Biblical counseling presents not just biblical content but biblical compassion. We are not just offering scriptural truth but scriptural tenderness.
Counseling the Hard Cases, Edited by Stuart Scott and Health Lambert, B&H Publishing, 2012, p. 67, Used by Permission.
God created mankind in His image and entrusted each of us with a heart. The word “heart” is used over 700 times in Scripture. It refers to our inner man, the core of our being, our mission control center. The heart is the composite of thoughts, desires, emotions and beliefs that guide our daily choices. That is why Solomon urged his son, “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life” (Pr. 4:23). We use our heart to worship something – whether the God of heaven and earth or something else we believe will bring us comfort, joy and satisfaction.
Counseling the Hard Cases, Edited by Stuart Scott and Health Lambert, B&H Publishing, 2012, p. 66, Used by Permission.
Many Christians are spiritually stunted because they are trying to fulfill…the gospel imperatives without soaking themselves in the foundational truths regarding their identity…the gospel indicatives. Counselors must also avoid falling into either side of this ditch. On one side counselors must not focus on good behaviors while excluding the gospel indicatives that empower those behaviors. On the other side counselors must consistently explain how the heavenly realities of who we are in Christ translate into real-life actions.
Counseling the Hard Cases, Edited by Stuart Scott and Health Lambert, B&H Publishing, 2012, p. 78, Used by Permission.
While biblical counselors should place appropriate attention on matters of the body, the central focus must always be the heart. The good news is that God is powerful to help His children change in their innermost being. Teaching shallow behaviorism is fruitless and unnecessary because God’s Word teaches that God’s power is effective at the deepest levels of who we are.
Counseling the Hard Cases, Edited by Stuart Scott and Health Lambert, B&H Publishing, 2012, p. 83, Used by Permission.