PASTOR SHEILA: I'm very appreciative of your desire to help me, And thank you for the time and effort that you put in. I understand that your intention was to assist me, but your ministry arose out of your carnal mind.
Everybody goes through this. The carnal mind wants to teach and counsel, but this is an incorrect order of authority. If you stop to think about it, you will realize that it is not likely that you have told me anything that I do not already know.
I. Ministry In General
A Word of Knowledge or a dream that imparts information is radically different than counseling, unless the counsel arises our of the Spirit of Counsel which is a mature ministry in Christ Jesus.
A Word of Knowledge is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Dreams come from Christ Jesus, but Christ Jesus does not necessarily have to be formed in the man. Both the Word of Knowledge and the dream bypass the individual's carnal mind, because spiritual knowledge given in the waking state passes through the carnal mind, which either perverts or rejects it.
Job 33:14-17
14 For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;
16 Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
17 That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. (KJV)
The Spirit of Counsel which is in Christ Jesus speaks only through the singular mind that Jesus called the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the Christ mind and the carnal mind bound together as one single mind, with Christ on top and the carnal mind underneath in full submission.
Matt 6:22
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.(KJV)
2 Cor 11:3
3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (KJV)
But I fear that your single [simplicity] blameless [not translated in KJ] Christ mind, should be corrupted by the same trickery [subtility] that the serpent used against he living one [eve=life]
The Spirit of Counsel is the Word Of the Lord, as opposed to the gift of prophecy.
The Word Of the Lord is Christ Jesus speaking through a man whose carnal mind has been so renewed that she is in complete agreement with, and in submission to, the Mind of Christ.
The son of God who speaks The Word Of the Lord differs from the Old Testament prophets in that he understands every word coming forth out of his mouth and can explain, or teach, what the Lord has said to the most simple person.
The gift of prophecy bypasses the carnal mind, and the "mouthpiece" of the Holy Spirit cannot explain the message that came out of his mouth.
The Spirit of Counsel is the supernatural ministry which mediates Christ Jesus' personal solution to someone's problem. The Spirit of Counsel is prophetic and, therefore, creative. The Spirit of Counsel declares the truth, and sometimes the hidden truth, of the problem, and also the solution to the problem. The Spirit of Counsel is not the spirit of advice. The Spirit of Counsel imparts the spiritual power to carry out Christ Jesus' righteous instructions.
Jesus said to the adulterous woman, "go and sin no more," and the Spirit of Counsel in Jesus imparted the power to change. Jesus did not command her to change in her own strength. He strength and her.
Here is the radical difference between the Pharisee and the Son of God:
The Pharisee advises and warns, but cannot impart the strength to change. Failure to change means that either the minister had no power, or the recipient had no faith. Someone must be responsible for the failure, but the Pharisee, not even considering the possibility that his advice was powerless, condemns the sinner.
The Son of God commands, and that command imparts the spiritual power to overcome.
There is a legitimate, but not supernatural, counsel that comes from the carnal mind. The Scripture calls it prudence. Prudence is the wisdom to deal with worldly issues. Prudence comes from instruction in righteousness and worldly experience.
The only ministry that is acceptable to God, with very few exceptions, whether we minister by the Spirit of Counsel or by the prudence of this world, is that which arises out of our own personal experience.
II. Ministry to Elders.
The gifts of the Spirit and the power to wage spiritual warfare are very valuable to the body of Christ, but these gifts do not carry with them the mature ministries which are in Christ Jesus.
The Ministry of Christ* is not a gift. It is the fruit of much study, labor, and experience, but the gifts of the Spirit are given without repentance. To teach or counsel, is to take authority over the one you are ministering to. It is, therefore, out of order for the carnal mind to counsel or teach an elder. Should an elder need counsel, that counsel must come from Christ Jesus in the elder directly below him in authority.
*Isa 11:2-5
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.(KJV)
Everyone who has faith in Jesus Christ can pray for an elder, as long as they are not praying their own will for his life. See, How To Pray For An Elder on the LEM Question and Answer page.
III. Ministry To The Body Of Christ
Acceptable ministry to other believers who are your equal or less spiritually mature than you is intercessory prayer, deliverance prayer, healing prayer, personal testimony, encouragement, and practical advice IF you have the worldly experience.
Counsel is not one of the gifts of the Spirit. Should one try to counsel when they do not have the Spirit of Counsel, their carnal mind will not let them down. The spirit of advice which is in the carnal mind will surely answer the call, and this is the sin of pride.
Xxxx, I do believe that you are the one in the dream who is supposed to help me. I would greatly appreciate your praying spiritual warfare on my behalf, as the Lord leads you. I need all the warriors that the Lord sends my way. I consider your prayers invaluable. You are very strong. I also appreciate you taking the time to share your dreams with me, and with the body of Christ.
Exod 17:12
12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. (KJV)
God bless you.
In Christ,
Pastor Sheila
