The Christian Counselor's Manual CH1

I love the new book that I just purchased last night called “The Christian Counselor’s Manual,” by Jay E. Adams. It seems that a person can go to school for counseling or therapy and still not have learned enough. My hope is that this book will greatly influence practice with children as it lets the Holy Spirit lead.

The first chapter, The Persons Involved In Counseling, discusses the way that we understand the behaviors that we have. Mr. Adams states that God holds us personally responsible for our thoughts, words and actions. I love it!

It seems to me from my little experience in the field that so often we do give much importance to parenting and circumstances. They do encourage the shaping of a child, but when the child is an adult, he or she, must work with what they’ve been given and take all of their thoughts, words and actions in application to what they know of God’s word. So on one hand, parenting and circumstances encourage either positive or negative development, but on the other hand, how do we apply personal responsibility to children that have been in abusive situations? How do we apply God’s word? The same way! God gave us His word that is all inclusive and He says that we (no matter what or where we’ve come from) can live on His word, including children that have been abused.

With Him all things are possible. You can be healed through Christ. Take every thought captive!

Eph 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

On to Chapter 2…

Adams, J.E. (1973). The Christian Counselor’s Manual. p. 3-4. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan.

Scriptures:
Mar 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Jam 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

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