A path with a beautiful destination is one way to picture the process of biblical counseling.
Biblical counseling has at least three important distinctives. Says Dr. Rob Green, pastor of counseling ministries at Faith Church:
Biblical counselors believe that the Bible is authoritative for life. Click & Tweet! It is not relegated to good advice that one can accept or dismiss depending on the circumstances. Instead, the Bible governs life. As a result, Biblical counselors use open Bibles in their conversations.
Biblical counselors believe that God changes people. Click & Tweet! God brings persons to the point of repentance. The Spirit of God brings conviction, encouragement, and comfort. While a person has the responsibility to participate in the process, God works in people’s lives.
Biblical counseling believes that the purpose of all counseling is Christlikeness. Click & Tweet! The goal at the end of the counseling is that the person is more like Jesus than when they began. Thus, sanctification is a crucial word and concept for all biblical counselors.
The path of biblical counseling twists and turns. It cuts through a meadow, dips into a river, and slices through the valley of the shadow of death where you fear not. You’re content, peace-filled, free.
Your map is the Bible. Your guide, Jesus. Click & Tweet!The Destructive Path
There’s another path, a tumultuous path. When you walk it, you hit every kind of difficulty. It tangles with lies, godless philosophies, cultural shifts, and confusion. The map? Well, it changes by the minute. Your guide is whomever you choose to follow. . .into difficulty.
The difficulty lead to pain—emotional, relational, spiritual, even physical pain.
Pain motivates change, doesn’t it?
Pain—whether anxiety, unhappiness, a marriage in turmoil, a kid in trouble, addiction, abuse, a spiritual concern, or a host of other possibilities—brought you to counseling. You hope for relief. Who wouldn’t?
Relief from pain is a great motivator for change.
You want your counselor to listen to your problem and make things better. Perhaps you’ve tried this already with another counselor or a trusted friend. Maybe life got better for a while, maybe it didn’t. Now you’ve slipped back into the ditch.
Are you wondering if you’ll ever have real and lasting change? Yes! Begin with the first step.
Taking the First Step
As you begin biblical counseling, you’ll soon learn it’s a process of one step after another. The process began when you became a believer in Jesus Christ. It continues throughout your forward movement toward Christlike maturity until your heavenly Father takes you home to heaven.
You may be tempted to make you own way. Please don’t. You’ll trip into difficulty again. If you do misstep, Jesus will guide you back.
An Offer
Would you like to find out if biblical counseling can give you lasting change? Contact me to set up a complimentary 15-minute phone call.
Sharing Hope with Your Heart,
