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What You'll Discover in this Episode:
The Holy Spirit in Counseling
Real disciples live in the word of God and they’re set free by the truth of God. But it’s the Spirit who guides them into that truth that they might be discipled and liberated. The spirit of truth leads us into the truth of discipleship, which liberates our lives from bad thinking and bad behaving and bad relating.
HOW JESUS WOULD MINISTER AND COUNSEL
- “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound…” Isaiah 61:1
This passage is important to us because Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor and this is the way He would want us to do it.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus to minister God's counsel by preaching good tidings to the poor, heal the brokenhearted and proclaim liberty to the captives. This Christ-like-way of counseling is counseling by the Holy Spirit. He is preaching, healing and proclaiming by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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The simplicity of who He is and how He is enough is overwhelming for me. This was a difficult podcast to comment for me I think it’s because I have been in a fiery trial awhile. This podcast and chapters 9 and 10 of Counseling God’s Way have been sobering for me. To hear Jesus is enough and what he was sent to do is to heal the broken hearted and set the captives free. Your right it’s not enough to know what the Word of God says, it’s the Spirit of the Lord being upon Him that is a must for us in Counseling God’s Way. I have taken to heart the scriptures referenced this week to heart for my own healing, but with an encouragement that I can not seek to counsel someone without the abiding in His Word and asking for the Holy Spirit to lead me.
Jesus needed the Spirit of the Lord to do His anointing “To preach good tidings to the poor…to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound…” Isaiah 61:1
This verse is so encouraging because Jesus gives us this same Holy Spirit. This same Holy Spirit lives in me. In the days of COVID, it was so hard too many. One of our friends, due to COVID, returned back to drinking to fill the void of loneness. My husband and I took him into our home to be the demonstration of the Gospel to him. His issue wasn’t his alcoholism but a sin that is keeping him bound. We are continuously sharing the Gospel to him because we know and trust that Jesus will save him.
Jesus reminds us this:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” – John 14:12
Jocelyn, thank you for sharing your heart to come alongside your friend. May the Lord give you the time and words to speak into his life. While reading Isaiah 61, you can see the love and care for each of us caught up in whatever trial we find ourselves in. I’m praying for His Sprit to be upon us as each of us continue to grow in these classes.
God wrote one book to every people from every culture, language, time period, etc… God, in His infinite wisdom, gave us everything we need in His Word. The modern mindset makes us out to be the “superior race”. It makes the people of the past to be stupid or less knowledgeable. We think that we are smarter because of our technological advances, scientific discoveries, etc… If we are not careful we can veer from the understanding that God’s word is the ultimate truth and all else we come to understand must stem from that truth. We shouldn’t try to perfect or “fix” God’s Word. We must trust God’s omniscience and lean on His Spirit to guide our thoughts and our actions.
This weeks pod cast brings conformation and encouragement about how Jesus counseling through the work of the Holy Spirit, and how he gives comfort with the same comfort and how he comforts and heals the brokenhearted. I am actually walking through healing of a broken heart, and through the work of the Holy Spirit and trusting their is healing and hope in trusting the Lord with all your heart. Through scripture and prayer I am being guided to trust and let the Holy Spirit be my guide. It is with the same love, compassion and understanding that I am given through the Spirit that i am able to help others struggling with a broken heart dealing with grief and other life trauma.
Isaiah 61 is one of the go to scripture for me when I need to hear truth, another go to scripture for me is 2 Corinthians 1:3,4 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 tribulations, that we may be able to comfort those in trouble, and Psalm147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. There is many go to scripture for truth on the work of the Holy Spirit, and how God comforts those in need but those are a few of my go to verses to remind me it is not about my feelings and emotions and how I feel. It’s about trusting in what Jesus did for us and accepting the free gifts He gives us. The freedom we are given when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us.
After listening through this podcast, something that has been increasingly on my mind through this course resurfaced again. The reality of the large difference in the approaches of Nouthetic counseling and psychological theory is apparent. And Jeff talks about avoiding swinging too far in one direction or the other when it comes to criticism or commendation of either to the point that you are violating the character of God in your speech.
Essentially, it’s possible to be right in your position while being wrong in your heart/communication towards the one you disagree with. Our culture is taking a disgusting bath in this kind of unhealthy and unloving communication right now. I want to be careful that any attempt to communicate my perspective about anything that someone else cares about comes with the kindness God shows to me and with the love He is in essence. Too much of what I hear anymore border’s on the line of a sneer.
Even with this comment, I want to be careful to acknowledge that I am first in line to be corrected and need God’s help to grow in this area. Quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. I need to do better for sure.
I like your mention of the way our culture communicates. It really contrasts the superior ways of Jesus, who was honest (with both His head and heart), gracious when people disagreed, and loving. For me, it is a reminder to strive to be more genuine in my conversations so that I can be like Jesus when I counsel.
I feel very strongly against the “Past Visualization Jesus” practice. Picturing how that would have an effect on me personally, I would not enjoy that at all, and it wouldn’t give me any hope. Yes, I know and can see how God protected me from certain things in my past, but I was never in a good place with Jesus.
Jesus will never be a “Past-Time God” to me.
Thank you for the message that warns about practices that I could have easily fallen victim to practicing. I realize now that it is the hope in Jesus Today that sets me free. Jesus is here today to walk through the hardship we currently face, and praise God it’s today and not yesterday.
If Jesus’ ministry was empowered through the Holy Spirit (which it was), then we cannot possibly counsel others without the same empowerment. This is simply stated but goes against everything the world and our flesh desires. My flesh wants to be the “Bible answer man”, supplying answers to all of your Bible questions and life issues. The world desires the glory that God shares with no man.
A Spirit-dependant person will lead others to Christ and the Scriptures; not themselves. Our heart’s desire should be the same as Christ’s; To preach good tidings to the poor (to give hope); He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted (to offer compassionate love), To proclaim liberty to the captives (to offer the freedom that Christ gives through faithful obedience), and the opening of the prison to those who are bound (liberation to those in bondage to sin). We are living in such a time in which competent, compassionate, and Spirit-filled counsel is so desperately needed.
David, you are so correct, what can sinful man offer or contribute to the perfect work of Jesus Christ other than His words and His counselor The Holy Spirit’s job is to bring all things back to remembrance when we are in need.
You correct in that a spirit filled believer will ooze the desires of their savior Jesus. In Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. The church in these historic times should be high up on a hill shinning brightly for the Lord.
It’s so true how to many times in counseling others try and rely on self instead of God’s truth through the Holy Spirit. We live in a self centered world where we tend to look at our fleshly ways, and ignore the Spirit led. We are in desperate need of more people being spirit led to counsel then to rely on self for counseling.
This weeks podcast was such an encouragement and it filled me with abundance of joy. Just hearing how the same spirit that ministered and filled our Lord Jesus is the same spirit that is also ministering to me, solidified that the Lord has called me to be a biblical counselor. I have been struggling with self doubt and question if this was the path that He was calling me to walk. One of my struggles was that I wouldn’t measure up to the calling. But, after hearing Pastor Jeff podcast, it brought a new assurance that I have nothing to fear or be anxious about because the Holy Spirit will equip and guide me. I don’t need do anything but love the lord God with all my heart, mind, and soul. Thank Pastor Jeff for your words of exhortation.
That’s great Michelle! I have also struggled with doubting my ability to do what God has called me to do especially with counseling. This week has been very encouraging and I was reminded of something one of my pastors used to say, “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.”
Thank you, Rebekah for your kind words. The Lord is definitely equipping us all to do His will and be His instruments for the body of Christ. Glad to know that Im not the only one that struggling with doubt. Blessings 🙂
Months shy of coming to know Christ, I took my then 14 year old son to a therapist because a Priest said I should. I must say that the therpist did nothing to liberate him but rather filled him up with excuses to justify his behavior. The conclusion she drew was that it all stemmed from his father not being there for him during his earlier years. This was so far from helping him. Instead it created two new problems that weren’t there prior to him attending her sessions. Because of this “diagnosis” my son now had bitterness and resentment towards his father, throwing out the window the commandment of honor they mother and father. On top of that, it gave him an excuse on why he had every right to be angry and act up. In my ignorance I believed her “expert” opinion and I will confess, i allowed it to feed into my own bitterness and resentment for my ex husband justifying it by thinking that he not only damaged me but also my son. I can recognize now that my son and I were all four of those things Isaiah speaks about. We were poor in spirit, brokenhearted, captive and imprisoned.
Oh how all that changed when we let Jesus in our heart and allowed him to be the wonderful counselor. There was no need for anyone to tell me to pray, it was through the power of his spirit that he began revealing to me the areas that I needed to forgive, to let go of, to ask for forgiveness in, and to make a change in. It has been an on going process, full of ups and downs, I am still under construction, the Lord is not done with me yet, but he who started the good work in me will see it through until the day of completion!
Update on my son, months after salvation he went on a youth winter retreat and was touched by the spirit. He wrote a letter to his father forgiving him and asking for forgiveness. It was amazing to see how the spirit of God moved within him. They now have a better relationship as my son is married with a son and another on the way, they are enjoy of this new season of life.
Jesus is indeed the wonderful counselor!!
I love your testimony Erika! Thank you for sharing. Praise God that both you and your son’s lives have been transformed by your trust in Jesus and allowing the Spirit to do a great work in your hearts.
Hi Ericka, Thank you so much for sharing your personal journey. It was very brave and encouraging to hear how the Lord brought healing to you and your precious son. God is good!
What an awesome testimony you and your son have Ericka! It is a great example to me of the psychology in practice today that is able to breed evil and destruction. Malpractice and heresy is being taught through the universities and the media, and it is corrupting our culture. But, I am renewed by the transformative power and love of Jesus that tore down any fortresses in yours and your son’s life.
Jesus didn’t come to the brokenhearted and tell them to pray harder or to read the Bible more. He didn’t come here to tell us to work for the healing that we so desperately desire. He came to us and offered us a free gift that heals all our wounds and all we must do is accept it. Jesus came to save us first and foremost and healing comes as a result of that. When we continually focus on the past we miss the hope that Christ offers us for the future and the comfort He gives us now.
There have been several times I shared my struggles with anxiety with another believer and their only counsel was to pray harder. Yes prayer helps but Jesus never saw someone hurting and said you just need to pray more or read your Bible. When Elijah had depression and was under the broom tree God didn’t just tell him to suck it up and deal with it. God gave Elijah food, water and rest, then told him to get up and keep going. Sometimes we forget to sit and listen and help someone practically. Last week one of my coworkers was having a really hard day and I stayed after my shift ended so that she could go home and rest. That was what she needed at that moment, not to hear that she needed to pray more. God cares deeply for our spiritual needs but He also provides for the practical ones as we should also do for others with the help of the Holy Spirit.
I couldn’t agree with you more. God does care about all our needs, the deep and the practical. I can not tell you how many times I felt like the devil was attacking me full force, but in reality it simply was my perspective. A healthy meal, a good time spent lifting my burdens to the one who could deal with them and a good night sleep was all it took for me to see it really wasn’t an attack at all, it was just me blowing things out of proportion because I was tired and probably hungry. God knows us so well “come to me all who are tired” Matthew 11:28.
Rebecca, thank you for sharing. You gave your co-worker a gift that day. It reminds me of when Jesus said, who of you would give someone a stone when they asked for bread? Ministry is practical, it can also be in the trenches, being there for someone when it’s not convenient.
Rebekah, this is an all-too-familiar discussion that Christians tend to have. Some want to lean almost exclusively upon the grace of God, whereas others hold rigidly to the truth. This is where, as you rightly stated, we need the help of the Holy Spirit. He will guide us into all truth while helping us to endure and love others as Christ has loved us. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
I honestly love that phrase “Jesus didn’t tell us to pray harder” though He did encourage us to pray, He cared for our needs, and that’s the example He wanted us to follow. It’s sad how often people who are struggling finally come out and share their hardships, only to be turned away with “pray harder” or “read your Bible.” God didn’t call us to be Church goer’s, but to have fellowship.
Thank you for sharing, and blessings for you and your coworker!
I love the idea that Jesus comes to heal the broken hearted, by opening the prison doors. He doesn’t just modify our behavior. He gives us a new heart and sets us free indeed. He releases us from the bondage of sin. All to often councilors are reluctant to use the word sin, as it may seem offensive. When we recognize wrong behavior as sin and that sin was dealt with on the cross. Then we can be truly set free from it. Jesus came to help, love, and serve us. We are to help, love, and serve others as He is our example. If we walk in daily victory, we will be able to share the truths of Jesus with others.
Hi Harry, I love what you shared about how Jesus doesn’t modify us but he beings healing to out lives, when we see that our “issues” are sin and not a behavior that needs to be modified. Thanks for your insight.
Harry, I like how you pointed out the fact that many counselors do not call sin, sin. If one does not identify the problem how can one bring solutions to their problems. The permanent solutions are in God’s word. 2 Peter1:3 His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue.
The world is hurting so very much, they are seeking comfort, hope, release from the bondage of their sins. The church has the answer to their woes. The church must be a reflection of Jesus. Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
I agree Harry that many counselors refuse to acknowledge sin as what it is and give it many other labels thus robbing people of the freedom God has so freely given us through the cross of Christ. We must choose to walk in the victory that has been won for us and not dwell on the failures of the past. Jesus came to set us free, we can’t keep living as if we are still imprisoned.
Harry, thank you sharing! Yes, I love you points. I run the Next Gen ministry in my church I always reminded our volunteers that Jesus did not preach behavior modification but life transformation. Jesus wants to take us from glory to glory for His is our hope in glory. Him dying on the cross He took the wrath of God for us. We get to stand one day in front a Holy God pleading the blood of Jesus. Him dying for us cost Him everything so we can be with Him.
I really love the example of counseling from Isaiah 61. The first item on the list is, without a doubt, the most important. A pastor with more than forty years of ministry said that virtually every counseling situation that he deals with within his church, whether it’s bondage to sin, relationship problems, or virtually any other issue, 99.9% of the time, there was some misunderstanding of the gospel on the part of those who were seeking counsel. One of the things that I do when I’m counseling people is to begin with the gospel. I ask them to share the gospel in 60 seconds. Most people find it pretty difficult to do, but it is possible. If we can share the full gospel message in 60 seconds, it is likely that we’ve got a good grasp on what the gospel is. From there, we can try to see, as we are lead by the Holy Spirit, where is the misunderstand about the gospel is. Is there some unforgivenes, some doubt about God’s love? It is remarkable how most of our problems can be traced back to some kind of misunderstand of the gospel. Starting with step one here in Isaiah 61, preaching good tidings to the poor, cannot be skipped over as we give and receive counsel.
Kyle, I once heard a man say, “How could God ever forgive me as a believer for this sin?” I want to say, who has bewitched you? Be saved by the Spirit, are you now perfected by the flesh. As we learn in 1John 1:9 He is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, just as He did at salvation.
Hi Kyle, This pastor is a very wise man. What a great idea about having the counselee share the the gospel in 60 seconds. This approach definitely helps in knowing how mature they’re in the Lord, and gives a perspective on what is they are struggling with. It always comes back how much of an intimate relationship they have with the Lord. Thanks for sharing!
Jesus many-faceted ministry to the masses. Amazing that although this is for anyone and everyone, He meets the needs that anyone and everyone might be dealing on an individual basis. I love our Lord and what He does. I, like Pastor Jeff have thought on this passage of Scripture often and thought about just what it means in a literal, natural sense and then also how it applies so obviously to the spiritual condition of many. Everyone of the concepts mentioned in the Lords ministry to us is a concept that He has worked out in my life at one time or another either in my salvation or during my walk with Him. I believe He can and does do the same thing for anyone and He can and does use us in that process of communicating and helping people to see the power in these truths.
I love that the Lord Jesus leads us lovingly by example. He doesn’t just tell us what to do and expect us to do it. He first shows us what it looks like to live each command, to take each step, so that we can run after Him, following Him in His footsteps. He doesn’t just expect us to do as He says, but to live as He lives.
Isaiah 61:1-3 has ministered to my heart so much! These verses are personal for me because Jesus has bound up my broken heart, He has liberated me from the chains of bondage that I carried for so long! He has freed me from that old prison of fear and oppression. Verse 3… Jesus came to comfort all who mourn, giving a garland instead of ashes, oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantel of praise instead of a spirit of fainting!! So they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified!!
There is so much hope in these verses and they have been such a blessing in my life. Also, they are a wonderful place to take a wounded, weary person. These verses personalize Jesus ministry so much and draw a merciful picture of how Jesus wants to set every captive free if only they will turn to Him.
Amen! It’s wonderful to hear about how God has ministered to you though these verses. What a testimony! It is so powerful when God uses us to minister to others after He has done such a powerful work in us. We aren’t just counseling people in an academic sense, we have been set free and now we are able to see clearly to help others be set free as well. Praise the Lord!
Absolute hope found in these verses! There is so much love and healing in them, how can we humans look beyond Jesus in the search for a quick fix or any other temporary fix. Jesus is enough to heal us here and now and enough to sustain us through eternity!
Amen and Amen!
There is hope and comfort found in these verses. It’s nice to hear they have given you hope and been a blessing in your life. They have also helped me to find hope and comfort knowing He heals the brokenhearted, and he comforts those who mourn
Right on Pastor Jeff; If Jesus is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all. These classes at CCU have encouraged me beyond belief. They have brought me to a point where I need to examine myself to purge the worldly ideas. My life needs to be refocused and remain 100% reliant upon Jesus, His Word and His Holy Spirit.
Jesus lays it out in Isiah 61, what His ministry would be. I can’t stop thinking about if Jesus counseled and relied upon the Holy Spirit how much more does a forgiven sinful man need to be captivated by the Holy Spirt. All things are held together by the power of Jesus. So, we being a born-again spiritual people, need to look at the foot of the cross to find all things that are pure and Godly. The power of the early church found in the book of Acts was the Holy Spirit’s power, unity, and prayer. Peter said to Jesus, where can we go, You have the words of eternal life. So, we must utilize not our worldly wisdom and words but the words found between Genesis and Revelation. Those words have power according to Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The world is full of people described in Isaiah 61. The only way to heal these folks is to point them into the direction of the Great Physician Jesus Christ. The world does not need to put band-aids on their wounds. They need permanent solutions, which is a relationship with Jesus Christ. In my opinion, this should be the counselor’s goal found in these scriptures Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Press on to the high calling the Lord Jesus has put on Christians’ life. We are new creatures in Christ. Our enemy, satan wants us to remember the past where condemnation is found. However, Jesus wants us to focus on Him, to run the race looking to the author and finisher of our faith. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
One question, the Jews looked back to Egypt, that generation did not enter the promised land. Moses decided to be with God’s and His people instead of remaining in Egypt. We need to be looking to the high calling of Jesus. We must walk with Jesus every day to be used by the master to bring comfort, hope, deliverance, forgiveness, love, mercy, and grace to this dying chaotic, crazy world we live in. Everything we need is found at the foot of the cross of Jesus.
“I can’t stop thinking about if Jesus counseled and relied upon the Holy Spirit how much more does a forgiven sinful man need to be captivated by the Holy Spirt.”
This is so true. The Holy Spirit, despite its common abuse, should not be dismissed so easily. It is a gift that we need desperately. We are hopelessly lost without the Lord’s direction. I have been working on being more sensitive to the Holy Spirit, as I would always lean on the side of shutting it out. But since this course, I have come to better understand His role in my life, and my life is so much better for it.
As human beings we want to sit and talk about what happened in the past, so to be equipped as to how to counsel God’s way is encouraging for me. I didn’t understand the difference between psychology and God’s way. I’ve excited to continue this journey of being equipped to come alongside those God brings in my path. Thank you for sharing your take on the podcast.
So edifying! I definitely want to be imitating the wonderful counselor Jesus in my own attempts to counsel. Jesus quoted these words of Isaiah while in the synagogue as its recorded in Luke 4:18-19. These words really explain the heart of Jesus’ ministry, and it inspires me to make it the heart of my daily ministry as well. Like Pastor Jeff said, psychology can often get intertwined with the powerful and present work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus said He came to heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, and free the prisoners. I notice that psychological methods can distort this clearly outlined purpose. For example, a few brothers I talk with regularly have been through different drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs. Something that has been ingrained in their thinking is the idea that their past struggles (loneliness, addiction, child abuse, parental absence, etc.) define their present identity even after their conversion to Christ. Of course, there are residual emotions and patterns that unfurl themselves every so often, but good theology teaches that what Christ did is “opened the prison to those who are bound.” At conversion, the believer becomes a new creation that is no longer in bondage to the sin that once defined him. I think this is a vital understanding to reinforce while counseling because it displays accurately what Christ has done within us.
Hey Caleb, as you were talking about your friends who have received this counseling that sort of ties them to their past, it made me think about how AA meetings go, where they introduce themselves as alcoholics. I really have a problem with this, because it also defines their present identity, as you said. We are new creatures in Christ, and we aren’t defined by our past, everything has become new. I recognize that it is a strategy that they use in AA, and there are some benefits, but I believe that the problems outweigh the benefits. Accepting some past identity totally denies what the Gospel says about who I am in Christ.
Caleb, you make such a great point! Knowing who we are in Christ is paramount and you are right, at AA meetings, they declare themselves as being an alcoholic. The world’s system is so deceptive and temporary. True hope and transformation is in Christ alone.
Great comments Caleb. Our identity is found in Christ. Worldly temporal attempts will yield worldly and temporal results. A man struggling with an addiction may find a way to stop the substance abuse. But if in that gain he loses his own soul, what has he gained?
Thank you Caleb for highlighting the liberating power of Jesus. For many years I have allowed past struggles to define me in spite of my citizenship in heaven. This can be a damaging lie to continue to believe because it places all the weight upon the believer’s shoulders and therefore minimizes what Christ accomplished. This becomes a vicious cycle of “try harder then fail”. We cannot combat lies with better sounding lies, we need the truth (Jesus) that can set us and keep us free from bondage (Galatians 5:1).
Caleb, thank you for sharing this! The power of the salvation of Jesus is incredible. Programs only leave people on surface live. It’s like having the kingdom without a king. It will never work. The power of Christ is freeing and liberating. Our hope is always found in Christ.