How to Give Better Advice

1. Who need to give advice, and why?

YOU de like to give advice? E de sweet some people to give advice, but e de hard other people, and some even de fear to give advice. But no matter how we de feel, all of us go need to give advice sometimes. Why? Because na one way to show say we love our brothers and sisters, and Jesus talk say na love be the sign wey go show say we be im true disciples. (John 13:35) Bible still talk say when we de give advice to our brothers and sisters when them need-am, e go make our friendship strong.—Prov. 27:9.

2. Wetin elders need to do, and why? (Still check the box “Advice for Midweek Meeting.”)

² Elders really need to know how to give better advice to people. Jehovah and Jesus don choose this men to care for the congregation. (1 Pet. 5:2, 3) One way wey them de do this one, na when them de use Bible give us advice and correction for their talks wey them de give for congregation. Them still de give us correction when we need-am, and them still de help people wey don leave Jehovah to come back to the congregation. How elders and all of us fit give better advice?

3. (a) How we fit learn to give good advice to people? (Isaiah 9:6; still check the box “Copy Jesus When You De Give Advice.”) (b) Wetin we go learn for this article?

³ The example of some people for Bible, especially Jesus own fit teach us how to give better advice. In fact, one of the titles wey Jesus get na “Wonderful Counselor.” (Read Isaiah 9:6.) For this article, we go see wetin we fit do when person tell us make we advice-am, and wetin we fit do when person need advice or correction even if e no ask us. We go still learn why e dey important to give advice for the correct time and for the correct way.

WHEN PERSON MEET US FOR ADVICE

4-5. When person meet us for advice, wetin we suppose think about first? Give example.

⁴ When person come meet us for advice wetin we suppose do? We fit de happy say the person come meet us for advice and we fit want advice-am quick-quick. But you need to first think whether you qualify to give better advice for that matter. Sometimes, the best way to help, no be to give advice, but na to tell the person to go meet another person wey qualify to give-am advice for that matter.

⁵ Think about this example. Think-am say your friend de sick and e tell you say e don hear about some treatment wey fit help-am and e ask you say make you tell-am which treatment you think say go better pass. Na true say you fit get one particular treatment for mind, but make you remember say you no be doctor, and them never train you to de treat people. So, the best way wey you fit help your friend, na to help-am look for person wey qualify to treat that kind sickness.

6. Wetin we suppose do before we give advice?

⁶ Even if we feel say we qualify to give advice for one particular matter, e go good make we no rush to give the advice. Why? Proverbs 15:28 talk say: “Righteous person de think for im heart before e answer.” So even if we think say we know wetin we go talk, e go still better make we take some time to do research, pray, and think deep about the kind advice wey we go give. When we do this one, we go dey sure say the advice wey we go give go agree with wetin Jehovah want. Make we see the example of prophet Nathan.

7. Wetin you learn from the example of prophet Nathan?

⁷ E get one time wey King David tell Nathan say e go like build temple for Jehovah. Quick-quick, Nathan advice David say make e do-am. But Nathan suppose don take some time to ask Jehovah about the matter. Why? Na because no be David Jehovah want make e build temple for-am. (1 Chron. 17:​1-4) This example teach us say, when person meet us for advice, e go better make we no rush to give-am advice.—Jas. 1:19.

8. Wetin be another reason why we need to dey careful before we give person advice?

⁸ See another reason why we need to dey careful before we give person advice. If we give person advice and the person enter problem because of the advice wey we give-am, we no go fit talk say our hand no dey the matter. So, e dey important to think well before we give any advice.

WHEN PERSON NO MEET US FOR ADVICE

9. Before the elders go correct person, wetin them need to dey sure of? (Galatians 6:1)

⁹ From time to time, elders go need to give advice or correction to brother or sister wey “make mistake.” (Read Galatians 6:1.) E fit be say this kind person never commit serious sin, but e don de make mistake because e don de make some decisions wey no good. This decisions fit make-am commit serious sin. Wetin the elders go get for mind, na to help the person to continue to serve Jehovah well and get everlasting life for future. (Jas. 5:19, 20) But before them go give this kind correction, the elders go need to dey sure say true-true, the person don put leg for road wey fit make-am commit sin. Elders understand say each person get the right to use im conscience make im own decision, and wetin them go decide fit different from wetin the elders go decide. (Rom. 14:1-4) How the elders go give person correction if them don dey sure say person don start to do things wey fit put im friendship with Jehovah for danger?

10-12. Wetin elders go do when them want give advice or correction to person wey no come meet them for advice? Give example. (Still check the picture.)

¹⁰ E no easy for elders to give advice or correction, especially when person no come meet them for advice. Why we talk like that? Apostle Paul talk say person fit no know say e don make bad decision. So, before the elders go give the person correction, e get some things wey them go need to do wey go make-am easy for the person to listen to wetin them de talk.

¹¹ Think about this example. If farmer de try plant for ground wey strong, wetin e go do? E go first prepare the ground so that the ground go soft. E de do this one so that seed go fit enter the ground. After this one, e go plant the seed. Then e go de put water so that the seed go fit grow. Na so e still be for elder wey want give correction. E need to do some things to make-am dey easy for brother or sister to fit receive the correction. For example, the elder go wait for better time and let the brother know say e really care about-am and say e get something wey e go like tell-am. If them know you as person wey de show love and wey dey kind, e go dey easy for people to accept your advice.

¹² The elder fit let the person know say everybody de make mistake and need correction sometimes. This one fit make-am easy for the person to accept the advice or correction. (Rom. 3:23) With calm voice and with deep respect, the elder go use Bible show-am how wetin e de do fit lead-am to serious sin. Once the brother don gree say e make mistake, the elder go plant the seed as e go explain to-am for simple way wetin e need to do to change. After this one, the elder go make-am easy for-am to accept the correction as e de tell-am the good-good things wey e de do and still pray with-am. This one just be like say e de put water for the seed wey e don plant.—Jas. 5:15.

13. Wetin elders go do to make sure say the person wey them de correct or advice really understand wetin them talk?

¹³ Sometimes, wetin the person wey de give advice or correction talk, fit dey different from wetin the person wey them de correct hear. Wetin the elders go do so that this kind thing no go happen? For kind way, the elder fit ask question to see if the person really understand the advice or correction and if e know wetin e go do to change.—Eccl. 12:11

DE GIVE ADVICE FOR THE CORRECT TIME AND THE CORRECT WAY

14. Why e no good make we advice or correct person when we de vex?

¹⁴ Because we no dey perfect, we de talk or do things wey de vex people sometimes. (Col. 3:13) Even Bible talk say sometimes person fit talk or do things wey fit make us vex. (Eph. 4:26) But we go need to dey careful make we no give advice or correction when we de vex. Why? Na because Bible talk say “when person de vex, e no fit do wetin correct for God eye.” (Jas. 1:20) If we give advice or we correct person when we de vex, we fit cause more problem. But this one no mean say if person make us vex we no go tell-am how we feel about wetin e do. But e go good make we wait until our mind don calm down before we go talk about the matter with the person. We fit learn from the better example of Elihu wey correct Job.

15. Wetin we learn from the example of Elihu? (Still check the picture.)

¹⁵ When Job friends talk wicked things about-am, e try to defend imself. So Elihu spend many days de listen to wetin Job de talk. Na true say Elihu pity Job because of im condition, but when Job try to prove say im hand clean and talk some things wey no correct about the true God, that one make Elihu vex. Even with this one, Elihu wait for im turn to talk and when e start to talk, e talk for calm way and e really show respect to Job as e de correct-am. (Job 32:2; 33:1-7) We learn one important lesson from wetin Elihu do. To fit give better advice, we go need to give-am for the correct time and for the correct way. And the correct way na to show love and respect when we de give the advice.—Eccl. 3:1, 7.

CONTINUE TO GIVE AND ACCEPT ADVICE

16. Wetin you learn from Psalm 32:8?

¹⁶ For the Bible verse wey them carry this article from, Jehovah talk say: “I go advice you as my eye go dey on you.” (Read Psalm 32:8.) That one mean say Jehovah go continue to support us. E de give us advice, and e still de help us to fit follow the advice. This one na really better example for all of us. Like Jehovah, anytime wey we give people advice or correction, make we continue to support and encourage them, so that them go fit succeed.

17. How elders de make us feel when them de give us advice from Bible? (Isaiah 32:1, 2)

¹⁷ Because we de live for the “last days,” we really need to de give and receive better advice from people. (2 Tim. 3:1) Just as “water wey de flow for land wey water no dey” de cool person for body, na so elders wey de give better advice from Bible de encourage us to continue to serve Jehovah. (Read Isaiah 32:1, 2.) We really value friends wey de tell us wetin we need to hear no be wetin we like to hear. Them just be like “golden apples for inside silver designs wey them carve.” (Prov. 25:11) Make all of us continue to learn how to give and receive better advice.