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Biblical Counseling Manual: A Self Help Counseling Program

by Adam Pulaski (editor)

326 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-1687; ISBN 1-4120-3879-0; US$27.00, C$31.00, EUR22.50, £15.50

This manual is designed to teach you to approach circumstances, relationships, and situations of life from a biblical perspective and to experience victory and contentment in all of life's trails, testings and challenges.

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About the Book      About the Author      Excerpts      Catalogue Information

About the Book

All that was done to us, what we have done to others, the failures, the ills, the violations of our persons, the brutalities, the perversions of life, rejections, death of loved ones, tragedies, loneliness, abandonment, Jesus paid the penalty for all these sins, and provided the means to handle the tragedies of life. We do not need to deal with these violations and tragedies on our own. Christ is in us to work out our salvation daily (Phil. 2:12-13; Gal. 2:20; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 6:3-6; Ezek. 18:20).

Being in Christ, we are new creatures and we are to deal with life now from the biblical perspective. Our problem is not with Satan, not with people, not with the circumstances of life, but our problem lies in our relationship with God. Our focus is to change from a concern about self, to a concern about God's glory and that is accomplished by our godly responses to others and life in general (Rom. 5:17; Cor. 5:21).

Thus, the answer to healing the soul lies here: loving God by obeying His commands (John 14:21), and dealing with unresolved actions of the past in a spirit of repentance and reconciliation (Matt. 7:5).

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About the Author

The author trained as a biblical counselor from 1979-1982 under a program established by the Biblical Counseling Foundation (located then in Arlington, Virginia). Training continued as the author taught a course titled "Self Confrontation" to various groups from 1980 to 1984. From 1984 to the present (2004) the author has continued to teach and to counsel at a local church in Silver Spring, Maryland.

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Excerpts

2.1. Diagnosis

Feelings

(Matt. 12:33-37) We are the sum of what we encountered in life and our reactions to these events. Being conditioned by life's experiences, we are prone to react to life impulsively and instinctively rather than to respond on the basis of considered judgment. Such actions reveal a man's inner life—his focus—and who and what determines his peace and joy (1 John 2:3-6; Matt. 5:44; Gal. 5:19-21; Col. 3:5-9).

Our usual focus is on what others have done or failed to do. As we maintain a selfdefensive and self-protective posture, we are inclined to judge, to condemn, to criticize, to blame shift, and similar reactions. This self focus is a breeding ground for anger, frustration, despair, bitterness, self-pity, and the like—a life of feelings. A feeling-oriented life is a fertile area in which Satan operates and upon which he feeds (Gen. 4:7).

Doing

(John 14:21; James 1:22-25) Thusly, the ungodly live by their senses. Their lives are directed by how and what they feel. This is what distinguishes a committed christian from the world: a christian lives by the will of God, not by feelings. However, there is nothing wrong with feelings in themselves until we act upon them. We are not to be directed or to live by feelings. We are to take stock and make note of our intents—the spirit that is being manifested: Then ask God for the grace to insure that we respond in a manner that honors and glorifies Him.

Regardless of how we feel we are to do what the word of God says to do. As we do to please the Father, godly feelings follow—the joy of the Lord. Living by the word, one serves God the Creator. Anything done without faith, without reference to God's word is sin (James 4:17; Eph. 4:29; Rom. 2:6-9; John. 3:21; 1 John 2:3; Prov. 1:22-31; Rom. 8:13).

Root

(2 Cor. 5:17; Jer. 17:9) Our responses and reactions to life reflect our roots, the source of our being. Man's thoughts, speech and actions convey the character of these roots. Here we can identify the sin patterns and strongholds developed over the years that characterize the lifestyle and personality of the individual.

Category of root problems are many: hypocrisy, manipulation, lying, cheating, stealing, boasting, blame shifting, self-centeredness, self-protection, self-interest,anger, impatience, self-pity, lust, immorality, greed, malice, deceit, etc—a life characterized by self being on the throne of one's life.

Key

We establish godly roots by changing I to We, you in union with Christ. This begins with the new birth, followed by daily renewal of the mind. Thus life is confronted on the basis of God's word—the will of God. As we do the word, the Holy Spirit changes our roots which affect our feelings. This is a purification process. And we, in turn, begin to respond to life in a manner that glorifies God (2 Cor. 10:3-5; Gal. 5:22-23; 2 Pet. 1:3-8; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:10).

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Catalogue Information

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