Ultimate Goal of Biblical Counseling!

Ultimate Goal of Biblical Counseling!

What is the ultimate goal of biblical counseling?

The ultimate goal of biblical counseling is to bring about heart change so that we live fruitfully for Jesus Christ and God is glorified. The heart is one’s inner self. It includes our thoughts, motives, attitudes, and will.

But sometimes we are willing to settle for pain relief, right?

It’s better than relief. 

Often people who seek counseling, biblical or secular, just want a better life, perhaps a less painful life. But “pain relief” falls short in the end.

A Christian couple I’ll call Bob and Katie sought counseling for their teen daughter’s angry outbursts. In a few sessions, it became clear that the primary underlying counseling issue was Bob’s drinking and his disconnection from the family. The girl’s anger was, in part, directed toward the dad’s choosing alcohol over a loving relationship with her and the family.

Yes, ditching the booze and choosing to love God above all might be excruciatingly difficult for Bob, who confesses Christ. But teaching the wife and daughter how to get along with a detached and delinquent dad wouldn’t truly help anyone. He needs lasting change and so do they.

It aims for life transformation.

Biblical counseling aims for lasting heart change. Its goal of heart change for life transformation  means living for God, not self.  First Timothy 1:5 says:

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

The goal of instruction in biblical counseling is love. Many verses in the Bible emphasize that people who love God obey his commands.

Obedience in a Christian is not a “have-to”;  it is a “want-to.”

God gives us everything we need to bring about change and experience the abundant life he promises in John 10:10.  Yes, making this change requires submitting to God’s plan for your life. It takes your cooperation as God guides you to the ultimate goal of biblical counseling. 

3 Essentials of Heart Change

Expect your biblical counselor to listen to your story, pray with you and for you, and help you move forward. As you move forward you’ll learn God’s instructions that help you live successfully (or “victoriously,” in biblical terminology) for your good and his glory. Here are three of these essential.

1. Confess and repent. These go together like peanut butter and jelly. Whenever your thoughts, emotions, and actions are against God’s command to love him and love your neighbor, you agree with God (i.e., confess) that you messed up, confessing to him in prayer and to the wronged persons, and you repent (i.e., commit to turn away from sin and turn to God).

2. Renew your mind.  As you cooperate with God, you’ll begin choosing your thoughts and learn to keep every thought captive.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

This is a battle fought in the mind, and it is a war. Your old sin nature battles with your new spiritual nature. See Galatians 5:17.

3. Break ungodly habits. You’ve struggled with sin a long time, but a Christian no longer is a slave to sin and can escape temptations and glorify God. A comforting verse is 1 Corinthians 10:13:

But remember that the temptations that come into your life and no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.

As you embrace the ultimate goal in biblical counseling, you will see improvement. Change takes time. Remain hopeful. God never wastes anything, not even our failures. Through the cross, Jesus has already won the war for you.

So what now?

Friend, are you considering biblical counseling? Please poke around my site. I have nearly 1,000 articles and other resources for you to read and listen to. If you’d like to make an appointment for Counseling via Video and Live Chat, please contact me. You may also ask for a free, 15-minute phone consult to help you decide. Ask for it here.

Counseling hearts to hope,

when alcoholism hits home: REFILLS RADIO

Today of REFILLS RADIO my guest Jack Watts admits his addiction to alcohol destroyed his marriages. He shares words of comfort to you. . .whether you’re in a problem marriage or want to understand addiction.

On my online radio show on Tuesday my guest Jack Watts shares real and deep as he tells a crazy and amazing story of recovery from the monster of alcoholism. You can listen to this 30-minute show at 2 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Pacific) by clicking this link. You can listen to the archived show at the same link.

Please be sure to leave a comment at the end of this post to enter a giveaway of Jack’s book, Hi, My Name Is Jack. You may also order it from Amazon.

Alcohol addiction is rampant in the United States. Here are statistics from www.Learn-About.Alcoholism.com.

~ Alcohol is the number one drug problem in America.

~ There are more than 12 million alcoholics in the U.S.

~ Three-fourths of all adults drink alcohol, and 6% of them are alcoholics.

~ In the United States, a person is killed in an alcohol-related car accident every 30 minutes.

~ People with a higher education are more likely to drink.

~ Higher income people are more likely to drink.

People just like Jack.

Jack wrote the memoir Hi, My Name Is Jack, One Man’s Story of the Tumultuous Road to Sobriety and a Changed Life (Howard Books, 2011). It is an outrageous, honest (way, way honest), and inspirational story. You hear it all: infidelity, divorce, abuse, lying, embezzlement, and SECRETS.

Here Jack kindly shares a bit of his story. You’ll hear more on REFILLS RADIO at 2 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Pacific), especially words of comfort directed to women who know an alcoholic or suspect alcoholism.

Here’s Jack:

Regardless of Your Circumstances, There Is Hope

If alcoholism is part of your life in any way, Hi, My Name Is Jack is for you.This book is a fascinating, authentic story of one man’s life, lived with increasing triumph through incredible adversity. Jack’s life is not ordinary or predictable—not even close. Reality never is. His extraordinary story is hard to believe, especially since his gripping memoir reads better than most novels. It’s so good, most finish it in a day or two. It’s that compelling.With its overarching theme of recovery and living a life of purpose, Hi, My Name Is Jackmay be one of the best books you’ll ever read. But it’s more than a good story. It has redeeming value, which people who have trouble with addiction or family dysfunction will find helpful and inspiring.Jack’s story is not a sweet, sanitized narrative—far from it. Although at times extremely funny and wildly irreverent, it’s a tale of faith forged from a lifetime of relationships with more than one man’s share of trouble. The character development is extraordinary—meticulously honest and straightforward. Because the dialog is real, it’s captivating and moving, which is why you’ll find it hard to put down.As a read Jack’s story, you will experience a wide range of emotions, as Jack leads you through the unique and unpredictable turns in his life.

Hi, My Name Is Jack is well worth reading, and it makes a great gift—one that provides hope for each reader.

Question: Would you like to enter a giveaway for a copy of Jack’s book? Yes?! Then simply leave a comment here. A winner will be announced on Friday.

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