I write this to free minds from well-intentioned but misguided elders who have fallen away from the wisdom of scriptures. Parents, and leaders no matter how much God has used them in the past, can be dead wrong just like we see in 1 Kings 13.
The Old Lying Prophet
There was a man of God from Judah, and God told him to prophesy against Jeroboam at Bethel. God also told him not to eat any bread or drink any water or return, by the way, he came after he prophesied there ( 1 Kings 13:16-17). This man of God heard the Word straight from God, but got sidetracked by an older well-intentioned prophet who said to him “ Come home and eat with me… I’m a prophet too, and an angel told me ‘ bring him back with you so that he may eat bread and drink water’… but the older prophet was lying! (1 Kings 13: 18-19) . In the end, the man of God from Judah gets killed by a lion ( v26), because he listened to the older prophet instead of the Word from God.
What does this tell us? It tells us to be careful about advice we get even from our elders because they can literally be dead wrong, as in the case of the man of God from Judah. We are to always keep the word of God, and trust when God speaks to our spirit.
Be shrewd or get screwed…
Sin nature still exists in Christians, no matter their age. We have to be careful about well-intentioned but misguided elders who have fallen away from the wisdom of scriptures because it will cost you your life. Always ask yourself “ What did God say to my spirit in the beginning ”. Whatever God told you, in the beginning, keep that word to the end.
My Experience
In 2014, I didn’t listen to my inner voice and I ended up in a debt that I’m still paying off today. In this case, the inner voice told me not to rent from an elder gentleman, but get a short-term living facility while in Arizona. But the voice of the elder gentleman told me he could “ save me money ”. Well, guess what happened? I got a job in another state about a month later and had to borrow money to make payments to the elder gentlemen which put me in a hole. In another case, I was to buy a new used car because that’s what the inner voice showed me, but the voice of my well-intentioned elders said, just fix the old one and save money… guess, what? That car gave me nothing but trouble and left me in a bad situation. Whenever it comes to finances, and elders saying, “ I can save you money ” be weary. The only voice we should trust is the voice of the Spirit, and when the Spirit speaks… hold that word in your soul, don’t let it go! Never ignore the inner voice. When the inner voice speaks, kindly ignore all other voices. Follow through with the first instructions God gave you, everything else is trash.
Elders may try to make you feel naive for listening to that inner voice, especially if they’re the domineering type. But you have to stand up for truth when that inner voice is speaking because that’s the ageless voice of God speaking to your spirit leading you to make the right decision.
No Substitutes
Psalm 119:99-100 says, “ I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.”
What does this mean? This means there is no substitute for hearing and obeying the commands of God. The eldest elder must fall down at the word of the Lord.
Therefore, we all must be on guard, whether young or old. If you are an elder, be careful what advice you give younger people, and make sure it’s aligned with the word of God – not your worldly wisdom or human concerns! To young people, If you receive instructions from an older person that doesn’t align with God’s word, kindly toss it in the trash, and keep moving, because bad advice will cost you your young life!
As I look over my debt, it tells me a story of when my inner voice was ignored and I trusted the voice of well-intentioned but misguided elders. I’m not mad at my elders, they don’t mean any harm… just like the one in 1 Kings 13 didn’t. When the old prophet saw that this man of God from Judah had been killed because of his bad advice, he mourned for him. It wasn’t that the older prophet wanted to bring the man of God death, but good intentions will not save anyone. This older prophet had become a stumbling block because like Peter he only had in mind “ human concerns” and not the things of God.
Fear no man, Keep God’s word.