Pathway to Victory

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Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory and Dr. Robert Jeffress.

We're dedicated to bringing you bold biblical teaching that transforms your life and strengthens your walk with God.

And you can study God's word alongside Dr. Jeffress in person on the 2026 Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska.

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Have you ever witnessed the breathtaking majesty.

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Of massive glaciers rising from crystal blue waters or stood in awe as bald eagles soar over snow capped mountain? I want you to experience these unforgettable.

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Moments with me on the Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska, June 13th through 20th, 2026.

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Join Dr. Jeffress and the Pathway to Victory family for a spectacular seven-day adventure aboard Holland America's luxurious Koningsdam.

Indulge in elegant staterooms, world-class dining, and expansive decks perfect for breathtaking views.

Visit historic ports like Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, where wilderness and frontier history await.

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There's something powerful about connecting with God.

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And fellow believers in the majesty of his untamed wilderness.

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I truly believe this journey will refresh.

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You spiritually, physically and emotionally.

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Cabins are filling quickly, so reserve yours today. To book your spot on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

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Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm.

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Glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program.

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On today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

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Remember I said that from authority figures, we develop that quality of obedience. From wise counselors, we learn discernment, how to weigh good advice from bad advice.

Now there's a third group of people we need to consult whenever we make a decision, and that is fellow Christians. From fellow Christians, we develop that character quality of dependence.

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Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. It's been said that no man is an island, but when it comes to making tough decisions, it can sometimes feel like we're all alone.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress presents an eye-opening study on how to listen to God's voice through the words of other people.

But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates.

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Thanks, David, and welcome to Pathway to Victory. Just before we get started with today's message, I'd like to highlight one of the best-kept secrets at Pathway to Victory. Most of our listeners have no idea that we publish a periodical that's specifically designed to uplift your day. We call it Pathway Magazine. Even while many magazines are going out of print, subscriptions to Pathway Magazine are soaring. It includes daily devotionals for you, along with feature articles on relevant topics facing you and your family. And there's no cost for your first three mailings. To sign up to receive Pathway Magazine, go to ptv.org.

Our September teaching series is called "How to Make Wise Decisions." When you're backed into a corner and need to make a difficult choice, sometimes it's paralyzing, especially when we're committed to honoring God with our decisions. So how do we hear God's voice in a noisy world that makes hearing His voice more difficult than ever before? Well, I've written a book to help you shut out the noise so that you can have confidence in God's direction. It's called "How to Make Wise Decisions." This book is the perfect choice for a son or daughter, maybe a grandchild, who is wrestling with a tough choice.

I'd be pleased to send my book to your home when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. I'm saving a little time at the end of today's program to say more about my book and other resources, but right now, let's pick up a study that I titled "Who Speaks for God?"

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Today we're going to talk about three groups of people whom God will use to speak his word to you. And what we're going to see is that with each of these groups of people, learning how to listen and evaluate their counsel develops some specific character qualities in our life that God is interested in developing. Who is it that speaks for God?

Well, the first group we ought to consider whenever we're trying to make a decision in life are the authority figures that God has placed in our life. You see, God has placed every one of us under some human authority. And quite frankly, it doesn't matter whether that authority figure is a Christian or a non-Christian; God can still use him to communicate his will for our life. Proverbs 21:1 says, "For the heart of the king is in the Lord's hands to turn whichever way he wishes." God encourages us to listen to the commands of those in authority over us. What quality does that develop in us? By looking at authority figures for God's direction, it teaches us the quality of obedience—obeying when we don't feel like obeying.

There's a second group that we ought to consider whenever we're seeking God's direction in our life, and that is wise counselors. If you really want to know God's will for your life, you will surround yourself with people who will do more than just simply be an echo to you. They'll give you the wise advice that you need. We have a tragic story in the Old Testament of someone who didn't follow that principle. His name was Rehoboam. If you have your Bibles, turn over to 1 Kings, chapter 12.

You remember, Rehoboam was the son of King Solomon. And so Rehoboam assumed the throne, realizing he had some pretty big sandals to fill. He had to determine what he was going to do. Early in his reign, some of the people came to King Rehoboam and they offered him this counsel. Look at verse 4, 1 Kings 12: "Your father made our yoke hard. Therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke, which he put on us, and we will serve you." He called in a group of advisors, some older men who were his father's advisors, and asked them what they thought. They said, "Rehoboam, the people are right. They've been taxed to death. They're working hard. Give them a break and they will follow you anywhere."

But that's not what Rehoboam really wanted to hear. He wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. He wanted to have progress that everybody could see. So he called in a younger group of contemporaries, advisors, and asked, "What do you think?" They said, "Oh Rehoboam, you better show these people who's boss." Rehoboam considered that advice and stood before the people, saying, "You thought my father was tough? He's a cream puff compared to me." The result was the kingdom revolted. He listened to the wrong advice.

Rehoboam's sad experience points out at least four principles about seeking wise counsel that I want you to jot down on your outline. First of all, when faced with a difficult decision, seek advice from experts. I know we're all kind of wary of so-called experts. You've heard the definition of an expert: Ex could mean has been, and spurt could be a drip of water. An expert is a has-been drip. Some people think, and sometimes we don't want to seek experts because we think we're qualified. But when you're faced with a difficult decision, you need to go after people who've been down that road before.

Number two, when faced with a difficult decision, seek advice from many counselors. We need to give Rehoboam some credit here; he didn't just go to one group, the older counselors; he brought in a second group as well. Proverbs 15:22 says, "Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors, they succeed." Don't just listen to one person; listen to many people.

Number three, consider the motivation of your advisors. When you go out to get counsel, try to determine the motivation of your advisors. Could it be that the financial planner wants you to buy that stock or invest in that annuity because of the commission he will receive? Could it be that the attorney is encouraging you to go to court because that will mean more billable hours? You need to consider the motivation of your advisors. Frankly, this is where Rehoboam fell short. Had he thought about it, he would have realized that these older men who told him to listen to the people had nothing to gain from Rehoboam. They were advanced in years and had done their government thing; they were retired. On the other hand, these younger counselors were out to get something from Rehoboam. They wanted to ingratiate themselves to the new king, so they told him what he wanted to hear.

Number four, follow wise advice. Once you have sought counsel, make sure you act on the wise counsel you have received. Has that doctor told you you need to start exercising? Then do it. Has that attorney advised you to draw up a will? Then do it. Has the pastor encouraged you to reconcile that relationship? Then do it. The most tragic words of Rehoboam's epitaph begin with these words: "And so the king did not listen." To hear good advice and not to act on it is really not to hear at all.

What do we learn by seeking the counsel of others? Remember I said that from authority figures, we develop that quality of obedience—obeying when we don't feel like obeying. From wise counselors, we learn discernment—how to weigh good advice from bad advice.

Now, there's a third group of people we need to consult whenever we make a decision, and that is fellow Christians. From fellow Christians, we develop the character quality of dependence. One way God speaks to us is through fellow members of the body of Christ. We live in this Western mindset that says we're all individuals before God, each one of us. All that really matters is our individual relationship with God. So we're a bunch of individuals focusing on our individual relationship, our vertical relationship to God. But the Bible says not only do we have a relationship with God; we are accountable and dependent on one another in the body of Christ.

The image that is used in the Bible to illustrate that is the human body. In 1 Corinthians 12:14, Paul says, "The church is like the human body, for the body is not one member, but many." If the foot should say, "Because I'm not a hand, I'm not part of the body," it's not for this reason any less a part of the body. The eyes, the hands, and the feet are not only connected to the head, that is to Christ; we are connected to one another. Just as a hand that's severed from the body will wither and die very quickly, so when we are not connected to a local fellowship like this one, we're going to wither away spiritually. We are dependent not only on the head but on one another.

You may ask, "What kind of guidance can fellow Christians in the church give me?" Let me mention three. First of all, fellow Christians can offer us insight concerning our dilemmas. I remember reading about the first President Bush, George H.W. Bush. It is said that when people would come to him with unsolicited advice, they would say, "Well, Mr. President, we think you should do this," and he would respond, "If you're so smart, why aren't you President of the United States?" Now, admittedly, that's a natural reaction, but it's not necessarily a wise reaction because many times some of the unsolicited advice we get from fellow Christians can be exactly what we need to hear.

A great illustration of that is found in the Old Testament, the story of Moses and his father-in-law, Jethro. Not from the Beverly Hillbillies, the other Jethro. Turn over to Exodus chapter 18 for a moment. Remember, Moses was the leader of the 2 million-member nation of Israel. One day, Jethro, the father-in-law, saw something that deeply disturbed him in Moses' life. Look at Exodus 18, verse 13: "And it came about the next day that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood about Moses from the morning until the evening." When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, Jethro said, "What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?" Translation: "Moses, you are out of your mind. You're going to kill yourself if you try to handle all of these problems on your own."

Jethro prescribed a course of action. He said, "Moses, it would be a lot smaller if instead of trying to handle everybody's individual problems, you would simply teach them the principles of God's Word. They could solve a lot of the problems on their own." By the way, pastors listening to this message, don't miss that word of counsel. I don't care what size your church is; you can fill up your calendar from morning until night with counseling appointments if you want to and never even make a dent in the problems in your church. A much more effective way for a pastor to counsel is from the pulpit, teaching his people the principles of God's Word so that they can apply them to their own situation. That's what Jethro said to Moses.

And how did Moses respond? Did he say, "Jethro, if you're so smart, why aren't you the leader of Israel?" No. Look at what he did in verse 24: "And so Moses listened to his father-in-law, and he did all that he had said." Fellow believers can give us insight concerning our dilemmas.

Number two, fellow Christians offer us guidance concerning our decisions. Let's say, for example, you've been concerned about your own life. You've been worried that you're spending so much time on work and other temporal things that you're not doing things of eternal value. You want to have a life that counts for eternity. You've been praying, "God, I want you to show me how my life can make an eternal difference." God very well may be speaking through those leaders in the church and showing you what you need, giving you the guidance for the decision you need to make.

We find a number of illustrations of that in the Bible. In Acts 6:5, you know how those first deacons came to be? It was because the whole congregation selected these men to serve in that important function. Or in Acts 15:22, it was the whole church that decided to send Paul and a small group of men to the city of Antioch. Again, fellow Christians can give us guidance in our decisions.

And number three, fellow Christians sometimes offer us correction in our behavior. If you are going down a road in your life that you shouldn't be traveling down, how will God get your attention? How will He bring correction into your life? Sometimes it will be through fellow Christians in the church. I remember many years ago, there was an elderly woman in the church who came to me and said, "Robert, I believe God has His hand on your life. I believe there are many great things He wants to do with you. But there's one area in your life you need to correct, and if you don't correct this area in your life, it will destroy your ministry."

Now, I have to admit to you, my first response, at least inwardly, was not a good response. My first thought was, "Who are you to tell a man of God how he ought to be acting and what he ought to do?" But the more I thought about it, the more I realized she was telling the truth. Even though that woman is in heaven today, I praise God for somebody who loved me enough to tell me not what I wanted to hear, but what I needed to hear. Do you have people like that in your life? Do you have people who know they won't get their head bitten off if they come to you and give you some unsolicited advice or counsel? Are there people in your life who care about you enough to tell you when you're going the wrong way? And when they tell you, do you listen or do you rebel?

Listen to what the book of Proverbs says. Proverbs 10:17: "He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, but he who forsakes reproof goes astray." Reproof is simply what that woman did to me; she corrected me. The Bible says, "He who disregards or forsakes reproof will go astray." Or Proverbs 12:1: "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid." That's what the Bible says. To hate correction is to be stupid. Fellow Christians can offer us correction in our behavior.

Now, I know we've covered a lot of ground in just a few moments here, but in closing, let me just give you three real, practical, final thoughts about counseling in our life and wise counsel in our life.

Number one, don't use counsel as a cop-out. You know people like this; they're always seeking more advice. They go to this person, "What do you think?" Then they go to this person, "What do you think?" They're always getting advice but never making a decision. There comes a time when you need to stop asking for advice and just act on what you have received.

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Do what you know you need to do.

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For most people, the real problem is not so much in Discovering the will of God as it is in doing.

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The will of God.

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Secondly, remember that many times the counsel we receive is wrong. When you go to ask people for advice, just mark it down. Most of the time, the majority will be wrong. Wasn't that true of the Israelites? Remember when they sent the 12 spies into the land to see if they could overcome it? The majority report, 10 came back and said, the challenge is too great. We can never overtake the land. Only two came back, the minority report, and said, yep, there's some challenges, but with God's help we can overtake it. Many times the counsel we receive is wrong.

And number three, all counsel must be measured against the word of God. Any counsel we receive must be measured against the word of God. A lot of times, people are seeking a new revelation from God about a dilemma they're facing when God has already spoken clearly in His word. Every piece of counsel we receive must be measured against the word of God.

We see a great demonstration of that truth in a very bizarre story found in the Old Testament. The story is found in 1 Kings chapter 13. Let me give you the Reader's Digest version of the story. There was this young prophet, and God had said to the young prophet, go to the city of Bethel and destroy a pagan altar. And once you have done that, go home directly. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Go directly to your house.

And so the young prophet went to Bethel. He condemned this pagan altar. He was on his way home when an older prophet stopped him and said, God has spoken to me, and He wants you to come and have a meal at my house. The younger prophet said, oh, no, you don't understand. God spoke to me and told me I'm to go straight home. The older prophet said, well, maybe that's what God told you then, but God's given me a newer revelation, a newer word.

And so the younger prophet thought about it, and he said, well, you know, a newer revelation is better than an older revelation. I'll do what the older prophet asked. Makes sense until you read what happened. Look at 1 Kings 13:20. Now, it came about as they were sitting down at the table that the word of God came to the older prophet, the one who had brought him back.

And the older prophet cried out to this younger prophet, saying, thus says the Lord, because you have disobeyed the command of the Lord and not observed the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, but you have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place in which He said to you, eat no bread and drink no water, your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers.

Verse 24: and when the young prophet had left the house, a lion met him on the way and killed him. His body was thrown on the road with the donkey standing beside it. The lion also was standing beside the body. I mean, can't you just see this story? They're enjoying this meal together. The older prophet stands up and then says, you have violated the word of God.

And the younger prophet says, wait a minute, you're the one who told me to come in here. He said, you violated the word of God and your body isn't even going to make it to the grave. You're going to die on the road home. You say, what's the point of this bizarre story? In the Old Testament, God is teaching us a principle that we are never to contradict or violate what He has clearly already spoken.

If you are facing a decision, I don't care how much you feel like God is leading you to do something or circumstances are conspiring to lead you to do something. If that something violates the clear spoken word of God, don't listen to it. Obey what God has already said in His Word. All counsel must be measured against the Word of God.

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When we try to make decisions under our own power, when we attempt to peer into the future without any help, it can be spiritually and emotionally exhausting. How much better to rely on the time-tested wisdom from God's Word. Well, having heard today's message, I'm hoping you're ready to get a fresh start. Following God's will is a game changer.

To help you understand how to take your next steps, please get in touch today and request a copy of my book, *How to Make Wise Decisions*. My book answers 10 different questions, including the one we address today. In addition, I've highlighted relevant issues such as choosing a life partner or, when choosing a vocation, how do we determine God's plan? Especially when this includes moving to another state or another part of the world.

When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, I'll make sure you receive a copy of *How to Make Wise Decisions*. The subtitle is *The Joy of Discovering God's Will for Your Life*.

Well, for millions of people around the world, Pathway to Victory has become a trusted source for wise biblical counsel. And it's all made possible not through Pathway to Victory, but through the people who support us, especially our Pathway Partners. This month we're asking God to provide 50 new Pathway Partners to our family of monthly givers. A Pathway Partner understands their critical role in taking the good news to the world, and a Pathway Partner understands that Pathway to Victory is an outstanding way to do so.

Please, as God prompts you to become one of our new Pathway Partners, follow His leading by responding today. Here's David with all the details.

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To take the next step and become a Pathway partner, simply call 866-999-2965 or sign up quickly and easily online at ptv.org now. When you give your first gift as a Pathway Partner or make a generous one-time gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, we'll say thanks by sending you the book *How to Make Wise Decisions*.

Now, when your gift is $75 or more, we'll also send you, along with the book, the complete CD and DVD teaching set for our current series called *How to Make Wise Decisions*. Again, call 866-999-2965 or visit our website. You're also welcome to make your request by mail; write to P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, TX 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins wishing you a great weekend. Then join us again next week when Dr. Robert Jeffress continues his series called *How to Make Wise Decisions*. That's Monday right here on Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Experience the breathtaking majesty of America's last frontier on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska.

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Board Holland America's luxurious Koningsdam ship with Amy and me for a journey that will refresh your soul and renew your spirit.

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Experience the unforgettable adventure June 13th through 20th, 2026. To book your cabin, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org.

You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word.

To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.