1. How can we make wise decisions and have our plans succeed? (Proverbs 13:10; 15:22)

 ALL of us want to make wise decisions. And all of us want our plans to succeed. God’s Word tells us how we can achieve both of those goals.​—Read Proverbs 13:10; 15:22.

2. What does Jehovah promise to do for us?

² Of course, the best Person we can go to for wisdom and advice is our Father, Jehovah. He promises to help us, saying: “I will give you advice with my eye upon you.” (Ps. 32:8) This statement shows that Jehovah does more than just give us advice​—he takes a personal interest in us and helps us to apply his counsel. a

3. What will we consider in this article?

³ In this article, we will use God’s Word to help answer four questions: (1) What qualities must I have if I want to benefit from good advice? (2) Who can give me good advice? (3) How can I keep an open mind and heart? (4) Why should I avoid asking others to make decisions for me?

WHAT QUALITIES MUST I HAVE?

4. If we are to benefit from good advice, what qualities must we have?

⁴ We must be humble and modest to benefit from good advice. We need to recognize that we may not have the experience or the knowledge to make a wise choice  all on our own. If we do not have humility and modesty, Jehovah will not be able to help us. Consequently, any advice we do receive when reading God’s Word may run off us like water off a stone. (Mic. 6:8; 1 Pet. 5:5) However, if we are humble and modest, we will be quick to absorb the Bible-based advice we hear and to benefit from it.

5. What achievements could have made King David become proud?

⁵ Consider what we can learn from the example of King David. His achievements could have made him become proud. Long before he ascended to the throne, he was famous for his ability as a musician. He was even asked to perform for the king. (1 Sam. 16:18, 19) After anointing David as the next king, Jehovah empowered him with His holy spirit. (1 Sam. 16:11-13) He was popular among his people for striking down their enemies, including the Philistine giant Goliath. (1 Sam. 17:37, 50; 18:7) A proud man who had achieved such great things could have thought that he had no need to listen to advice from others. But not David.

6. How do we know that David welcomed advice? (See also picture.)

⁶ After being installed as king, David kept close company with men who gave him advice. (1 Chron. 27:32-34) This is not surprising, for David had a record of listening to good advice. He accepted it not only from men but also from a woman named Abigail. She was the wife of the disrespectful, ungrateful,  and egotistical man Nabal. David humbly applied her good advice and, as a result, avoided making a terrible mistake.​—1 Sam. 25:2, 3, 21-25, 32-34.

7. What lessons can we learn from David’s example? (Ecclesiastes 4:13) (See also pictures.)

⁷ From David, we can learn some lessons. For instance, we may be talented or have a measure of authority. Even so, we should never think that we know it all and do not need advice. And like David, we should be willing to listen to good advice, no matter who gives it. (Read Ecclesiastes 4:13.) If we do, we will likely avoid making big mistakes that can bring grief to us and to others.

WHO CAN GIVE ME GOOD ADVICE?

8. Why was Jonathan qualified to give advice to David?

⁸ Consider one more lesson that we can learn from David’s example. He listened to the advice he got from people who had both a good relationship with Jehovah and a good understanding of the particular challenge he was facing. For instance, when wanting to know if he could restore his relationship with King Saul, David listened to the advice of Jonathan, Saul’s son. Why was Jonathan able to give him good advice? Because Jonathan not only had a good relationship with Jehovah but also had experience in dealing with Saul. (1 Sam. 20:9-13) How might we apply that lesson?

9. Who should be consulted when we need advice? Explain. (Proverbs 13:20)

⁹ When we need advice, we do well to consult someone who has a good relationship with Jehovah and experience in the matter we need help with. b (Read Proverbs 13:20.) For instance, suppose that a young brother is interested in finding a suitable marriage mate. Who could give him good advice? An unmarried friend might be helpful if he bases his advice on Bible principles. But the young brother is likely to receive advice that is more specific and practical if he consults a spiritually mature couple who know him well and who have been happily married for some time.

10. What will we now consider?

¹⁰ We have discussed two qualities that we must have as well as who can give us good advice. Now let us consider why we must keep an open mind and heart and whether we should ask others to make decisions for us.

HOW CAN I KEEP AN OPEN MIND AND HEART?

11-12. (a) Sometimes, what might we do? (b) What did King Rehoboam do when he had to make an important decision?

¹¹ Sometimes, a person might appear to be seeking advice, but in reality, he just wants confirmation from others about a decision that he has already made. Such an individual does not really have an open mind and heart. He should take as a warning what happened to King Rehoboam.

¹² Rehoboam succeeded King Solomon as ruler of Israel. Rehoboam inherited a nation that had been prosperous, but the people felt that Solomon had demanded too much from them. The people came  to Rehoboam and pleaded with him to lighten their burden. Rehoboam asked them to give him time to think about the decision he would make. He started well, asking for counsel from the older men who had helped Solomon. (1 Ki. 12:2-7) However, he rejected the advice given by these older men. Why would he do that? Had Rehoboam already decided what he was going to do and was just looking for someone to agree with him? If so, he found that confirmation in the advice that he received from his younger friends. (1 Ki. 12:8-14) Rehoboam answered his subjects according to that advice. As a result, the nation split, and from then on, Rehoboam had constant trouble.​—1 Ki. 12:16-19.

13. How can we know if we have an open mind and heart?

¹³ What can we learn from Rehoboam’s example? When we ask for advice, we must have an open mind and heart. How can we know if we do? We could ask ourselves, ‘Do I ask for advice and then immediately reject it because it is not what I want to hear?’ Consider an example.

14. When we receive advice, what must we remember? Illustrate. (See also picture.)

¹⁴ Imagine that a brother has received an attractive job offer. Before he accepts it, he asks an elder for advice. The brother mentions that the job would require him to be away from his family for extended periods of time. The elder reminds the brother of the Bible  principle that his primary responsibility is to provide for his family’s spiritual needs. (Eph. 6:4; 1 Tim. 5:8) Suppose that the brother immediately finds fault with the elder’s words and asks other brothers about the matter until he is told what he wants to hear. Is the brother really seeking advice, or has he already made up his mind and is just looking for someone to agree with him? We must remember that our heart is treacherous. (Jer. 17:9) Sometimes, the advice we need the most is the advice we want to hear the least.

SHOULD I ASK OTHERS TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR ME?

15. What must we be careful not to do, and why?

¹⁵ Each of us has the responsibility to make his or her own decisions. (Gal. 6:4, 5) As we have discussed, a wise person will seek advice from God’s Word and from mature Christians before choosing a course of action. However, we must be careful not to ask others to make decisions for us. Some might do that directly by asking someone they respect, “What would you do if you were in my situation?” Others might do it more subtly by copying what somebody else does without thinking deeply about the matter themselves.

16. What situation developed in Corinth regarding meat sacrificed to idols, and who had the responsibility to decide whether to eat such meat? (1 Corinthians 8:7; 10:25, 26)

¹⁶ Note the situation that developed among the first-century congregation in Corinth regarding meat that may have been sacrificed to idols. To those Christians, Paul wrote: “We know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is no God but one.” (1 Cor. 8:4) With this fact in mind, some in the congregation decided that they could eat meat that may have been offered to an idol and later sold in a meat market. Others decided that they could not eat such meat without  disturbing their conscience. (Read 1 Corinthians 8:7; 10:25, 26.) This was a personal decision. Paul never advised the Corinthians to make decisions for others nor to copy what others did. Each of them was to “render an account for himself to God.”​—Rom. 14:10-12.

17. What could happen if we just copy what others do? Give an example. (See also pictures.)

¹⁷ How might a similar situation arise today? Consider the matter of blood fractions. Each Christian must make up his or her own mind about whether to accept or to reject these fractions. c We may find it a challenge to understand this matter fully, but making decisions like this is part of the load that each of us must carry. (Rom. 14:4) If we were to copy what somebody else decided to do, we could weaken our own conscience. We can train and improve our conscience only by using it. (Heb. 5:14) So when should we ask a mature Christian for advice? After we have done our own research but still need help in understanding how Bible principles relate to our situation.

KEEP ON SEEKING ADVICE

18. What has Jehovah done for us?

¹⁸ Jehovah has shown great trust in us by allowing us to make our own decisions. He provides us with his Word, the Bible. And he gives us wise friends, who can help us to reason on Bible principles. He has fulfilled his responsibility as our Father. (Prov. 3:21-23) What can we do to show him our gratitude?

19. How can we continue to make Jehovah happy?

¹⁹ Consider this fact: Parents love to see their children mature and develop into thoughtful, wise, and helpful servants of Jehovah. Similarly, Jehovah is happy when he sees us continue to mature spiritually, to seek advice, and to make decisions that honor him.