The Bible makes it very clear that people need advisors and mentors - others whose wisdom can be relied upon. In fact there are countless verses of scripture to this effect.
Proverbs 11:14 - Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
Proverbs 15:22 - Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
Proverbs 20:18 - Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.
And yet, the Good Book is full of leaders who were swayed by unwise counsel. One such individual was King Darius, who was tricked into creating a law with the sole purpose of ensnaring Daniel. His own advisers concocted a seemingly innocuous law that required all of the king's subjects to worship nobody but him. Violators were to be thrown into a lion's den. These wicked men knew this was the only way they could get rid of Daniel, whom they despised because he was well-regarded by the king and was set to receive a new, more prestigious position.
Despite the new law, Daniel continued to worship the Lord alone. He was found out and convicted under the law which could not be repealed according to the king's rules. The Lord rewarded Daniel for his faithfulness by shutting the mouths of the lions so he was not harmed. The next morning, a worried King Darius raced to the lion's den to check on his most trusted adviser. Determining that he'd been duped into punishing an innocent man, we are told in Daniel 6:42 - At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
Having bad advisers can create a similar situation to that which King Darius experienced - fooled into almost getting rid of someone he needed for the proper administration of his kingdom. Unfortunately, such can and does happen to people all the time because they fail to surround themselves with wise counsel but instead allow 'yes men' and other vipers into their midst. A wise leader must learn to find the wicked in their midst (Proverbs 20:26). And so it must be for those of us running our businesses. We cannot create an environment where unfit and ungodly vipers thrive. We must seek out honest and Godly people to mentor and provide sage advice so we aren't duped into making costly business decisions. Or even worse, lose our businesses - and what should or could be an inheritance for future generations - to the devious.
May the Lord grant and may we willingly receive the Lord's discernment and wisdom as we deal with others in the running of our businesses. May we open our eyes and ears to see and hear what the Lord is saying and showing about the people we allow in our midst, so we do not repeat the mistakes of leaders like Darius, IJMN, Amen.
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