Girls Gone Wise Book Blog 2: Counsel

Point of Contrast 2
Counsel: Do you get your counsel from the world or the Word?

Need a guide to help you sort out your life? The headlines in this pic are this month's bold topics from several best selling picks from the news stand for girls. Lots of advice here for the surface stuff. Did you by any chance notice what is missing? As long as you're scoping the pages for some fashion advice or a short cut to body-beautiful you've got it; there's plenty of posters and print to feed your interest in guys, but what about your heart? Is there any counsel that will get you on the right path?
Girls get counsel or advice 24/7. Take this quiz and you will see what I mean:
Who is Edward?
Finish these names: Miley ______
Justin ______
What does Hollister sell?
What does the word rainbows make you think about?
Venus is the name on what useful item?
So how did you do? No study required for this quiz!

Mary Kassian gives a second contrast between the Girl Gone Wise and the Girl Gone Wild. She says the Girl Gone Wise is getting her counsel from God's word and the Girl Gone Wild is soaking up the counsel of the world. The writer of the Psalms opens the book telling who gets the ticket to GREAT blessing. That one who clings to God and ceases to search for life's answers from the world is going to be blessed. Mary writes a paraphrase of this in Psalm 1:1-2.
"She does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; but her delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law she meditates day and night." Did you catch the progression here? First she is just walking by, then she stands still taking it all in, and the next thing you know, she is sitting down at the scoffers university. She has found her home among those who blatantly mock the Truth. Kassian quotes Joshua Harris who reminds us that it's like ingesting a little poison each day. It won't kill you on day one, but how much will it take to kill you a little bit at a time?

Designer Insights

Can you trace the compromising steps Eve took? Following bad counsel leads to bad choices.
Genesis 3:1 The serpent caused Eve to ________ God's instructions. (question)
Genesis 3:4-5 The serpent gave Eve a different consequence than the one ___ had given and tricked her into considering the fruit from ____ perspective. (God, his)
Genesis 3:6 She bought into the serpent's lies completely and strayed from ______ instructions. (God's)
Genesis 3: 6b She acted on her desires. She ate the fruit and brought severe _________ on herself and involved her husband. (judgment)
This progression happens to girls all the time. Here's an example: God has said that for believers "there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality." Read I Thessalonians 4:3-4.

This means we choose no relationships with any guys that do not want to honor us as sisters in Christ. It also means no inappropriate words or touching in a relationship. The messages we hear and see from the media slowly wear down our sense of what is wrong. We might say "he's such a nice guy and he goes to church," but in our hearts we know that he is not a follower of Jesus. We go into the relationship thinking we will control things so it will be fine. There is a temptation to get involved physically and slowly we rationalize that just this one little thing is OK and there will never be more. Each boundary is crossed with tiny steps that lead to destructive behavior. Do you know that Adam and Eve died because of their choice to disobey God? Choices have consequences! God warns us to keep us from suffering the consequences. His love for us drives Him to protect us with boundaries that will keep us safe in His love and care.