by Neil Anderson
January 6
John 17:3 NIV
Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent
The focus of my ministry, both as a pastor and a seminary professor, has been the interrelated ministries of discipling and Christian counseling. I have been a discipler and a counselor of countless individuals. I have also taught discipleship and pastoral counseling at the seminary level and in churches and leadership conferences across the country. Much of my interaction with people has been to expose the insidious reality of Satan’s relentless assault of deception on the Christian’s mind. He knows that if he can keep you from understanding who you are in Christ, he can keep you from experiencing the maturity and freedom which is your inheritance as a child of God.
I am intrigued by the overlap of the ministries of discipling and counseling. Christian discipleship focuses on truth and tends to be future-oriented, provoking spiritual growth and maturity. Christian counseling considers the past to correct problems and address areas of weakness. Your past has shaped your present belief system and will determine your future unless it is dealt with. Biblically, discipleship and counseling are not separate ministries. Both are intensely personal ministries which are necessary to apply the truth to set people free from their past and establish them complete in Christ.
Furthermore, it is my conviction that discipleship and counseling must both start where the Bible starts: with a knowledge of God and our identity in Christ. If we really knew God, our behavior would change radically and instantly. That’s what happened in Scripture. Whenever heaven opened to reveal the glory of God, individual witnesses were immediately and profoundly changed. I believe that the greatest determinant of mental and spiritual health and freedom is a true understanding of God and a right relationship with Him. A good theology is an indispensable prerequisite to a good psychology.
Prayer: Father, I am eternally grateful to You that in Christ I am a saint dwelling in the heavenlies instead of a sinner wallowing in the mud.
Full Showroom – Empty Warehouse 
Philip and the Ethiopian Official
Reblogged this on Cyber Support Group and commented:
Many people have been hurt by the church, pastors, or well meaning brothers and sisters in Christ when they come forward to heal their wounded hearts.There are counselors that claim to be Christian counselors but keep in mind there’s a difference between someone who is a Christian doing counseling and those who counsel using God’s Word as the basis for that counseling. It’s sad when Christians hurt Christians. The Holy Spirit was sent to indwell us as our Counselor. As the Holy Spirit minsters to us and we learn who we are in Christ and how He see’s us and it makes all the difference in the progress of our healing. Freedom from the pain of the past can be ours. As the Holy Spirit delves into the pain and issues from the past He will bring healing, setting us free to become more as Christ would have us be.
This is a great comment Sue, bless your caring heart for all you do my sister, thank you.
Greg
Thanks Greg. I appreciate your posts. Thanks for letting me share some of them.
Welcome, together we bless more! 🙂 Glad you are here.