselee’s interest in your advice (Matthew 7:1).
  • Trust in God to bring a solution to whatever problem your counselee has (Philippians 2:13).

Understanding the Difference Between Psychology and Biblical Counseling

Secular psychology is centered on the teachings of psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Carl Rogers. On the other hand, Biblical, or nouthetic, counseling is centered mainly on the revealed Word of God. Biblical counseling regards Scripture as sufficient to equip Christians for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). Biblical counselors believe and teach that man’s basic problem is spiritual in nature and as such atheists psychologists, who are spiritually dead themselves, have no real or true insight into the human condition. What is usually referred to as “Christian counseling” is different from “Biblical counseling” in that Christian counseling often makes use of secular psychology in addition to the Bible. Behold, this is not to say that a Christian counselor is not also a Biblical counselor. Still, most of the time Christian counselors are Christians who integrate secular psychology into their counseling.
Note that Biblical or nouthetic counselors on their part fully reject secular psychology.

It is worth noting that most psychology is humanistic in nature. Secular humanism rejects faith, the supernatural, and the Bible but explicitly promotes mankind as the highest standard of truth and morality. Thus, secular psychology is man’s self-serving attempt to understand and repair the spiritual side of man without reference to or recognition of the supernatural. Nevertheless, the Bible explicitly declares that mankind is a unique creation of God, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 2:7). The Bible clearly deals with man’s spirituality, including his Fall into Sin, sin’s consequences, and man’s present relationship with God.

The Problem with Secular Psychology

Secular psychology is centered on the atheist ideas that man is basically good and that the answers to his problems fully lie within him. The Bible tells us something completely different. Man is not “basically good“; he is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), and the unregenerate heart is “deceitful and beyond all cure” (Jeremiah 17:9). Following this, the biblical counselor takes a drastically different approach: instead of seeking solutions to spiritual problems within one’s own limited mind, he seeks to address the problem of sin, obtain wisdom from above (James 3:17), and apply the Word of God to the situation.

The Difference Between Biblical Counselors, Psychotherapists, and Some Christian Counselors

Biblical counselors, as opposed to psychotherapists, and some Christian counselors, regard the Bible as the one and only main source of a comprehensive and detailed approach to counseling (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:4). Biblical counseling is all about letting God speak for Himself through His Word. Furthermore, it seeks to minister the love of the One and only True Living God, a love that deals with the problem of sin and produces obedience.

Psychotherapy is need-based. The needs for acceptance, self-esteem, love, and significance tend to dominate. It is believed that if these needs are met, people will be kind, happy, and moral; if these needs are unmet, people will be hateful, miserable, and immoral. Biblical counseling explicitly teaches that true happiness, peace, and satisfaction can only be achieved from a relationship with God and a pursuit of godliness. For example, while the obedient child of God will find satisfaction in his joyful, unselfish giving (2 Corinthians 9:7), it’s clear that no amount of psychotherapy can make a selfish person unselfish. This is an indication that psychology doesn’t work with Biblical counseling. Secular psychology starts and ends with man and his little ideas. True Biblical counseling points counselees to Christ and the Word of God.

What Does the Bible Say About Guidance?

Proverbs 11:14 – “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 15:22 – “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”

Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”

Proverbs 11:14 – “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Proverbs 24:6 – “For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

John 16:13 – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Luke 14:28 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

James 3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Proverbs 13:20 – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

1 Kings 12:6-8 – “Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.

James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

1 Peter 4:11 – “whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Proverbs 13:10 – “By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.”

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

Isaiah 30:21And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

Proverbs 12:5 – “The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.”

Proverbs 28:26 – “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Ecclesiastes 4:13 – “Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.”

Proverbs 16:9 – “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Proverbs 18:24 – “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

Psalm 119:24 – “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.

1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Proverbs 12:18 – “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Proverbs 14:15 – “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

1 Corinthians 4:14 – “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.”

Jeremiah 38:15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”

Genesis 2:18Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

Isaiah 58:11 – “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

Ephesians 4:2 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Proverbs 3:12 – “For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Proverbs 27:9 – “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Romans 8:1-4 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

James 4:10 – “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

Psalm 32:8 – “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

Ephesians 4:2-3 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Proverbs 6:20-23 – “My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,

Proverbs 31:10 – “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. …

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 19:8 – “Whoever gets sense loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will discover good.”

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Matthew 7:24 – “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Luke 14:28-30 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Proverbs 15:31-33 – “The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Ecclesiastes 11:2 – “Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Isaiah 30:1 – “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;”

Proverbs 27:5-6 – “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

Proverbs 23:19-21 – “Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.

Proverbs 22:24-25 – “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

1 John 4:1 – “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Proverbs 12:26 – “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

Romans 12:10 – “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

John 3:3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

1 Timothy 4:8 – “For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

James 1:2 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

Job 2:11 – “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.”

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

Proverbs 30:18-19 – “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin.

Proverbs 14:29 – “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Proverbs 20:18 – “Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.”

Proverbs 24:27 – “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

Mark 10:9 – “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

Matthew 19:9 – “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

Colossians 3:14 – “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Hebrews 13:1-25 – “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” …

1 Chronicles 16:11 – “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Psalm 143:10 – “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

Proverbs 21:5 – “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Ruth 1:16-17But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

Ecclesiastes 4:12 – “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

1 Corinthians 15:33Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Psalm 73:24 – “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.

James 3:13 – “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.”

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Revelation 3:18 – “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

1 Corinthians 13:13 – “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Ephesians 5:15-16 – “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

2 Kings 2:2And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

Genesis 1:27-28So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Song of Solomon 8:7 – “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Guidance

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

John 13:6-9He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

Proverbs 1:1-3 – “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;

Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Proverbs 3:1-35 – “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. …

Also Read

Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

Biblical Counseling Christian Counseling and Psychology

Get to know about Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology. There is much that the Bible says about godly advice, counsel, suggestions, correction, instruction, giving advice, and receiving advice. As faithful Christians, we should seek and follow God’s advice or godly counsel in all that we do, great and small. Failing to follow God’s advice or godly counsel will only lead to sorrow and destruction. We should also welcome godly advice from others including godly parents, spouses, leaders, friends, fellow believers, and loved ones. Seeking wise counsel is a sign of maturity and humility. Importantly, we should not be quick to reject any advice while at the same time making sure that the advice we receive does not go against God’s word. Nevertheless, we should not be too quick to give advice without properly understanding the situation at hand.

Giving advice is good but sometimes we just need to show love and pray. In as much as we are willing to give advice, we should also be willing to listen to and follow good advice, even when it is tough. Wise people appreciate and follow good, godly advice. By following godly advice, we become wise.
Proverbs 19:20 says, “Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.”
Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no wise guidance is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

Brethren, it is without a doubt that life is challenging. Life sometimes presents us with decisions that are not easy to make on our own. In such situations, it is wise for us to pray, read God’s Word, and seek godly advice for guidance. Advice from godly people can be very helpful in such moments of confusion and uncertainty. The Bible explicitly points to the benefit of godly counsel and the damage of ungodly counsel. Proverbs 12:5 says, “The thoughts of the righteous are just; but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.” As such, it is important that when seeking counsel, we examine the character and values of the person from whom we receive advice. Likewise, we are to consider a person’s motives when evaluating the merit of their advice.

Notice how receiving advice from a person who has a vested interest or potential gain from the decision we make can lead us astray. Surprisingly, there are times when misleading advice can come from people who care about us but give advice based on their own fears, insecurities, or expectations. It’s important for us to seek advice from people who know and love God, seek His will, and will be faithful to the truth of God’s Word. In examining the counsel we give as well as receive from others, we need to ask ourselves the question, “Does this advice fit the character and nature of the Lord God Almighty as portrayed in the Bible?
1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, “but test everything; hold fast what is good.
1 Corinthians 2:15 says, “But the spiritual man [the spiritually mature Christian] judges all things [questions, examines and applies what the Holy Spirit reveals], yet is himself judged by no one [the unbeliever cannot judge and understand the believer’s spiritual nature].”

Biblical Counseling

What is Biblical Counseling? Biblical counseling is a fluid event and process in which a Spirit-filled or Spirit-empowered Christian ministers the Word to others. It’s a pastoral activity, a product of the spiritual gift of exhortation. It focuses on the application of God’s Word and Walking in God’s Spirit when dealing with matters of life. This aspect of discipleship is one in which a follower of Jesus Christ in the service of the Holy Spirit provides godly counsel/advice to others. Notice that for the counsel to be Biblical, it must be rooted in God, exalting of Jesus Christ, enabled by the Holy Spirit, and offered in love. For Biblical counseling to be rooted in God, it must acknowledge the sovereignty and authority of God in all things, and rely upon God’s Word for knowledge, wisdom, and direction. Likewise, it should reflect compassion and love.

The Gospel is the Core Message of Biblical Counseling which renews human hearts and sets them on the right path to God. Therefore, our counsel must uphold the deity of Christ, His message, His incarnation, the sufficiency of His wrath-bearing death on the cross, His burial and resurrection, His future or second coming, His present and future kingdom, and His ultimate judgment of the world. Our counsel should present Jesus Christ as Who He Is. As Christians, we live in the service of God’s Spirit. We are His ministers of grace. And as such, we actively trust the Holy Spirit to enable our counsel and transform the lives of the counselees. The relationship between the counselor and the counselee should be filled with and shaped by Biblical love.
1 John 4:7 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

Biblical Counseling Guidelines

  • Actively listen and make sure that you have properly understood the situation at hand before proceeding to speak (Proverbs 20:5).
  • Employ discernment (Proverbs 17:28).
  • Give a Biblical or Godly counsel (Matthew 5:38).
  • Evaluate your counselee’s interest in your advice (Matthew 7:1).
  • Trust in God to bring a solution to whatever problem your counselee has (Philippians 2:13).

Understanding the Difference Between Psychology and Biblical Counseling

Secular psychology is centered on the teachings of psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Carl Rogers. On the other hand, Biblical, or nouthetic, counseling is centered mainly on the revealed Word of God. Biblical counseling regards Scripture as sufficient to equip Christians for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). Biblical counselors believe and teach that man’s basic problem is spiritual in nature and as such atheists psychologists, who are spiritually dead themselves, have no real or true insight into the human condition. What is usually referred to as “Christian counseling” is different from “Biblical counseling” in that Christian counseling often makes use of secular psychology in addition to the Bible. Behold, this is not to say that a Christian counselor is not also a Biblical counselor. Still, most of the time Christian counselors are Christians who integrate secular psychology into their counseling.
Note that Biblical or nouthetic counselors on their part fully reject secular psychology.

It is worth noting that most psychology is humanistic in nature. Secular humanism rejects faith, the supernatural, and the Bible but explicitly promotes mankind as the highest standard of truth and morality. Thus, secular psychology is man’s self-serving attempt to understand and repair the spiritual side of man without reference to or recognition of the supernatural. Nevertheless, the Bible explicitly declares that mankind is a unique creation of God, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 2:7). The Bible clearly deals with man’s spirituality, including his Fall into Sin, sin’s consequences, and man’s present relationship with God.

The Problem with Secular Psychology

Secular psychology is centered on the atheist ideas that man is basically good and that the answers to his problems fully lie within him. The Bible tells us something completely different. Man is not “basically good“; he is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), and the unregenerate heart is “deceitful and beyond all cure” (Jeremiah 17:9). Following this, the biblical counselor takes a drastically different approach: instead of seeking solutions to spiritual problems within one’s own limited mind, he seeks to address the problem of sin, obtain wisdom from above (James 3:17), and apply the Word of God to the situation.

The Difference Between Biblical Counselors, Psychotherapists, and Some Christian Counselors

Biblical counselors, as opposed to psychotherapists, and some Christian counselors, regard the Bible as the one and only main source of a comprehensive and detailed approach to counseling (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:4). Biblical counseling is all about letting God speak for Himself through His Word. Furthermore, it seeks to minister the love of the One and only True Living God, a love that deals with the problem of sin and produces obedience.

Psychotherapy is need-based. The needs for acceptance, self-esteem, love, and significance tend to dominate. It is believed that if these needs are met, people will be kind, happy, and moral; if these needs are unmet, people will be hateful, miserable, and immoral. Biblical counseling explicitly teaches that true happiness, peace, and satisfaction can only be achieved from a relationship with God and a pursuit of godliness. For example, while the obedient child of God will find satisfaction in his joyful, unselfish giving (2 Corinthians 9:7), it’s clear that no amount of psychotherapy can make a selfish person unselfish. This is an indication that psychology doesn’t work with Biblical counseling. Secular psychology starts and ends with man and his little ideas. True Biblical counseling points counselees to Christ and the Word of God.

Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

Proverbs 15:22 – “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”

Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”

Proverbs 11:14 – “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Proverbs 24:6 – “For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

John 16:13 – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Luke 14:28 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

James 3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Proverbs 13:20 – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Group 1 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

1 Kings 12:6-8 – “Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.

Proverbs 16:9 – “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Proverbs 18:24 – “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Group 2 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

1 Peter 4:11 – “whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Proverbs 13:10 – “By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.”

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Proverbs 12:5 – “The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.”

Proverbs 28:26 – “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Ecclesiastes 4:13 – “Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.”

Group 3 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

Psalm 119:24 – “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.

1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Proverbs 12:18 – “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Proverbs 14:15 – “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

1 Corinthians 4:14 – “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.”

Jeremiah 38:15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”

Genesis 2:18Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Group 4 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

Proverbs 3:12 – “For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Proverbs 27:9 – “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

James 4:10 – “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

Psalm 32:8 – “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Group 5 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Romans 8:1-4 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Ephesians 4:2 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Group 6 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

Ephesians 4:2-3 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Proverbs 6:20-23 – “My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,

Proverbs 31:10 – “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. …

Group 7 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Proverbs 15:31-33 – “The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 19:8 – “Whoever gets sense loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will discover good.”

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Matthew 7:24 – “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Luke 14:28-30 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Group 8 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

Proverbs 27:5-6 – “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

Proverbs 23:19-21 – “Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.

Proverbs 22:24-25 – “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Ecclesiastes 11:2 – “Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Isaiah 30:1 – “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;”

Group 9 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

Proverbs 12:26 – “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

Romans 12:10 – “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

John 3:3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

1 Timothy 4:8 – “For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

James 1:2 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

Job 2:11 – “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.”

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Group 10 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

Proverbs 30:18-19 – “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin.

Proverbs 14:29 – “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Proverbs 20:18 – “Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.”

Proverbs 24:27 – “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

Mark 10:9 – “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

Matthew 19:9 – “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.

Group 11 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

Colossians 3:14 – “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Hebrews 13:1-25 – “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” …

1 Chronicles 16:11 – “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Proverbs 21:5 – “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Ruth 1:16-17But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Group 12 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

Ecclesiastes 4:12 – “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Proverbs 3:1-35 – “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. …

Group 13 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

1 Corinthians 13:13 – “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Ephesians 5:15-16 – “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

2 Kings 2:2And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

Genesis 1:27-28So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Song of Solomon 8:7 – “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.

Group 14 – Biblical Counseling, Christian Counseling, and Psychology

1 Corinthians 15:33Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

James 3:13 – “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.”

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Revelation 3:18 – “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

John 13:6-9He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

Proverbs 1:1-3 – “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;

Also Read

What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others?

What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others? There is much that the Bible says about godly advice, counsel, suggestions, correction, instruction, giving advice, and receiving advice. As faithful Christians, we should seek and follow God’s advice or godly counsel in all that we do, great and small. Failing to follow God’s advice or godly counsel will only lead to sorrow and destruction. We should also welcome godly advice from others including godly parents, spouses, leaders, friends, fellow believers, and loved ones. Seeking wise counsel is a sign of maturity and humility. Importantly, we should not be quick to reject any advice while at the same time making sure that the advice we receive does not go against God’s word. Nevertheless, we should not be too quick to give advice without properly understanding the situation at hand.

Giving advice is good but sometimes we just need to show love and pray. In as much as we are willing to give advice, we should also be willing to listen to and follow good advice, even when it is tough. Wise people appreciate and follow good, godly advice. By following godly advice, we become wise.
Proverbs 19:20 says, “Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.”
Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no wise guidance is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others?

Brethren, it is without a doubt that life is challenging. Life sometimes presents us with decisions that are not easy to make on our own. In such situations, it is wise for us to pray, read God’s Word, and seek godly advice for guidance. Advice from godly people can be very helpful in such moments of confusion and uncertainty. The Bible explicitly points to the benefit of godly counsel and the damage of ungodly counsel. Proverbs 12:5 says, “The thoughts of the righteous are just; but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.” As such, it is important that when seeking counsel, we examine the character and values of the person from whom we receive advice. Likewise, we are to consider a person’s motives when evaluating the merit of their advice.

Notice how receiving advice from a person who has a vested interest or potential gain from the decision we make can lead us astray. Surprisingly, there are times when misleading advice can come from people who care about us but give advice based on their own fears, insecurities, or expectations. It’s important for us to seek advice from people who know and love God, seek His will, and will be faithful to the truth of God’s Word. In examining the counsel we give as well as receive from others, we need to ask ourselves the question, “Does this advice fit the character and nature of the Lord God Almighty as portrayed in the Bible?
1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, “but test everything; hold fast what is good.
1 Corinthians 2:15 says, “But the spiritual man [the spiritually mature Christian] judges all things [questions, examines and applies what the Holy Spirit reveals], yet is himself judged by no one [the unbeliever cannot judge and understand the believer’s spiritual nature].”

Biblical Counseling

What is Biblical Counseling? Biblical counseling is a fluid event and process in which a Spirit-filled or Spirit-empowered Christian ministers the Word to others. It’s a pastoral activity, a product of the spiritual gift of exhortation. It focuses on the application of God’s Word and Walking in God’s Spirit when dealing with matters of life. This aspect of discipleship is one in which a follower of Jesus Christ in the service of the Holy Spirit provides godly counsel/advice to others. Notice that for the counsel to be Biblical, it must be rooted in God, exalting of Jesus Christ, enabled by the Holy Spirit, and offered in love. For Biblical counseling to be rooted in God, it must acknowledge the sovereignty and authority of God in all things, and rely upon God’s Word for knowledge, wisdom, and direction. Likewise, it should reflect compassion and love.

The Gospel is the Core Message of Biblical Counseling which renews human hearts and sets them on the right path to God. Therefore, our counsel must uphold the deity of Christ, His message, His incarnation, the sufficiency of His wrath-bearing death on the cross, His burial and resurrection, His future or second coming, His present and future kingdom, and His ultimate judgment of the world. Our counsel should present Jesus Christ as Who He Is. As Christians, we live in the service of God’s Spirit. We are His ministers of grace. And as such, we actively trust the Holy Spirit to enable our counsel and transform the lives of the counselees. The relationship between the counselor and the counselee should be filled with and shaped by Biblical love.
1 John 4:7 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

Biblical Counseling Guidelines

  • Actively listen and make sure that you have properly understood the situation at hand before proceeding to speak (Proverbs 20:5).
  • Employ discernment (Proverbs 17:28).
  • Give a Biblical or Godly counsel (Matthew 5:38).
  • Evaluate your counselee’s interest in your advice (Matthew 7:1).
  • Trust in God to bring a solution to whatever problem your counselee has (Philippians 2:13).

Understanding the Difference Between Psychology and Biblical Counseling

Secular psychology is centered on the teachings of psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Carl Rogers. On the other hand, Biblical, or nouthetic, counseling is centered mainly on the revealed Word of God. Biblical counseling regards Scripture as sufficient to equip Christians for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). Biblical counselors believe and teach that man’s basic problem is spiritual in nature and as such atheists psychologists, who are spiritually dead themselves, have no real or true insight into the human condition. What is usually referred to as “Christian counseling” is different from “Biblical counseling” in that Christian counseling often makes use of secular psychology in addition to the Bible. Behold, this is not to say that a Christian counselor is not also a Biblical counselor. Still, most of the time Christian counselors are Christians who integrate secular psychology into their counseling.
Note that Biblical or nouthetic counselors on their part fully reject secular psychology.

It is worth noting that most psychology is humanistic in nature. Secular humanism rejects faith, the supernatural, and the Bible but explicitly promotes mankind as the highest standard of truth and morality. Thus, secular psychology is man’s self-serving attempt to understand and repair the spiritual side of man without reference to or recognition of the supernatural. Nevertheless, the Bible explicitly declares that mankind is a unique creation of God, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 2:7). The Bible clearly deals with man’s spirituality, including his Fall into Sin, sin’s consequences, and man’s present relationship with God.

The Problem with Secular Psychology

Secular psychology is centered on the atheist ideas that man is basically good and that the answers to his problems fully lie within him. The Bible tells us something completely different. Man is not “basically good“; he is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), and the unregenerate heart is “deceitful and beyond all cure” (Jeremiah 17:9). Following this, the biblical counselor takes a drastically different approach: instead of seeking solutions to spiritual problems within one’s own limited mind, he seeks to address the problem of sin, obtain wisdom from above (James 3:17), and apply the Word of God to the situation.

The Difference Between Biblical Counselors, Psychotherapists, and Some Christian Counselors

Biblical counselors, as opposed to psychotherapists, and some Christian counselors, regard the Bible as the one and only main source of a comprehensive and detailed approach to counseling (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:4). Biblical counseling is all about letting God speak for Himself through His Word. Furthermore, it seeks to minister the love of the One and only True Living God, a love that deals with the problem of sin and produces obedience.

Psychotherapy is need-based. The needs for acceptance, self-esteem, love, and significance tend to dominate. It is believed that if these needs are met, people will be kind, happy, and moral; if these needs are unmet, people will be hateful, miserable, and immoral. Biblical counseling explicitly teaches that true happiness, peace, and satisfaction can only be achieved from a relationship with God and a pursuit of godliness. For example, while the obedient child of God will find satisfaction in his joyful, unselfish giving (2 Corinthians 9:7), it’s clear that no amount of psychotherapy can make a selfish person unselfish. This is an indication that psychology doesn’t work with Biblical counseling. Secular psychology starts and ends with man and his little ideas. True Biblical counseling points counselees to Christ and the Word of God.

What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others?

Proverbs 15:22 – “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”

Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”

Proverbs 11:14 – “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Proverbs 24:6 – “For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

John 16:13 – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Luke 14:28 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

James 3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Proverbs 13:20 – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

Proverbs 12:5 – “The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.”

Proverbs 28:26 – “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Ecclesiastes 4:13 – “Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.”

James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

1 Peter 4:11 – “whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Proverbs 13:10 – “By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.”

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

Proverbs 16:9 – “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Proverbs 18:24 – “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

1 Kings 12:6-8 – “Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

Proverbs 14:15 – “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

1 Corinthians 4:14 – “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.”

Jeremiah 38:15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”

Genesis 2:18Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Proverbs 12:18 – “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Psalm 119:24 – “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.

1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

Ephesians 4:2 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Proverbs 3:12 – “For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Proverbs 27:9 – “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

James 4:10 – “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

Psalm 32:8 – “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Proverbs 31:10 – “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. …

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

Ephesians 4:2-3 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Proverbs 6:20-23 – “My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Romans 8:1-4 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

Proverbs 19:8 – “Whoever gets sense loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will discover good.”

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Matthew 7:24 – “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Luke 14:28-30 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Proverbs 15:31-33 – “The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

Proverbs 27:5-6 – “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

Proverbs 23:19-21 – “Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.

Proverbs 22:24-25 – “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Ecclesiastes 11:2 – “Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Isaiah 30:1 – “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;”

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

James 1:2 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

Job 2:11 – “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.”

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Proverbs 30:18-19 – “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin.

Proverbs 14:29 – “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

Proverbs 12:26 – “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

Romans 12:10 – “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

John 3:3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

1 Timothy 4:8 – “For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Proverbs 20:18 – “Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.”

Proverbs 24:27 – “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

Mark 10:9 – “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

Matthew 19:9 – “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

Colossians 3:14 – “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Hebrews 13:1-25 – “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” …

1 Chronicles 16:11 – “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Proverbs 21:5 – “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Ruth 1:16-17But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

1 Corinthians 15:33Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

James 3:13 – “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.”

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Revelation 3:18 – “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 – “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

Genesis 1:27-28So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Song of Solomon 8:7 – “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.

Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Proverbs 3:1-35 – “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. …

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Giving and Receiving Advice From Others

1 Corinthians 13:13 – “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Ephesians 5:15-16 – “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

2 Kings 2:2And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

John 13:6-9He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

Proverbs 1:1-3 – “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;

Also Read

Biblical Counseling Steps

Biblical Counseling Steps

Discover the Biblical Counseling Steps. There is much that the Bible says about godly advice, counsel, suggestions, correction, instruction, giving advice, and receiving advice. As faithful Christians, we should seek and follow God’s advice or godly counsel in all that we do, great and small. Failing to follow God’s advice or godly counsel will only lead to sorrow and destruction. We should also welcome godly advice from others including godly parents, spouses, leaders, friends, fellow believers, and loved ones. Seeking wise counsel is a sign of maturity and humility. Importantly, we should not be quick to reject any advice while at the same time making sure that the advice we receive does not go against God’s word. Nevertheless, we should not be too quick to give advice without properly understanding the situation at hand.

Giving advice is good but sometimes we just need to show love and pray. In as much as we are willing to give advice, we should also be willing to listen to and follow good advice, even when it is tough. Wise people appreciate and follow good, godly advice. By following godly advice, we become wise.
Proverbs 19:20 says, “Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.”
Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no wise guidance is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

Biblical Counseling Steps

Brethren, it is without a doubt that life is challenging. Life sometimes presents us with decisions that are not easy to make on our own. In such situations, it is wise for us to pray, read God’s Word, and seek godly advice for guidance. Advice from godly people can be very helpful in such moments of confusion and uncertainty. The Bible explicitly points to the benefit of godly counsel and the damage of ungodly counsel. Proverbs 12:5 says, “The thoughts of the righteous are just; but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.” As such, it is important that when seeking counsel, we examine the character and values of the person from whom we receive advice. Likewise, we are to consider a person’s motives when evaluating the merit of their advice.

Notice how receiving advice from a person who has a vested interest or potential gain from the decision we make can lead us astray. Surprisingly, there are times when misleading advice can come from people who care about us but give advice based on their own fears, insecurities, or expectations. It’s important for us to seek advice from people who know and love God, seek His will, and will be faithful to the truth of God’s Word. In examining the counsel we give as well as receive from others, we need to ask ourselves the question, “Does this advice fit the character and nature of the Lord God Almighty as portrayed in the Bible?
1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, “but test everything; hold fast what is good.
1 Corinthians 2:15 says, “But the spiritual man [the spiritually mature Christian] judges all things [questions, examines and applies what the Holy Spirit reveals], yet is himself judged by no one [the unbeliever cannot judge and understand the believer’s spiritual nature].”

What is Biblical Counseling?

What is Biblical Counseling? Biblical counseling is a fluid event and process in which a Spirit-filled or Spirit-empowered Christian ministers the Word to others. It’s a pastoral activity, a product of the spiritual gift of exhortation. It focuses on the application of God’s Word and Walking in God’s Spirit when dealing with matters of life. This aspect of discipleship is one in which a follower of Jesus Christ in the service of the Holy Spirit provides godly counsel/advice to others. Notice that for the counsel to be Biblical, it must be rooted in God, exalting of Jesus Christ, enabled by the Holy Spirit, and offered in love. For Biblical counseling to be rooted in God, it must acknowledge the sovereignty and authority of God in all things, and rely upon God’s Word for knowledge, wisdom, and direction. Likewise, it should reflect compassion and love.

The Gospel is the Core Message of Biblical Counseling which renews human hearts and sets them on the right path to God. Therefore, our counsel must uphold the deity of Christ, His message, His incarnation, the sufficiency of His wrath-bearing death on the cross, His burial and resurrection, His future or second coming, His present and future kingdom, and His ultimate judgment of the world. Our counsel should present Jesus Christ as Who He Is. As Christians, we live in the service of God’s Spirit. We are His ministers of grace. And as such, we actively trust the Holy Spirit to enable our counsel and transform the lives of the counselees. The relationship between the counselor and the counselee should be filled with and shaped by Biblical love.
1 John 4:7 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

Biblical Counseling Guidelines

  • Actively listen and make sure that you have properly understood the situation at hand before proceeding to speak (Proverbs 20:5).
  • Employ discernment (Proverbs 17:28).
  • Give a Biblical or Godly counsel (Matthew 5:38).
  • Evaluate your counselee’s interest in your advice (Matthew 7:1).
  • Trust in God to bring a solution to whatever problem your counselee has (Philippians 2:13).

Understanding the Difference Between Psychology and Biblical Counseling

Secular psychology is centered on the teachings of psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Carl Rogers. On the other hand, Biblical, or nouthetic, counseling is centered mainly on the revealed Word of God. Biblical counseling regards Scripture as sufficient to equip Christians for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). Biblical counselors believe and teach that man’s basic problem is spiritual in nature and as such atheists psychologists, who are spiritually dead themselves, have no real or true insight into the human condition. What is usually referred to as “Christian counseling” is different from “Biblical counseling” in that Christian counseling often makes use of secular psychology in addition to the Bible. Behold, this is not to say that a Christian counselor is not also a Biblical counselor. Still, most of the time Christian counselors are Christians who integrate secular psychology into their counseling.
Note that Biblical or nouthetic counselors on their part fully reject secular psychology.

It is worth noting that most psychology is humanistic in nature. Secular humanism rejects faith, the supernatural, and the Bible but explicitly promotes mankind as the highest standard of truth and morality. Thus, secular psychology is man’s self-serving attempt to understand and repair the spiritual side of man without reference to or recognition of the supernatural. Nevertheless, the Bible explicitly declares that mankind is a unique creation of God, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 2:7). The Bible clearly deals with man’s spirituality, including his Fall into Sin, sin’s consequences, and man’s present relationship with God.

The Problem with Secular Psychology

Secular psychology is centered on the atheist ideas that man is basically good and that the answers to his problems fully lie within him. The Bible tells us something completely different. Man is not “basically good“; he is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), and the unregenerate heart is “deceitful and beyond all cure” (Jeremiah 17:9). Following this, the biblical counselor takes a drastically different approach: instead of seeking solutions to spiritual problems within one’s own limited mind, he seeks to address the problem of sin, obtain wisdom from above (James 3:17), and apply the Word of God to the situation.

The Difference Between Biblical Counselors, Psychotherapists, and Some Christian Counselors

Biblical counselors, as opposed to psychotherapists, and some Christian counselors, regard the Bible as the one and only main source of a comprehensive and detailed approach to counseling (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:4). Biblical counseling is all about letting God speak for Himself through His Word. Furthermore, it seeks to minister the love of the One and only True Living God, a love that deals with the problem of sin and produces obedience.

Psychotherapy is need-based. The needs for acceptance, self-esteem, love, and significance tend to dominate. It is believed that if these needs are met, people will be kind, happy, and moral; if these needs are unmet, people will be hateful, miserable, and immoral. Biblical counseling explicitly teaches that true happiness, peace, and satisfaction can only be achieved from a relationship with God and a pursuit of godliness. For example, while the obedient child of God will find satisfaction in his joyful, unselfish giving (2 Corinthians 9:7), it’s clear that no amount of psychotherapy can make a selfish person unselfish. This is an indication that psychology doesn’t work with Biblical counseling. Secular psychology starts and ends with man and his little ideas. True Biblical counseling points counselees to Christ and the Word of God.

Biblical Counseling Steps

Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Proverbs 15:22 – “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”

Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”

Proverbs 11:14 – “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 24:6 – “For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

John 16:13 – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Luke 14:28 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

James 3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Proverbs 13:20 – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Group 1 – Biblical Counseling Steps

Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

1 Kings 12:6-8 – “Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.

James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

1 Peter 4:11 – “whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Proverbs 13:10 – “By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.”

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Group 2 – Biblical Counseling Steps

Proverbs 16:9 – “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Proverbs 18:24 – “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Proverbs 12:5 – “The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.”

Proverbs 28:26 – “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Ecclesiastes 4:13 – “Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.”

Group 3 – Biblical Counseling Steps

Proverbs 14:15 – “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

1 Corinthians 4:14 – “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.”

Jeremiah 38:15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”

Genesis 2:18Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Psalm 119:24 – “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.

1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Proverbs 12:18 – “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Group 4 – Biblical Counseling Steps

Proverbs 3:12 – “For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Proverbs 27:9 – “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Ephesians 4:2 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Group 5 – Biblical Counseling Steps

James 4:10 – “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

Psalm 32:8 – “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Romans 8:1-4 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Group 6 – Biblical Counseling Steps

Ephesians 4:2-3 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Proverbs 6:20-23 – “My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,

Proverbs 31:10 – “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. …

Group 7 – Biblical Counseling Steps

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Proverbs 15:31-33 – “The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 19:8 – “Whoever gets sense loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will discover good.”

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Matthew 7:24 – “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Luke 14:28-30 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Group 8 – Biblical Counseling Steps

Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Ecclesiastes 11:2 – “Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Isaiah 30:1 – “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;”

Proverbs 27:5-6 – “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

Proverbs 23:19-21 – “Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.

Proverbs 22:24-25 – “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

Group 9 – Biblical Counseling Steps

Proverbs 12:26 – “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

Romans 12:10 – “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

John 3:3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

1 Timothy 4:8 – “For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

James 1:2 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

Job 2:11 – “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.”

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Counseling

Proverbs 20:18 – “Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.”

Proverbs 24:27 – “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

Mark 10:9 – “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

Matthew 19:9 – “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.

Proverbs 30:18-19 – “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin.

Proverbs 14:29 – “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Group 11 – Biblical Counseling Steps

1 Chronicles 16:11 – “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Proverbs 21:5 – “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Ruth 1:16-17But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Colossians 3:14 – “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Hebrews 13:1-25 – “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” …

Group 12 – Biblical Counseling Steps

1 Corinthians 15:33Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

James 3:13 – “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.”

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Revelation 3:18 – “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 – “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

Group 13 – Biblical Counseling Steps

1 Corinthians 13:13 – “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Ephesians 5:15-16 – “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

2 Kings 2:2And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

Genesis 1:27-28So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Song of Solomon 8:7 – “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.

Group 14 – Biblical Counseling Steps

Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Proverbs 3:1-35 – “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. …

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

John 13:6-9He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

Proverbs 1:1-3 – “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;

Also Read

Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Do Not Take Advantage Of Others. As Christians, we ought to take advantage of every opportunity to do good and not evil unto others. Avoiding cheating and walking in integrity should be our way of life in Christ. Likewise, we are to act morally upright in all our ways; taking every opportunity to do unto others what we would have them do unto us. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, commands us to:

Treat others the same way you want them to treat you” (Luke 6:31, AMP).

And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31, KJV).

Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31, NIV).

And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them” (Luke 6:31, ESV).

So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets (Matthew 7:12, AMP).

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12, KJV).

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Mathew 7:12, NIV).

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12, ESV).

The verse in the Bible, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is commonly known as The Golden Rule. This Biblical principle is found in both Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31. It calls on us not to extend unto others what we do not wish upon ourselves. The Golden Rule is in the context of a lesson from Jesus about loving our enemies. Behold, Jesus Christ took the conventional quid pro quo method of treating people and turned it on its head (Matthew 5:38-48). Instead of doing to others what they have done to us or giving them what they may deserve, we are to treat them the way we want them to treat us. Rather than practicing the quid pro quo, we should develop and embrace love, peace, humility, integrity, compassion, goodness, kindness, self-control, forgiveness, and gentleness in our approach toward anyone who comes our way irrespective of what they have done or failed to do. Note that quid pro quo is a Latin phrase used in English to mean an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other; “a favor for a favor“. Popular phrases with similar meanings include: “tit for tat“, “give and take“, “one hand washes the other“, and “you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours“.

Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

As Christians, we should take every advantage that comes our way to do good and reflect God’s love for others. In Matthew 7:12 Jesus Christ says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Thus, the Golden Rule has always been a fundamental part of the Bible’s message or God’s instructions to humanity. Notice how later in Matthew, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus Christ responded, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). Similarly, Galatians 5:14 says, For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Likewise, on the night of His arrest, Jesus Christ said to His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

Brethren, Jesus’ love for us is perfect, self-sacrificial, and unchanging. Our capacity to love others the way our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, commands us comes only from our experience of His unfailing love and from the power of the Holy Spirit. One simple and practical way to love others better is to imagine ourselves in their shoes. Each time that we pause to think about how we might like to be treated in a certain situation, we build empathy for those actually living in that situation. Just as we like to be treated with love and respect, we should do the same to others. Matthew 5:43-48 says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? …” Likewise, 1 John 4:7-9 says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

Knowing Where/How to Draw the Line Between Helping Someone and Allowing Someone to Take Advantage of You

Luke 6:30 says, “give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.” Likewise, Luke 6:35-36 says, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” These verses as well as many others in the Bible teach us that Christians are to be loving, self-sacrificing, and merciful. Just like our Heavenly Father who has compassion towards all people, our hearts should be full of compassion when we see the needs of the people around us. Psalm 145:9 says, “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” Similarly 1 John 3:16-18 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

It is morally right to have a heart that would continually give to others, and it actually pleases the Lord God to see this wonderful character in our lives. However, when it comes to the area of giving and helping, the Bible also teaches that we must have wise discernment (Matthew 10:16). In fact, the Lord God gives us certain standards that we must take into account when it comes to giving our time, money and any other material possessions to others. It’s important to understand that when the Bible tells us we are to help others, the purpose is never for us to do this to the point where it becomes detrimental. While it’s important for us to take advantage of every opportunity to do good and help whenever we can possibly help, we should also remember that 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” This is because there are people who want to live an irresponsible lifestyle with absolutely no accountability. Such a lifestyle is not to be encouraged. So, there must be limits; we should help anyone in need, but if we see that it has become a chronic life pattern, it is wrong for us to continue to encourage such. We are commanded to give to those who ask from us but we should not tolerate idleness and laziness. Brethren, it’s very harmful to others to contribute to their indolence, lack of effort, and laziness. We should motivate and encourage each and every one to work hard and better themselves on a long-term basis. The old saying, “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime” is quite true. With this in mind and as long as we see that someone is sincerely making an effort, we should be there to support him/her in whatever way the Lord God leads.

How Do You Know If Someone Is Taking Advantage Of You?

Today, as was the case in the past, there exist many ways through which people can take advantage of others. That’s why it’s important for us to make this a subject of prayer, asking the Lord God to guide us and show us what He wants us to do. Behold, He will give us the wisdom to recognize a genuine need and discern between an opportunity and a distraction. James 1:5 says, “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.” Note that trying to help someone who is just not willing to take any steps towards a solution in the matter may be a hopeless cause. Again, bringing it to the Lord God in prayer, requesting wisdom, and exercising the discernment He gives is crucial in such cases. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

What If You’ve Already Been Taken Advantage Of?

What if you’ve already been taken advantage of? Truth be told, no matter how pure your intentions are, there are still people who just don’t care. In fact, they’ll milk whatever they can out of you. And such are the kind of people who abuse charity thereby making genuine givers doubt charity. If you happened to cross paths with such individuals and fell prey to them, take comfort in these words: “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. ” – Romans 12:17-21. With this Scripture in mind, we should never think of nor seek revenge. Instead, we pray for them that they may see the error of their ways. As Christians, we should continue doing good to others and even to those who have wronged us. And whatever we do, we should do it for the Lord God and not for men.

Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Luke 6:31 – “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

Galatians 5:14For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

2 Peter 2:3 – “And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Leviticus 19:18 – “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

James 2:8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

Mark 12:31 – “The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

Matthew 25:40 – “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

1 Peter 3:9 – “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Group 1 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Romans 13:9For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Matthew 5:43-48 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? …

James 1:19-20 – “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Matthew 7:1-5 – “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Group 2 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Romans 13:8-10 – “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Matthew 5:7 – “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

1 Peter 3:10For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;”

Luke 10:25-28And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

Group 3 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Matthew 7:8 – “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Hebrews 13:5Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

James 4:11-12 – “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Matthew 7:1 – “Judge not, that you be not judged.

Romans 13:1-14 – “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. …

Group 4 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Matthew 22:39 – “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Mark 12:30-33 – “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Matthew 5:44 – “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Matthew 5:45 – “So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

1 John 4:20 – “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Group 5 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Matthew 5:38-48 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. …

Matthew 5:17 – “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Acts 20:35 – “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Matthew 5:48 – “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 7:7-11 – “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Group 6 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Matthew 20:21And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”

Matthew 8:1-34 – “When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, …

Matthew 22:37-40And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Mark 12:28-31 – “And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

Group 7 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Psalm 26:5 – “I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.

Psalm 119:113-115 – “I hate the double-minded, but I love your law. You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word. Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God.

Psalm 139:19-22 – “Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain! Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.

Matthew 5:1-7:29 – “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. …

Matthew 6:1-34 – “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. …

Group 8 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Psalm 5:5 – “The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.

Deuteronomy 10:18 – “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 10:19 – “Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

2 Chronicles 19:2 – “But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the Lord.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 – “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Deuteronomy 9:5-6 – “Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. “Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.

Group 9 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Leviticus 25:35 – “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 – “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Leviticus 19:34 – “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 19:17 – “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.

Deuteronomy 1:15-17 – “So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes. And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

Group 10 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

James 2:12-13 – “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Exodus 20:6 – “But showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Colossians 3:12-14 – “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Exodus 34:6 – “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

Exodus 23:4-5 – “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.

Hebrews 13:1 – “Let brotherly love continue.

Group 11 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Luke 10:25-36 – “And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” …

Matthew 23:1-39 – “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, …

John 13:34-35 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Matthew 23:27-28 – “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Group 12 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Matthew 22:36-38 – “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.

Matthew 23:1-33 – “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, …

Matthew 22:40 – “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 23:1-33 – “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, …

Matthew 7:13 – “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

Group 13 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

1 John 4:1 – “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Deuteronomy 4:2 – “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.

Deuteronomy 15:7-8 – “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.

Matthew 5:5-9 – ““Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Matthew 7:1-29 – “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. …

Group 14 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

James 1:26 – “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

James 4:1 – “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

James 1:22-27 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. …

1 John 3:18 – “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood …

Group 15 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Romans 13:8 – “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Luke 16:13 – “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Luke 6:35-36 – “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Ephesians 5:5 – “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Philippians 4:8-9 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Group 16 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Mark 13:32 – “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Luke 6:27-29 – “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.

Mark 12:28-30 – “And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

Mark 16:15 – “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Luke 10:30-37Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. …

Group 17 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Mark 11:25 – “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Mark 16:1-20 – “When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. …

Mark 10:19 – “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’

Mark 12:28-34 – “And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. …

Group 18 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Mark 9:35And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Mark 10:11-12And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Mark 7:20-22And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.”

Mark 9:1And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

Matthew 22:34-40 – “But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. …

Group 19 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Matthew 25:31-46 – “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, …

Proverbs 10:9 – “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.”

Romans 12:17-21 – “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Group 20 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Proverbs 28:6 – “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

Luke 6:32-42 – “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. …

Hebrews 13:5Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 – “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

Group 21 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Romans 14:1 – “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

James 4:1 – “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

Luke 6:29 – “To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.

Acts 20:35 – “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Proverbs 20:22Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.

Ephesians 4:26 – “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Mark 11:24 – “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Group 22 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.

Matthew 5:42 – “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

James 4:11-12 – “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Galatians 6:7-8 – “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

James 1:22-27 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. …

Group 23 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Proverbs 22:22-23 – “Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the Lord will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.

Matthew 10:16 – “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 – “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

1 Thessalonians 4:6 – “That no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.

Luke 16:10 – “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

Matthew 7:1-5 – “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Group 24 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

James 1:27 – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Amos 5:11 – “Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.”

Malachi 3:5 – “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Romans 14:10-12Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Luke 17:3-4 – “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.

Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Group 25 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Romans 12:19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Luke 6:35 – “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

Matthew 6:1-7 – “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. …

Proverbs 24:28 – “Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.

Galatians 5:16-26 – “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, …

Group 26 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Romans 15:1-2 – “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Proverbs 15:1 – “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 28:27 – “Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Hebrews 13:3 – “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

Isaiah 58:10-11 – “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Proverbs 4:5 – “Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 28:20 – “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

Group 27 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Luke 21:1-4Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Matthew 7:15-20 – “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. …

Psalm 12:5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

Jeremiah 22:3 – “Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.”

Hebrews 13:1-3 – “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”

Group 28 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Jeremiah 7:6 – “If you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm,”

James 3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”

Acts 3:6But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

Leviticus 19:9-10 – “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

Zechariah 7:10 – “Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Mark 10:19 – “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’

Proverbs 11:3 – “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

Group 29 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Exodus 22:22 – “You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.

Deuteronomy 10:18 – “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

Proverbs 28:8 – “Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.

James 5:4 – “Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

Proverbs 16:28 – “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.

Deuteronomy 27:19 – “‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

Proverbs 14:31 – “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”

John 16:13 – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

1 John 3:17 – “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

Group 30 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Micah 6:8 – “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Proverbs 26:12 – “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

Isaiah 5:21 – “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!

Proverbs 10:12 – “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

Matthew 5:5-9 – “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Romans 5:8 – “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Psalm 91:2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Proverbs 19:11 – “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Leviticus 25:35-38 – “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

Group 31 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Colossians 3:12-14 – “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Romans 13:8-10 – “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Proverbs 19:1 – “Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.

Psalm 50:16-17But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips? For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.”

1 Timothy 4:1-2 – “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

1 Thessalonians 3:10-12 – “As we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,

Group 32 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Isaiah 61:8 – “For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.”

Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 5:20-21 – “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!

Amos 5:24 – “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

Isaiah 61:1-4 – “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.”

Group 33 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Amos 5:12 – “For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Psalm 35:10All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

Psalm 119:61 – “Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law.

Proverbs 29:27 – “An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.

Ezekiel 18:4 – “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Group 34 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

John 8:32 – “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Mark 9:42 – “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

1 Timothy 1:8-11 – “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 – “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. …

Group 35 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Isaiah 10:1-2 – “Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 16:29 – “A man of violence entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good.”

Proverbs 13:24 – “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

Psalm 127:3 – “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Psalm 82:3 – “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

Psalm 72:4 – “May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!

Psalm 55:23 – “But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.

Psalm 9:9 – “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Group 36 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Genesis 6:11 – “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.”

Leviticus 18:19-23 – “You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness. And you shall not lie sexually with your neighbor’s wife and so make yourself unclean with her. You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.

Genesis 3:19 – “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

Joshua 24:15 – “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Leviticus 18:22 – “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.

Deuteronomy 10:18 – “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

Group 37 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Titus 2:14 – “Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Hebrews 4:15-16 – “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

James 4:6-7 – “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

1 John 3:1-3 – “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Group 38 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

2 Corinthians 1:20 – “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

Galatians 3:6-8Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”

Romans 14:16-18 – “So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.”

Galatians 3:27-29 – “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Group 39 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

James 2:23 – “And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.

1 Peter 2:7-10 – “So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

John 16:24 – “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Jeremiah 39:18 – “For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.’

Isaiah 54:17 – “No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

Group 40 – Do Not Take Advantage Of Others

Ephesians 5:7-9 – “Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),

Ephesians 2:8-10 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

John 14:6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Luke 12:32 – “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Luke 9:1-2 – “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Titus 3:4-8 – “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

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