MENTAL HEALTH

HELP WANTED!

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. (John14:16 NIV)

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But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26 NIV)

 

 

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,

(1John 4:1 NIV)

 

I am often asked by Christians about seeking professional help with marriage, family, or other emotional issues.  I won’t enter here the Christian-verses-secular counseling debate.  However, we will want to avoid helpers who are hostile to our faith or who view our commitment to Christ as part of or cause of our “problem”,  If help has been recommended or seems appropriate we will be able to make the most of our counseling or therapy experience if we are aware of our unique position as a Christian seeking help.  Christ, our redeemer has left us the Counselor and Comforter.  Even as we seek the counsel of men we must remember that we are uniquely equipped for the battle in which we are engaged.

 

1)  Recognize the role of the Holy Spirit.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the      professional who helps you, as you would for the physician or dentist who cares for you.  This is most important because it prevents the mistakes that are likely to happen if we see the counselor as being responsible for change during the counseling process.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will take charge and that the counselor will merely be the agent through whom the Spirit chooses to work.  All glory must go to “the author and finisher of our faith.”

2)  Read Scripture.  Our greatest asset is the unerring Word of God which instructs and cautions us as we deal with troubles.  Do not rely solely on the wisdom and knowledge of the counselor when confronting complex issues. The Spirit will guide us to the stories, admonitions, and instructions for our situation.  Reread and memorize verses that offer healing, comfort, and instruction.  We are empowered by the sword of the Spirit with which we may confront the world, the flesh and the devil. 

3)  Understand the role of sin.  Recognizing the sin factor in the problems of the body of Christ helps both counselor and counselee.  Each person must      ultimately accept responsibility for his own sin.  Our way out of this difficulty is to focus only on our role in our circumstances.  We must not attempt to transfer our responsibility to the counselor.  The ultimate solution is also ours.  Most humans so consistently search for someone to blame that we ignore individual responsibility.  This hinders our ability to make progress in finding solutions.

 

Professional help, when needed, can be used by God to promote healing and restoration in situations where the way out is not clear to us.  Emotional problems are not a sign of weakness.  It is often wise to see your physician or pediatrician for help to determine the proper intervention.  Some emotional problems have physical roots.  Sometimes medications or hormonal changes can cause disturbing symptoms.  We should not avoid seeking help or hope it will pass without investigation.  (As a school counselor I once alerted parents to a change in their child’s behavior.  They investigated only to find that their child’s medications were causing a negative interaction.)   Pray for wisdom in this process. Do not be discouraged.  Lasting change may take time.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:4-6 NIV)