Biblical Counseling
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Introduction
Introduction
-Thank you for making us feel at home
-We are excited to meet you and we want to encourage your heart
-Biblical counseling is something the Lord has put on my heart in the past 5 years.
-But you need to understand the journey the Lord used to bring me to where I am
-Years ago, I was scared of Biblical Counseling
-I counseled people often because I was a pastor, but I did not feel equipped to do it well
-Counseling was always intimidating to me, but I knew it was good and needed
-I just didn’t think I would ever be able to do it well
-I was afraid because you never know what will happen when you mee with someone
-I was afraid because I didn’t think I could help someone, when they needed help.
-Six years ago I chose a seminary that prioritized biblical counseling
-For six years, I studied counseling (which was much more comfortable for me)
-But our church opened a counseling ministry and I began to counsel too
-During those years...
-I learned that it was God’s plan for all of his people to give and receive counsel every day
-I learned that no counselor is a professional - we are all learning and growing
-I learned that what intimidated me the most was the process of counseling
-I didn’t know how to start
-I didn’t know how to make a plan
-I didn’t know what biblical counseling looked like
-Now, I lead the counseling ministry in our church
-We do a lot of counseling during the week
-But I spend a lot of time training people to do biblical counseling
-We will have 4 certified counselors by the end of the year
-My goal this year is to connect new counselors with experienced counselors so they can see what counseling looks like
-By the end of the year, I want several people counseling on their own
-To encourage you
-In the past six months, someone who received training began to observe my counseling
-Now he is counseling two men on his own
-My prayer for you today is that
-you do not fear counseling
-you are excited about counseling (giving and receiving)
-you begin to counsel today
Session 1 - God’s Plan for Counseling
Session 1 - God’s Plan for Counseling
DISCUSSION QUESTION - Who needs counseling?
-Anyone who sins, has been sinned against, or anyone who suffers needs counseling.
-Counseling is not just for people who have made a mess of their life
-We all are impacted by the fall...
The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”
And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
INTERACTION - List some areas of life that are impacted by sin.
-Relationships (god/man, husband/wife, parent/children, friend/friend, Christian/Christian)
-Work
-Health
In other words, every part of our life is touched by brokenness
The Good News is that God hasn’t left us alone in our brokenness
-God has provided redemption
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
-God has provided us counsel!
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
-Amazing that after the fall, God was gracious and He came to people who had sinned and were suffering
The counsel that God gave included...
His presence
His word
-The most important part of all of this is that
Adam and Eve had God’s counsel BEFORE THEY SINNED
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Biblical Counseling is not a result of the fall
God didn’t create counseling because they sinned
Instead, counseling is how God intended to interact with man from the beginning
QUESTION - How does knowing this encourage you to be less intimidated of counseling?
-Counsel is about knowing and living the truth
-It’s God’s plan (God intends for us to have His word/counsel when things are good)
-God intends for His word to be central to our life and conversations
-Counseling isn’t just for crisis
-God’s word isn’t just for when we have a problem
GOD’S WORD IS FOR DAILY LIFE
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
-We need one another to point us to the truth
-Satan distorted God’s word in Genesis 3, so we must work to be in the word so we can hear God’s counsel
-We need to spend time in the word as families
-We need to listen to the preaching of the word
-We need to talk to each other about the truth of the Word and that should happen all the time (not just when there’s a big problem)
What is Biblical Counseling?
What is Biblical Counseling?
Counseling is applying the truth of Scripture to life and allowing it to shape us into Christlikeness.
Counseling is applying the truth of Scripture to life and allowing it to shape us into Christlikeness.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.
Point - God’s word gives life
When we counsel, we want to put the life-giving Words of God right next to the person we are counseling
-If we aren’t doing that, it isn’t biblical counseling
-If we aren’t doing that, there will be no life-change
-There may be behavior modification
-There may be a temporary illusion of change
-Counseling is not self-help steps
In order to do Biblical Counseling, you don’t need to be a professional.
-You must spend time in the word
-You must rightly divide the word
-You must grasp the word (what is this all about - the Glory of God
-You must obey the word
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
1. Counseling is allowing truth to confront us
1. Counseling is allowing truth to confront us
There is not 1 Christian who does not need to be confronted by the word on a daily basis!
-The Biblical word is “admonished” or “warned”
-It comes from a Greek word “noutheo”
And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
-We need warned
-Sometimes because we’re doing something wrong
-Sometimes we need warned because we are easily tempted
-Sometimes we need warned because our faith is often weak
-So we need the weight of the truth on our life
Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
Consider Jonah
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
2. Counseling is allowing truth to comfort us
2. Counseling is allowing truth to comfort us
-A few months ago, lady in our church just lost her husband (he was 45) - she needs comfort
-A few weeks ago, I sat with someone who was getting cancer treatments - he needs comfort
-A few days ago, I met with someone who was hurt as a child and has an angry spouse - they need comfort
Comfort doesn’t just happen ...
Counseling is the result of hearing God’s word and obeying it
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Consider Job
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”
3. Counseling is allowing the truth to prepare us.
3. Counseling is allowing the truth to prepare us.
-Much of good Biblical counseling is preventative, not emergency room care.
-Most of our Bible reading should be preventative, not because we have a problem.
Where does Biblical counseling happen?
Where does Biblical counseling happen?
God counsels us with His Word privately
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
2. We counsel others with His Word
I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
3. We counsel ourselves with the Word
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
DISCUSSION QUESTION
How has Scripture ministered to you recently?
Session 2 - The Power of Biblical Counseling
Session 2 - The Power of Biblical Counseling
I have four points. Three will be quick, and the last we will focus on.
1. The Power of Biblical Counseling is in the Power of the Gospel
1. The Power of Biblical Counseling is in the Power of the Gospel
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord (in the Gospel), are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
-Without the Gospel, Biblical Counseling is nothing more than personal advice
-The Gospel is what transforms us (present and ongoing work)
2. The power of Biblical Counseling is in the role of the Holy Spirit
2. The power of Biblical Counseling is in the role of the Holy Spirit
-Biblical Counseling is about heart-level change.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
-If someone doesn’t know Christ, they are not a new creation and they can’t put off the flesh and put on the new man and they do not have the indwelling Spirit in them
-That doesn’t mean we cannot give them Biblical Counsel
-What it means is that they will only be able to make some better choices in their life which is good...
-But they will not see heart-level change and they will not be changing as an act of worship in faith (and that is very different for a believer)
-The beauty of Biblical Counseling is that we are introducing sinners and sufferers to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (back to #1)
-The solution to an unbeliever’s problem and a believer’s problem is the same solution - the Gospel!
-So there isn’t two pathways for Biblical Counseling (one for unbelievers and one for believers)
-Biblical Counseling is very much an evangelistic and discipleship activity
-I can’t encourage you enough to consider not only receiving counseling (we all need it)
-I would also encourage you to grow in your Biblical Counseling:
-It is good for you, for your family, for your church, and for the the Kingdom as we introduce people to Jesus Christ - the One who redeems us and changes our life
DOES ANYONE HAVE QUESTIONS?
3. The power of Biblical Counseling is found in Prayer
3. The power of Biblical Counseling is found in Prayer
And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
-One of the problems I see in counseling is that people pray according to their will, not God’s will.
-Jesus does hear and He will answer our prayer, but always according to the Father’s will
-None of our prayers are just thrown out
-Knowing that Jesus hears and will do something is powerful, especially since many people who come for counsel feel like this is their last chance.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
-This is especially necessary for sufferers.
-They won’t know what to pray at first when they come for counseling, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t pray.
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
-Another problem I see in counseling is that people pray according to what they want and they pray in generalities
-Consider anxiety
-Often people pray in general for peace and relief from anxiety (not wrong)
-Our anxiety comes from our beliefs and our desires
-Biblical counseling helps people discern their heart so they can pray can pray specifically (and repent specifically) about the heart issue of their anxiety
EXAMPLE
-Several years ago, I began to struggle with anxiety in ways I have never struggled with it before
-It was pretty crippling
-Biblical Counseling not only showed me that my anxiety was a lack of faith (which it is)
-Biblical Counseling helped me discern specifically where I lacked faith
-Once I saw what it was, I could powerfully and specifically bring that to the Lord
-And He answered my prayer by changing my mind about what I wasn’t believing
4. The power of BC is found in the Authority of Scripture (Supremacy of Scripture)
4. The power of BC is found in the Authority of Scripture (Supremacy of Scripture)
The Bible is not an extra tool for Biblical Counseling
The Bible is not an extra tool for Biblical Counseling
-Many people view the Bible this way
-They counsel and say what they’re going to say
-And then sometimes they reference the Bible in order to make their point
-You must understand that the Bible doesn’t make our point, we are to point people to the Bible
The Bible is our final authority
The Bible is our final authority
All Scripture is breathed out by God and PROFITABLE FOR teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
-Refers to Scripture’s origin and authority
-Scripture’s origin is God
-Scripture is God’s life-giving authority
-Many people (including Christians) believe that experience has greater authority than Scripture
-I often hear people say “Doesn’t God want me to be happy?” OR “Doing this (sin) really makes me happy.”
-What they are saying is that their happiness (their emotions and experience) has more authority than God on a specific subject
-Many Christians fall into overwhelming sin because they believe this lie
-A great passage to consider is 2 Peter 1.
-Peter is making a case for the authority and power of the Scripture
-Peter was at the mount of Transfiguration (verses 16-18)
-Then Peter says we have something BETTER than the experience of seeing the glory of Christ on the mount - the Scripture
And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
-When we counsel, we are not using the words of man, we are using the words of God
The Bible is necessary for life and godliness
The Bible is necessary for life and godliness
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
-Life is our new life in Christ and the ability to act in faith and please God.
-So the Sufficiency of Scripture means that nothing else can give us new life and produce godliness
The Bible is the means by which effectual change occurs
The Bible is the means by which effectual change occurs
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest (the rest that God gives us in Christ) so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
CONCLUSION
Biblical Counseling is primarily a ministry of the Word of God to sinners and sufferers.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
Session 3 - The Process of Biblical Counseling
Session 3 - The Process of Biblical Counseling
The ACBC (Association of Certified Biblical Counselors) or Faith Biblical Counseling, (available in Spanish), will teach you 6 Key Elements of Biblical Counseling in their Track 1 training.
Build Loving Involvement - we genuinely talk to people in love because they are made in the image of God
2. Share Biblical Hope - Since Scripture has hope for suffering, sinning people, we share that hope immediately because often, by the time someone comes for counseling, it is because they have lost hope.
3. Gather Relevant Data - When people come, they share LOTS OF INFORMATION.
-Most of the time, the information is skewed or not
-Our job is to get information that is necessary.
4. Evaluate the Problem Biblically - Biblical Counseling is about heart-change, not behavior management
-We aren’t primarily giving them tips to make their life better
-We are teaching them how to think biblically, desire the right things, and do what is right
5. Provide Biblical Instruction - Our goal is to connect people to the life-giving words of scripture
-You do not need an answer to people’s problems immediately
-You just have to be willing to help them find the answers over time
6. Assign Practical Homework - I like to call this Growth Plans and this is where the “counseling” really begins
-My goal is not to change a person when I am meeting with them
-My goal is to point them to the things that will change their life throughout the week
Today we will summarize these into three key words:
Listen
Point
Equip
1. Biblical Counselors Listen Well
1. Biblical Counselors Listen Well
Biblical counseling isn’t first about talking and fixing people’s problem. It is first about listening and discerning the heart.
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.
-As counselors, we want to listen well
-We listen for what is said
-We listen for what is not said
-We listen to understand their theology
-What do they believe about God, man and Christ
-We listen to discern what their desires are
-We also listen for growth and life-change
-This is so important, before anyone receives counsel, we ask them to fill out intake forms
-This gives us as much information before we meet so that we can listen better when they talk
-I have had some people meet with me and just talk and talk and talk
-I have had to stop people from talking in order to give them hope
-When I realized that Biblical Counseling was first about listening, it immediately removed most of my fears.
-If you are a Christian, you can listen
2. Biblical Counselors Point others to Scripture
2. Biblical Counselors Point others to Scripture
QUESTION - What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from Scripture in your life?
-The more your life is changed by Scripture, the better equipped you are to point others to Scripture
-The beauty of this is that there are thousands of things Scripture says to sinners and sufferers
-Many times, the best Biblical Counselors are the ones who can simply point others to the things they are currently learning in the Word
-This book is about the redemptive work of Christ and how that impacts our life
-You can use any portion of it to minister to any need a person has
-At the same time, do not be overwhelmed at all Scripture says
-There are a few passages I regularly go to when I am counseling
-Since everyone’s problem is ultimately a heart problem, there are some common truths everyone must see.
Common passages I use when counseling
-Desires and Idolatry
-James 4
-Psalm 16
-Jeremiah 2:11-13
-Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
-Anxiety and Thinking
-Psalm 46
-Philippians 4
-1 Peter 5
-Sermon on the Mount
-Sin and Rebellion
-Psalm 19, 32, 51
-Galatians 5
-Romans 6
-Any passage on the Gospel or any passage about the greatness and beauty of God
-Marriage
-James 4
-Ephesians 5
-Forgiveness & Reconciliation
-Matthew 5-7
-Philemon
-Ephesians 2
-Matthew 18
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION
What observations do you have about this list?
3. Biblical Counselors Equip others to Grow
3. Biblical Counselors Equip others to Grow
A good Growth Plan is essential for Biblical Counseling
-I typically listen, give hope from Scripture then I send them home
-Then I use a counseling report that helps me evaluate what I heard and what I think we need to do
-Then I put together a specific Growth Plan that pushes them to consider, interact, and apply the truth of the word.
-When they come back, they have to tell me what they learned and what they saw
Good growth plans include all of the following spiritual disciples:
-Bible reading and meditation
-Bible memorization
-Bible application (put off and put on, Ephesians 4:22-24)
-Local church involvement
-Purposeful prayer time
-Supplemental assignments
This process removes the temptation to think I have to have the answers immediately...
-and it puts the weight of the Biblical Counseling on the Bible
-It also gives me time to think, pray, and consider what they need to see
-If they aren’t seeing it, I can lead them, but my goal is for THEM to see the truth
-When they see the truth, they want to change
DISCUSSION QUESTION
What’s holding you back from counseling today?
FINAL QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION
