Isaiah 9:6 NLT
For a child
is born to us, a son is given to us. The
government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Some of my favorite
people in this world are counselors.
They are gifted, wise and insightful people who help families and individuals
find the tools to live successful lives.
Most of these people are Christian counselors that tie what they share
and people need to Biblical truth.
Others are secular counselors who teach helpful skills for life.
God’s desire for
each of us is success, abundance, and large amounts of His grace, and what can
and will begin us on a wonderful path is God’s word applied to our lives.
Jesus is the word
of God embodied. See John 1 for this
fact. Our best counseling begins with
the Word in us. That is Jesus in us, and
that is when we take the Bible and apply it to our lives. The old cliché “garbage in and garbage out”
is very true. What we put in or allow in
is what we will get out of our lives.
Proverbs 2:6 NLT
For the Lord
grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and
understanding.
Allow Jesus to
bring you peace, to be your father, and even to counsel you in the facts and
facets of life. Years ago I began
reading through Proverbs on a daily basis.
What I have gained from that book has allowed me to learn how to deal
with many different situations and how to lean on God through difficult times.
Hebrews 4:12 NLT
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged
sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and
desires.
The Bible contains
truth and is truth. When we apply the
word of God, it becomes alive in us working to make us strong and wise. It gives us the tools to handle what life
brings our way. Those are practical
tools as well as spiritual ones.
I had the privilege
not long after getting out of high school to go to a conference where some of
the most of my favorite preachers of that day were speaking. One of them was John MacArthur.
He shared a message
from Psalm 19 that has struck in my mind for more than 23 years. There were several things that MacArthur
shared that have stuck in my mind and helped shape how I apply Scripture to my
life.
He said that (and I
loosely quote these things), “the Bible is like a caged lion. You don’t have to defend it. Just open the cage and let it work as God
prepared it to do.” Going in several
different directions he noted that when the Bible speaks in the area of science
or math or relationships it speaks truth that transforms lives.
My point is that
our best counselor may not be the person we make an appointment to see. Our best counselor is Jesus Himself through
the Word that He has given to us. By
taking in the truth of God’s word we find strength and success, wisdom and
warning, answers and peace. That is how
God works.
I am not saying
that we should not go see doctors and counselors. Those people are very important, yet as
Christians we need to allow our days to be filled with what God says and to
apply what God says. The Bible is what
God uses to transform our lives as it speaks with clear authority from our
gracious and loving God.
Psalm
19:7-11 NLT
The
instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul.
The decrees of the
Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the
heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. 9
Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever.
The laws of the Lord
are true; each one is fair. 10 They
are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than
honey, even honey dripping from the comb. 11 They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those
who obey them.
NOTE:
We have important meetings today
about our new campus. Pray for wisdom, finances,
and open doors as the process of building out begins.
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