What You'll Discover in this Episode:
In the last episode Pastor Jeff talked about what threatens the church from counseling God's way today. Forsaking our Wonderful Counselor which leads to turning to worldly counsel. The reason the church is unable to counsel according to the will of God is because we have forsaken our Wonderful Counselor. We have turned from our life source and leaned into the deception of the prince of the air, Satan. Instead of receiving our instructions from the heavenly realm, we have turned to the ways of the sin of this world. The church has drifted away from the Word. There needs to be shifting away from worldly wisdom and back to the Word. We need to humbly submit to Christ and return to the Word.
God's Word can be implanted into the hearts of those who believe. It can deliver us from sin and bring salvation to our soul. Not only that, but it carries us each day as we strive to live for Him in a fallen world. As we hear the Word be just can't be hearers, but we must be doers of His word. His Word is sufficient if we choose to obedient and live by His Word. As the Lord speaks through His Word, we must be submit to His authority.
As we counsel others we must be aware that we are up against psychological theory that has crept in and begins to to plague, bind, wipe out, pull down, distract, swallow up the human family. We can not be swept away by psychological theory. We are complete and lacking in nothing when we turn to Christ and not psychological theory. When we trust in the sufficiency of His Word we are made whole, lacking nothing. Scripture has warned us that we could be driven away and deceived, do not depart from the faith.
In this Episode Pastor Jeff talks about the sufficiency of Scripture as our life source, as counselors we must hold His Word as supreme.
Scroll down and leave your comment below!
Highlights
Resources:
Can I ask a (very) quick favor?
If you’ve gotten any kind of value out of my content, if any of it is a blessing, would you subscribe to The Biblical Counseling Podcast on iTunes (Apple Podcasts) and then leave me a quick rating and review?
Here’s how to do it on your phone in 7 simple steps:
- Go to your “Podcasts” app.
- Tap the “Search” magnifying glass at the bottom
- Type in “The Biblical Counseling Podcast”
- Tap the Subscribe button at the top
- Scroll down to the “Ratings & Reviews” section
- Tap “5 Stars”
- Finally, tap “Write a Review”
Thanks a lot, I really appreciate it!
Subscribe and Download
Are you a subscriber? If not, you’re missing a major opportunity to get practical, actionable advice delivered straight to your device every week. Don’t miss a single episode! Subscribe on iTunes or wherever you listen.
And if you’re really loving the show, we’d be super-grateful if you’d also leave a review on iTunes. That’ll help others find this program so they can benefit too. We read every single review too. Good, bad, or indifferent, we’d love to hear what you think.
Listen on the go! Follow the Biblical Counseling Podcast using your favorite app:
That was such a rich study on the sufficiency of Scripture. One of the most underestimated characteristics of the Scriptures has to do with its simple nature. As Pastor Jeff emphasized, critics of the sufficiency of the Scriptures have underestimated the Scriptures to be simplistic. The simple nature of the Word of God is not to be confused with the simplicity of the Scriptures. Calling the Word of God simplistic is to admit that the Word of God is not substantial. If we evangelical Christians are to commit to believing that the Word of God is free of error, then we must adhere to the truth that Word of God claims. Of these truths, two stand out in defending the simple yet powerful traits of the Word of God: (1) 2 Corinthians 11:3 and (2) 2 Peter 1:3. Both of these verses make claim that the Scriptures are simple yet ample enough to grant to any who believe in them all things that pertain to life and godliness without the wisdom found in the world.
Don’t move away from the simplicity of Christ!
“But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3)
So many feel that complex problems require complex solutions but the truth which God has revealed to us is that there is actually a simple solution to whatever comes our way in life. I really enjoyed listening to this week’s episode because it really goes along with what is taught in my church gatherings. My pastor often teaches on the sufficiency of Christ. Man tends to come up with 12-step programs and such but there is a far better one-step program, the Word of God! As believers, we should know first hand the power of God to heal physically as well as mentally.
And the wisdom which God has imparted to us about the sufficiency of His Word should not stop with us but be passed along as we encourage our fellow believers and counsel them!
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16)
Pastor Jeff, thank you for this specific teaching! It’s alarming how many Christians and churches are buying into the area of psychology. Understanding Humanism and then pairing it next to psychology allowed me to grasp how deceptive these teachings are. The enemy desires for us to discard God and to live only for ourselves. I choose to believe that the sufficiency of God’s word is enough for me to live a life that will glorify Him. I choose to believe in “… Christ’s unfathomable riches…”.
Thank you Pastor Jeff for another informative pod cast, I agree that we should come humbly to receive the Word and not get caught up in ourselves and think we know it all, that’s how we can get caught up in ourselves and forsake who God is and forsake the Holy Spirit. I agree that we should not only receive the Word, but pay attention to the Word and to live it out in our lives and not just be listeners but also be doers of the Word to show we are believers not just because we believe it but because we receive it and want to live our lives thru The Word. I agree that the Word of God is very powerful, and should be our authority, how we live and how we do things according to the Word. I myself can see how the serpent can deceive us thru our mind by taking God out of the picture and twisting the Word of God. if we are not mindful and let our egos think we can be let a stray and think We can do things outside of God. The best way to learn the Word is to be doers of the Word not just listeners but to also teach others and counsel others thru the Word.
Thanks for your response Margaret and I agree with you, as Pastor Jeff taught us in the Podcast that we need to come in humility to receive the Word of God, God can take His Word, that is that seed of life that He just imparts in speaking to us, and plant it in our hearts. We are to “be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”. We truly need the undiluted Word of God, even in counseling.
Great post Margaret
The best remedy for wandering hearts and minds is also the most simple one; return to the Word of God. This not only has its cleansing effect but also realigns us with Him. Make application and DO what God commands. And like you said, teach and counsel others with what you’ve learned to pour God’s wisdom back into the church. As we make the Lord our priority, perhaps it will lead others to do the same!
I love Pastor Jeff’s comments regarding James 1:21, 22. We are to not just hear the Word, but we are to be doers of the Word. He made this statement, “God’s Word not only saves us, but it delivers us from the things we need to be out of and unto the things God has for us”. Jesus talked about this same idea of being a doer of the Word in Matthew 7 at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says that the one who hears the word without doing it is like a man who builds his house on the sand, but the one who hears God’s Word and does it is like a man whose house is built on a rock. The one who both heard and did God’s Word could withstand the inevitable storms of life and the judgment of eternity.
James 1:21-22 is a significant verse because we cannot just listen to what God says, but what we believe is how we live it out that is of value to God. When we obey Him, we reveal our love for Him.
So true, Stacy! Isn’t it amazing how simple the concept of salvation through faith in Christ is, and yet how difficult it is to walk according to the Word? Similarly, it’s easy to say we believe, but our actions tell the truth of what is in our hearts. If I really believe in Christ, and Him crucified, it will show in my life. It will show in the way I treat people, in the choices I make, and in the counsel I give.
Amen Stacy!
A life built upon the firm foundation of God’s Word is stable indeed!
I wonder if people who are going through this Bible plus psychology approach are actually improving their situation…
And if it does fail, where does that leave them? Maybe in a storm with their house on the sand.
It really is so important for the church to turn back to the Word of God as its number one source for knowledge and guidance. It has everything we need, right when we need it. Let’s commit to shine forth this truth as we fellowship with our fellow believers!
There were two things that stuck out to me. The Sufficiency of the Word contrasted with the insufficiency of Psychology. The Word is deep, rich, full, and worth a whole life’s pursuit in studying it. But, Pastor Jeff reminded us that Psychology is “a mile wide but an inch deep.” I was blessed to explain some of this to our church congregation recently. I was very polite, and kind, because I didn’t want to make an offensive message more offensive. Still, I was firm that our church always gives biblical counseling to any who comes to our pastors or leaders. I was firm when I explained that psychology is a “mixed bag” full of thousands of techniques and theories, but the Bible is the One truth of God that we want to provide people with.
The second thing was when Pastor Jeff offhandedly reminded us that when it comes to inductive bible study, there is “one interpretation, with many applications.” I knew this, but I hadn’t heard it put so simply.
Hi Alejandro, I appreciate and agree with you concerning the two things that stuck out to us: The Sufficiency of the Word contrasted with the insufficiency of Psychology. We must be totally addicted to the Word of God and grow there by.
1 Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
Jeremiah 2:13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.
The subtle and not so subtle deceptions that we as individuals and as a church face are seemingly never ending. It is heartbreaking to me to see how the next generation seems to just accept the lies, not choosing to think about things biblically. Like the nation of Israel, we have been warned in the Word that men would follow the philosophy of man. I was struck listening to this podcast that we also must head the warning of remaining humble in our responses. The enemy can use pride just as he can use man’s philosophy to destroy what the Lord has intended. We need to continue to cling to the Word as the source, recognizing that any good counsel we can offer is not because of our own sufficiency or ability, but because of the sufficiency of the Word.
I see many Christians (of every group/denomination) only “going through the motions” and never taking an in-depth look at Christ. The Babylon Bee (a Christian satire website) had a hilarious post on 06 January about a major U.S. denomination splitting about staying Christian or becoming a “social group with a vague deist motif.” Sadly, the actual state of that denomination isn’t far from the satire.
Another Babylon Bee post from 03 February announced that a large church “installs security checkpoints at all church entrances to ensure no one brings a Bible.” It is satirical, but that church’s pastor does not believe in fundamental Christian truths (like Jesus being the only way, John 14:6). People in this church will buy their pastors’ books but never understand God’s Word.
Much of the U.S. church is anemic. It has traded the Word for something else. Revelation 2:4 comes to mind about the church leaving its first love.
Not with me. “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” – Joshua 24:15.
Thank you for this reminder that we tend to make things more difficult than they need to be, and that can be actually alluring. It’s almost like when unbelievers reject the gospel because they say it’s too simple, it’s too easy. In actuality, it is our pride that says what Jesus did isn’t enough, we have to add to it. We think we have to play a part. It’s Jesus plus nothing that is the hope of our salvation and so it is in sanctification. We we look outside the Lord for things spiritually in need of restoration, we say what Jesus did and what the Holy Spirit does in our lives is not enough. Let’s not be led astray like Eve was.
Hi Jeff,
I am in agreement with what you are saying about what threatens counseling today.
The two aspects: Forsaking the wonderful counselor and turning to worldly counsel. Not looking to the Lord and disobeying the Lord drifting from the scriptures.
These warnings are important because nowadays in churches we get a softer message of I’m OK and your OK which is a lie!
We are not OK we need to submit to the word which can save our souls, deliver us day by day.
Sin needs to be pointed out each day as we study the scriptures and weekly in Sunday service.
James:1:21:22: Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Not only does out sin need to be revealed but we must act on conviction be doers of the word, live it out from our head to heart to hands and feet.
It is a real deception to hear the word without being doers, correct living. He’s the counselor and we are the instrument. We don’t want to get lead astray from the simplicity that is in Christ.
But my favourite part in your message was the simplicity that is in Christ. We can depend on the person and work of Jesus Christ. The life in Christ and as we walk in faith, trust and dependence. As we obey the Lord, we believe and trust the Lord, we walk in the fullness of Christ. In Christ we are complete.
For me my heart is turned toward Christ on a deeper level after hearing your message. In Christ is all we need for the counsel of those in need. Thanks!
I agree! Our sufficiency is in Christ and the Word of God. All we need for spiritual wisdom is in Him and in His word. We need not nor should we look at the world for any of our answers to our souls.
God’s Word is sufficient to meet every need of the human soul, just as David verifies this frequently in his psalm. Psalm 19:7-14 is one of the most comprehensive statements regarding the sufficiency of Scripture. It’s an inspired expression about Scripture as our guaranteed qualified guide for every situation. Scripture contains everything necessary for one’s spiritual life. Scripture is more absolute for proving God’s power and presence than any human experience. Scripture contains divine principles that are the best guides for character and conduct. Scripture is void of any flaws and therefore lasts forever. Scripture is true regarding all things that matter, making it more than capable of producing comprehensive righteousness. Scripture meets every need in life & Scripture is infinitely more precious than anything this world has to offer.
True Josh; God’s Word is sufficient to meet every need of the human soul. We are even upheld by the Word of His power.
Hebrews 1:3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
We must totally live our lives on the Sufficiency of Scripture as explained by Pastor Jeff.
I love this sentence: “Scripture is more absolute for proving God’s power and presence than any human experience.” What a great reminder! Sometimes in counseling it can seem helpful to share our own experience of God’s power and faithfulness, but it will always be an echo of Scripture. While there is power in personal testimony, we must never fail to take it back to the Word.
Thanks Pastor Jeff!
I agree that by implementing psychology, many christians are forsaking the Wonderful Counselor. I did not realize that seeking elsehwere may be revealing a huge sense of pride or even insecurity, in which case we should just seek to grow in the Lord’s provisions instead.
For example someone in their pride might say ” I can find more modern knowledge, let me seek it in psychology.”
Or someone in their insecurity might say, “well, I have the heart to counsel someone but I do not have the knowledge and wisdom. Perhaps psychology has that part.” This is a devastating mistake when we could instead turn to the all knowing full of Wisdom God, who as the Wonderful Counselor has given us the knowledge in his word and by the gifting of His Spirit. We should not be afraid to ask and seek the Lord for a word of knowledge and his gift of wisdom.
“If you seek you shall find. ”
I was so encouraged by James 1 ” the implanted word which is able to save your souls.” It is able in and of itself. My prayer is to always come humbly, knowing it is the Lord who loves and counsels his children. May we simply move through Him.
I was exhorted to listen reverently to the word and then live it out!
Hi Hannah, I like what your saying about in our insecurity seeking the Lord for the wisdom and knowledge. That we shouldn’t be afraid to ask and seek from the Lord. That’s what I do and am growing in that on a deeper level.
I think as counselors we should put off the old self and put on Christ allow him to use us as his vessel. As we study the scriptures he will give us all we need.
Ephesians 4:22-24: You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
I agree Hannah, the call on our lives is to listen and live it out. Choosing to live that way takes my daily and sometimes moment by moment commitment. Praise God for His grace and the underserved blessings of obedience.
There was great insight in this podcast episode. I agree with Pastor Jeff when he explained how people often have a working knowledge of Christ that is insufficient, but that doesn’t mean that Christ isn’t sufficient.
People in pride or insecurity, fear or ignorance, etc. will turn to what looks promising. It is the sad truth that it means that Preachers aren’t exalting Christ enough for their congregations to first think to seek Him above psychology. Parents aren’t exalting Christ enough so that children look to outside help instead of the Word. Friends often are quick to psychoanalyze each other instead of pull out the bible.
But, like you said, “if you seek you shall find” Him, and He will be enough.
Thanks for your insight on the pod cast, I agree how so many people have a working knowledge of Christ that is insufficient, to many times our hearts are clouded with pride, insecurity, fear and many other things and we tend to look at ourselves and boast because we think we know the word but in reality we only know whats on the surface and we spend so much time trying to psychoanalyze things and figure things out in our own understanding, instead of getting the bible and seeing exactly what the word says and getting truth instead of just what we think something says. Some times pride gets in the way of seeking Christ and letting him be enough, We tend to find other things to satisfy us and we get lost in ourselves
Good points made, Hannah! The fullness of Christ’s wisdom is what we need to strive for, so the broken and lost can be made whole. God’s word brings forth truth and abundant life through Him.
You’ve made some good comments on perhaps why people seek out the wisdom of the world. I do would like to add that beyond pride and fear, some people will desire the wisdom of the world because of ignorance. As for me, I was part of the latter. In my mind, I told myself that after I finish the biblical counseling from Calvary Chapel University that I will move on to clinical counseling (largely based off of psychology). From my own perspective I justified that I wanted a well-rounded education on what makes people tick.
As I’ve continued to learn from the classes in biblical counseling, the Word of God is already more than enough to deal with any and all kinds of situations. Since what 1 Peter 1:3 says is true that, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,” there is no need to turn to any other things for there to be substantial heart-transforming change in a believer.
Hannah:
After reading your post, I realized that the word “forsaking” has the connotation of a relationship.
I came to the conclusion that looking toward more modern knowledge in psychology (or anywhere else) is effectively saying, “Good-bye, God. Your words are old and outdated.”
Sadly, anyone who leans toward psychology out of fear or insecurity is really lacking an appreciation for the completeness of God’s Word.
Pastor Jeff points out that the creep of psychology into the church is the deliberate tactic of Satan, and that his tricks are crafty. I completely agree, because most of the Christians who embrace psychological theories don’t realize that these ideas contradict Scripture. These are well-meaning believers who simply don’t know about the sufficiency of God’s Word for counseling. This is why it’s critical, as we engage in counseling others, to also educate them. Explain why we counsel using God’s Word, why we rely on prayer and the Holy Spirit, and why we reject the worldly philosophies of man. I am finding that believers are open to this kind of instruction when I take the time to explain it, and this is part of how we can fight back against the deception of God’s people.
I completely agree with you Athena regarding your point about how people who agree with scripture don’t realize how it contradicts Scripture. I know that was me until three years ago when I started understanding the differences but it has been through my classes, that viewpoint has been broken. I agree that when we explain lovingly people are open to why scriptures are sufficient and we don’t need the theories created by man. It’s a habit that is hard to break but it can be done.
It’s true. Most people caught up in psychology just don’t know (they are ignorant) of how it often contradicts the bible, points to inward help instead of Christ, and what the modern fathers of psychology believed. It is ignorance that can hurt more than rebellion. It is good to hear you actively encourage and explain what we believe concerning Scripture because someone needs to tell them. I think God’s people would be open to biblical truth. It’s the Spirit’s work in their hearts that prepares them for your help and instruction. God desires that they know what they don’t know.
I totally agree with every part of your comments, Athena. The enemy is crafty and will take advantage of well-meaning Christians. Not only are well-meaning Christian counselors embracing these theories, but many weak Christians are being taken advantage of as well. Because they are not grounded in the Word of God, they are not able to discern. Things can sound good and right and be oh so wrong. This is the deception James warns about.
We are definitely opening ourselves up to all kind of trouble when we bring the world into the church doctrine. Unfortunately it is out there and people will tend to want to have the quicker or seemingly easier way to what they think will help them. It’s really all about the narrow vs the wide path and few will find the narrow unfortunately.
Thank you for the great message again, Pastor Jeff on the The Sufficiency of Scripture. I agree that I want the scriptures to change my life and I love reflecting back and see how through the years, my life has dramatically changed at times and also had some minor but much needed changes. The portion that spoke to me was where Pastor Jeff says that we should humbly receive, listen to the word, and be convinced that we should stand on it and live it out. It should go from our head (knowledge) to our heat (wisdom) and then our hands/feet to have action on it. I think the last two parts are where we as believers need to make changes in our life. As we take the message and then have it be applied I our life we will develop wisdom. As we grow in that wisdom, we need to care for the lost, needy, broken-hearted and the people who come across our path who need the Lord.
Autumn I agree! I also desire the scriptures to change my life and I love seeing that and hearing that the Lord has done that for you. He has done it for me too, and I do not want to get lazy on allowing him to do that, as I am prone to do.
That part of the podcast hit me too, that we should receive the word humbly. Living it out is crucial.
I think one thing I can do better as a counselor as I am learning in my classes -is to give concrete and specific ways of change directly from the scriptures.
Thank you for sharing, and recalling God’s faithfulness.
We can never go wrong by pointing people to the Word of God. It is easy to listen to someone and then relate some similar experience we may have had to their experience and give them a few ideas of how to handle their problem. The way we should approach it is to answer the question of “what do I do?” with “what does the Bible have to say about that?”. The catch is, we have to know the Bible in order to share the Bible with others. And we must not only know the Bible, but we must also be living it out and encouraging others to do the same.
Great exhortation Stacy!
So true we must not only know the Bible but live it out !
Everything we learn in Christ is to be passed down and shared. Just like we learned in another podcast. Makes me think of the concept of 2 Cor 1:4 “comfort one another with the comfort you have been given by Christ. ”
In our context .. teach others and be an example with that which we have been taught and seen Christ’s example. As well as walked in ourselves.
Thanks Autumn for highlighting the portion of Pastor Jeff’s message that says; ‘listen to the word and be convinced that we should stand on it and live it out. It should go from our head (knowledge) to our heart (wisdom) and then our hands/feet to have action on it.’.
May we take good heed to the Word of God and live profitable lives by it in Jesus Name, Amen.
2 Peter 1:3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.
Very true Autumn I love the reflection part in this course.
As I reflected in my journal each week about my past restoration. I have a stronger view of what Christ (His strength) has achieved in my life, the salvation by grace, the healing from abuse, the love coming from Christ to me. I am amazed! And from that reflection I realize that Christ is all we need, the comfort we have received we can share with others.
I was just talking with a friend about this exact thing. We were saying how encouraging it is to look at life and reflect on all the ways that God has met us and changed us. We are His living testimonies. As He does work in us, He continues to grow and equip us to help others along the same path.
Personal application that comes from the correct interpretation of the Word should always be ultimate goal of any believer. Yet for me, I have found myself sort of apprehensive to apply the Word to my life. I personally lean more towards logical and analytical reasoning. If something doesn’t make sense in my mind, then I will forego it in lieu of another solution. The extreme version of logic and analysis can at times be doubt in disguise.
A lot application requires bravery, faith, and trust.
I agree with you Autumn I also seek to let the scriptures change me, thru the last few years I have noticed the changes the scriptures have helped me to get thru grief, anger, hurt, without becoming bitter but becoming a better person. I believe we should also be doers of the Word not just listeners and we should live it as examples to others. The more we apply the Word to our daily lives the more wisdom we will get and we shall be able to help others who have been where we once were to see and lean only on the truth the Word and not try to lean on their own understanding or what others think the more we apply everything we learn the more it will become a habit where the Word is the first place we go and only place we go for understanding and knowledge.
Thanks Pastor Jeff for this Podcast (The Sufficiency of Scripture) that’s the continuation of last week’s Podcast (Forsaking Our Wonderful Counselor), emphasizing that we need to listen to the Word and walk in it, stating that the Word is truly edifying and we must humbly receive the Word and be convinced by the Word, living it out.
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
We are to counsel one another with the Word.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Romans 15:1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
We are instruments in the hands of the Wonderful Counselor, working and practicing the Word of God because it’s sufficient for the challenges of life.
Psalm 19:7-10 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes 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 judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they, than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Pastor Jeff reiterated that we mustn’t forsake the Word of God so to avoid being deceived.
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
There was a case of deception in one of our Parishes where a teenager was encouraged to have a boyfriend to make her grow better and she was defiled. The Bible isn’t complicated but simple. We must not let our minds be corrupted but must believe and obey the Word.
Life is only in Christ and we must walk in the fulness of Christ because in Him, we are complete.
Colossians 2:8-10 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
We can be deceived so easily when we forsake God’s word or even have temptation that we will stumble in when we are not reading scripture daily. I have seen that in my own life and I am thankful for the love and forgiveness but a lesson I needed to learn. I pray the teenager that you mentioned is in a better place and walking with Lord again. It can be used mightily for a testimony to help others.
Amen.
Thanks Autumn for your concern and prayers.
May we never forsake the Wonderful Counselor, and may God deliver us from every form of deception as we resolve to obey His Word in Jesus Name, Amen.
Psalms 107:20 He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Psalms 119:11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.
Esther:
There are several great items in your post. The deception that resulted in defilement is tragic.
My reply will focus on James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” That verse in powerful, especially from its succinctness. It is a great memory verse.
The section of Scripture continues on. The last part of verse 25 contains a special blessing for the person who is a doer of the Word, not a hearer only: “this one will be blessed in what he does.”