All of us have given and received both good and bad advice. Christians are called to be discerning but not judgmental, and that is often a fine line to walk. Proverbs 12:26 provides a key factor that will help us discern good advice from bad. 

The proverb tells us, “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor.” If a person is right with God, their advice or suggestions will be motivated by a desire to help us live in obedience to God’s truth and fulfill God’s plan. The proverb also wants the reader to know that a wicked person, a person who is motivated by something other than God, can lead us astray.

Maybe you are a person whose advice is often sought by others. There is a word from this proverb that should give our words some boundaries. When we are asked for advice, we should pray before we speak our thoughts and ideas. Our words need to be Spirit-led and Spirit-motivated. If we give someone our thoughts instead of God’s, they may not be sound advice and might even lead that person astray.

The discernment the Holy Spirit provides will always agree with biblical truth. We are taught to seek advice in Scripture but also warned to be discerning about every word of advice we are given. A righteous person will give us our best advice. Living as a righteous person will enable us to offer the best advice to others. 

None of us can be perfectly right with God all of the time. Life circumstances can draw us away from God if we aren’t watchful. That said, it’s important to discern the times in our lives when we are able to give advice from the other times when we might need to seek it from others.

Our words can be authored and used by God to bless others, and they can also do harm to someone’s life. God is gracious to forgive but calls us to be thoughtful and careful with the advice we use and the advice we give. Good advice and careful instruction provide wisdom. One thing is certain: the safest advice to live and give will always be the wisdom learned at the center of God’s will.