There is no doubt that we are all bombarded with many opinions, suggestions, and advice. There are pieces of traditional advice that seem to be so appealing at first. However, after thinking about them, you will discover that it will cause more trouble than good.

Christians and every individual must be careful with the pieces of common advice that seem to be so popularly followed by many. Some may be wise while others will just lead to destruction. It is very crucial that we know what the Bible say before following a piece of advice.

In this post, let me share with you five common pieces of advice that you need to think about before following them.

Common advice no. 1: “Just follow your heart.”

This is the most common advice I hear from my classmates, peers, and co-workers. Personally, I find this advice as something stupid and dangerous. Jeremiah 17:9 plainly tells us:

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?”

If we base critical decisions on what our hearts or unstable emotions dictate, then there is a higher risk of making the wrong decision. Our heart is ruled by our desire, prejudice, and bias. It is, therefore, a poor advisor.

Ultimately, we need to seek God’s will and wisdom every time we make a decision. When we do that, we will surely make a better choice rather than be depending on our unpredictable hearts.

Common advice no. 2: “Follow your passion.”

At first, this is a very nice piece of advice for all of us. It sounds very appealing. Who would not do something that we are truly passionate about, right? However, think twice before following this advice.

We must check first if our passion is in-line with the Word of God. There are a lot of passion in this life that we would like to pursue. These passions are a mixture of good and evil. Some passions are good while others are not.

Matthew 6:33 tells us the passion that every Christian should have.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

There are a lot of passions this world could offer to us. But we must not trade the things that are mandatory to the things that are only optional. Following God’s passion for us is something that’s mandatory. When all things have been said and done, you will soon discover that seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness are the only things that matter in the end.

If you follow a passion that is noble and good, then that’s really fine. But if that passion is preventing you to fully following God, then it is time for you to choose. When all things have been said and done, you will soon discover that seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness are the only things that matter in the end.

Common advice no. 3: “Just do it.”

This is a very popular tagline of a shoe brand. You might have already heard of this slogan that has turned into an advice. The intent of this tagline is to just do things and don’t be afraid. Just forget all the things that might be preventing you to achieving your goals. Thus the words, “Just do it.”

While this is a very good advice, there are a lot of people who have taken this advice to the extreme. They just do something WITHOUT thinking of the consequences of what they are about to do.

One good example is sexual promiscuity. People “just do it” and not realizing that their actions will lead to physical and emotional hurt.

Instead, the Bible advises us:

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Common Advice no. 4: “Balance your life.”

Again, this sounds like good advice. But ask yourself, should you balance your life? I mean, should you really rest as much as you work? Should you really do good things as much as you do wrong things?

You might say that I am taking this too literally. Well, yes, maybe. But my main point is this: there are things in this life that are more important that you cannot balance it out with other things. We need to set PRIORITIES in life. We can’t spend the same amount of time for everything that we do.

If you try to balance your life, you will soon find yourself unproductive and lazy. There are more important things and less important things. Balancing your life simply means that you are sacrificing the most important things for those things of less value.

Jesus Christ said:

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).

I believe it is really not about balancing your life but setting the right priorities in your life.

Common Advice no. 5: “Do whatever that makes you happy as long as you don’t hurt anyone.”

I always hear this. But is your life just about pursuing your happiness? I can’t help but sigh about people who believe this advice. Life is not just about our happiness. As a matter of fact, we need to be JOYFUL rather than just being happy.

Happiness is brought about the things that happen to us. It greatly depends on our circumstances. On the other hand, JOY COMES FROM GOD. It gives us the ability to be cheerful, hopeful, and positive even if things may not go our way.

If your main goal in this life is to be just happy, then you are doomed to fail. You will eventually find yourself empty. The best way to be happy and joyful is to make other people happy and joyful. It means to be a blessing rather than a burden.By doing this, happiness will eventually find its way back to you.

The Bible tells us about our duty as Christians:

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

While we might not be hurting anyone, we might not be helping other people as well. Remember that life is not just about our happiness. It is about fulfilling our God-given purpose.

Final Words

These are just some of the most common pieces of advice that you should not follow immediately. While there might be some wisdom to them, you still need to dissect these pieces of information and see what the Bible really teaches. Knowing this will not just help you live a more fulfilling life, but also help you to be spiritually ready for God’s Kingdom.