Life can be complicated, and some decisions put a lot at stake. It’s during those times that you often turn to the advice of others.

Our biggest challenge today is not finding advice. Countless books, podcasts, and digital articles are at your fingertips at any moment. Our biggest challenge is determining which advice is good and which advice is bad. Thousands of years ago a king named Rehoboam, son of Solomon, learned this the hard way.

Rehoboam was given some excellent advice from the elders who served under his father. Unfortunately, he opted for some bad advice from his peers, and the result was that he split an entire nation in two. (You can read about his story in 1 Kings 12.)

Your decisions today might not have the potential to split a nation, but you do have the potential to change the world for the people around you. So how do you discern between bad advice and good advice?

One rule of thumb is to stay focused on eternity. Thankfully Jesus got that right. While on the Mount of Transfiguration, where it seemed that heaven had come down to earth, Peter gave Jesus some earthly minded advice: “Lord, it is good for us to be here” (Matthew 17:4). Peter wanted Jesus to stay there. But mindful of eternity, Jesus pushed on toward the cross for you.

Good advice won’t always point you in the easy direction. The best advice will focus on goals and principles that are mindful of the eternity that God has in mind for you.