Do You Know What A Chiasm Is?

As I was studying yesterday, I came across an unknown word to me in one of my commentaries.  It was describing one of the methods many of the prophets used when they spoke to the people to get across their main point or to emphasize something. It sounded simple, like a take off of when things are mentioned 3 times, but I was curious to see if there was more to it then that, so I looked it up. I'm so glad I did because it opened up a whole new way of looking at God's Word!  Some of you may be familiar with this already.  It's called a chiasm.  Rather then try and explain it myself though, I'd like to just share a bit from the article about it that I read and then give you the link so you can read it yourself as well.  The author shares several verses and shows exactly how it's done so you'll be able to recognize them and have a try at getting a deeper meaning from the verses yourself as well.

Those of you who know me, know I would never go in for something that would change the meaning of God's Word, and this does not do that.  It's not looking for "hidden meanings" that you wouldn't find otherwise.  What it can do though is clarify what the person was really getting at with what they said, and by doing so may change your perception of what you thought was "most important" about a verse or verses, or what their main thrust was about. Or of course, it could also be a confirmation for you that what you thought was correct.  I've found it to be a really fascinating and exciting way to view scripture and a great aid to understanding too.  Like all study of scripture though this should be done with the Holy Spirit guiding and teaching you.  So always ask Him to help you first.  The Lord has already used this idea to link a number of scriptures together for me and show me their intended theme and how it linked them even closer together.  It was a theme I was already aware of to some extent, but didn't realize just how obvious and clear it was in those scriptures, or how they were linked together.  Here's a bit from the article now and a link:

What is a Chiasm (or Chiasmus)?

by Thomas B. Clarke

A chiasm (or chiasmus if you rather) is a writing style that uses a unique repetition pattern for clarification and/or emphasis. Chiasm is pronounced ky′-az-um. Often called the chiastic (ky′-az-tic) approach or the chiastic structure, this repetition form appears throughout the Bible yet it is not well known. The way you approach the Scriptures should be dramatically enhanced as you learn what a chiasm is, how to recognize chiasms, and how to glean a fresh application from these New or Old Testament passages.

Chiasms are structured in a repeating A-B-C ... C′-B′-A′ pattern:

A	As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you  (5b)
	B	Be strong and courageous … be strong and very courageous  (6,7a)
		C	Be careful to obey all the law … that you may be successful  (7b)
			D	Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth  (8a)
			D′	Mediate on it day and night  (8b)
		C′	Be careful to do everything written in it … you may be prosperous and successful  (8c)
	B′	Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged  (9a)
A′	for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.  (9b)
	(Joshua 1:5b-9)

Simply put, a chiasm is a repetition of similar ideas in the reverse sequence. The importance of the chiastic structure is found in its hidden emphasis. (See Being an Overcomer for an interpretation of the above chiasm, adapted from my book). And it is not insignificant – I suspect there are more than two thousand examples in the Bible!


The above is taken from the following page:
http://www.bible-discernments.com/joshua/whatisachiasm.html 
Please see the second page to get a clearer idea of this as there are some other types that you may not recognize otherwise:
 See Two Examples That Help Explain Chiastic Structures. 
http://www.bible-discernments.com/joshua/whatisachiasm_two.html 

May God bless you as you have fun digging for the many treasures of God's Word as you study it together with Him! 

Parental Mythbusting

Myths—they intrigue, entertain, and sometimes even humor us. From health and history to sports and science, myths and misconceptions seem to find their way into every realm of human thought and activity—including parenting.

As Christians, we probably dismiss most of the parenting myths we encounter without a second thought, right? After all, we’re Christians, those who look to and depend upon God’s Word to determine our reality, not worldly platitudes or cultural traditions. If you’re among those who think only naïve and untaught Christians fall for unbiblical substitutes when it comes to parenting, maybe you’d better take a look at our list.

Here are ten of the most common myths confronting Christian parents these days. Mom and dad, as you endeavor to raise your children to the glory of God, take note of them:


Myth # 1: “Children must be the first priority in our family.”

Heard that one? According to this myth, the child-centered family is the successful family, so the more attention you give your children, the better they’ll turn out. Basically, you’ve got to prioritize your children over your spouse. No matter how pious they make it sound, it’s not pious at all. The Bible says your spouse is your priority, second only to God. Husbands, you understand this…God commands you to love you wife as your own body (Eph. 5:28). Why? Because you’re in a “one flesh” relationship with that woman (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:31). There is no such relationship between parent and child; it’s a different level of intimacy. To elevate the relationship with your children above the more intimate relationship you have with your spouse isn’t positive in any sense. It’s a subtle but dangerous myth that always weakens and sometimes wrecks a home. Beware.

Myth # 2: “I should rely mainly upon the church—particularly the children’s ministry, to teach the Bible to my children.”

Most of us would probably deny believing this myth, but how we live tells all. Evaluate your habits at home, parents. Where does the majority of your children’s spiritual instruction take place—church or home? Who provides that instruction—an Awana leader or you? We’re not belittling the role of your local church’s teaching ministries. We are pointing out that Sunday school and youth group should supplement your teaching at home, not replace it. Both the Old and New Testaments assign parents, not pastors, the responsibility of teaching their children (See Deut. 6:4-9; Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21).

Myth # 3: “The behavior of my children is a sure measure of successful parenting.”

That statement would cease to be a myth with a slight adjustment: Your response to the behavior of your children is a sure measure of successful parenting. See the difference? Your child’s behavior is mostly out of your control; your response is not. None of us, especially after the early years, can control our child’s behavior. But you can and must control your response to their behavior. God’s simple instruction to parents is found in Ephesians 6:4, “Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Your success as a parent relates to how faithfully you carry out that charge, not how well your children receive discipline and instruction.

Myth # 4: “Quality time with my children is more important than quantity time.”

Some parents use this myth to ease their guilt for spending too little time with their kids. That’s not the biblical model. When God instructed parents to impart His Law to their children, notice how much time is involved: “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up” (Deut. 6:6, 7). We’re mistaken to think we can somehow schedule those teachable moments into a few scattered, “quality” interactions between dinner and dessert. Faithfulness to the parenting task requires more time than that. As you make yourself available, you’ll begin to see how many unplanned opportunities arise out of those times of sitting, walking, lying down, and rising up.

Myth # 5: “My children belong to me.”

Behind this myth is the false notion that, “My children are my property, and it’s my right to raise them as seems best to me.” Psalm 127:3 says, “Behold, children are a gift from the Lord.” Even life itself is a gift, isn’t it? But it still belongs to God. Parenting is a stewardship, and we are stewards of all God’s gifts, including our children. We provide care, impart instruction, and teach them to fear God, and one day we’ll give an account to Him for how we carry out our charge. Children belong to God.

Myth # 6: “My wife should take responsibility for training our children since I work.”

Husbands, don’t turn God’s calling for your wife (Titus 2:4-5, to love you and your children, and keep the home) into a fatal parenting myth. God’s instruction to your wife doesn’t excuse you from parental responsibility. Scripture presents parenting as a joint-effort, and it also issues several commands directly to you fathers—it’s your responsibility to train your children (Eph 6:4, Col. 3:21). It’s true, your wife will spend more time at home with the kids while you work, but that doesn’t eliminate or diminish your responsibility to join her—in fact to lead her—in the parenting task.

Myth # 7: “My children won’t be able to understand spiritual truths until they are much older.”

Biblical history, human history, and common experience demonstrate how young children can comprehend spiritual truth. Remember the prophet Samuel, or the young king Josiah? Samuel’s close relationship to the Lord began at a very young age (1 Sam. 2:26), and king Josiah instigated spiritual revival in Judah when he was only a teenager (2 Kings 22:1; 2 Chronicles 34:33). In 1735, during the American Great Awakening, God saved Phebe Bartlet, a young girl in Jonathan Edward’s congregation, when she was only 4 years old. Parents and pastor alike thoroughly examined her comprehension of gospel truth and found clear evidence that she was born again. Time proved the genuineness of her profession. One of her favorite activities was attending church to hear the preaching of her pastor, Jonathan Edwards (not a theological lightweight). Don’t fool yourself parent—and certainly don’t try and fool your children. They are sharper than you think.

Myth # 8: “If I spank my children, it will exasperate and provoke them.”

Sadly, this myth is alive and well in many Christian homes. It intimidates parents and spoils children. Contrary to our anti-spanking culture, Proverbs 13:24 says, “He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” Truth is, if you want to provoke and spoil your children, just continue to shelter them from the painful consequences of disobedience (Prov. 29:15). No kid loves a spanking, and we don’t like discipline either, do we? But the writer of Hebrews tells us that discipline yields peaceful, productive fruit (Heb. 12:5-11). (Here are a few other Scriptures to counter this insidious myth—Prov. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13; 29:17).

Myth # 9: “Spanking my children is the key to successful biblical parenting.”

For some of you, spanking your child seems quicker, easier, and more effective than the relentless dawn-to-dusk instruction called for in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (see Myth #4). Ephesians 6 also calls for “discipline,” but Paul clearly has more in mind than spanking. The positive command, “Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (v. 4), refers to the systematic training and instruction of children. Literally, the word “instruction” could be translated “putting in mind.” As a parent, you want to impart the knowledge of God regularly and lovingly to your child under the guidance of Scripture. That is the key to successful parenting. Spanking is just one part of that larger task.

Myth # 10: “If I teach my kids properly, God promises they’ll eventually turn out well.”

No doubt you’ve heard this myth. It’s a popular interpretation, and application, of Proverb 22:6—“Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it.” How many times have you seen a parent cling to that verse in desperation as they watch defiant children forsake all they were taught? Some children sit under loving, prayerful instruction from their parents, only to later shame them with a scandalous lifestyle. It’s heartbreaking, isn’t it. But Solomon’s proverb is not meant to be a gilt-edged guarantee your child will eventually trust Christ and live righteously. Solomon is simply saying early training usually secures lifelong habits. It’s a charge to give great care and consistency to how and what you teach your children. God promises to bless us for parental faithfulness, but that doesn’t necessarily mean our children will be saved. They have their own relationship with God to work out.

Posted with permission:
http://www.gty.org/Blog/B101022

Common Parent Traps

Common Parent Traps

If you’ve been a parent for any time at all, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that your child came into the world with an insatiable faculty for evil. Even before birth, your baby’s little heart was already programmed for sin and selfishness. The inclination toward depravity is such that, given free reign, every baby has the potential to become a monster.

Original sin is the biblical doctrine that explains your child’s sinful proclivity. It means children do not come into the world seeking God and righteousness. They do not even come into the world with a neutral innocence. They come into the world seeking the fulfillment of sinful and selfish desires. Scripture also teaches a doctrine called total depravity, referring to the extent of original sin. Although the outworking of the sin nature does not necessarily attain full expression in everyone’s behavior, it is nonetheless called total depravity because there is no aspect of the human personality, character, mind, emotions, or will that is free from the corruption of sin or immune to sin’s enticements.

Put bluntly, sin is not learned—it is an inbred disposition. Your kids got their sinful nature from you, you got it from your parents, your parents got it from their parents, and so on, all the way back to Adam. In other words, Adam’s fall tainted the entire human race with sin. Both the guilt and the corruption of sin are universal. The apostle Paul wrote, “Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12). “Through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men” (v. 18), meaning we inherited the guilt of sin. And “through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners” (v. 19), meaning we inherited the corruption of sin. No one is exempt. No one is born truly innocent.

That means that left to themselves, your children will pursue a course of sin. And left entirely to themselves, there is no evil of which they are incapable. You may find that hard to swallow, especially when you see them as newborns. Infants seem to be the very epitome of chaste, precious, childlike innocence. But don’t let the cute cheeks, the playful coos, and the bright eyes fool you — those children are a miniature version of you! The depravity that lives in their hearts is just waiting for the opportunity to express itself.

So how should the doctrines of original sin and total depravity impact your parenting? Before I answer that, let me show you three parenting approaches that miss the mark.

Trap #1: Focusing on Behavior

Many parents go off track by focusing all their efforts on controlling their child’s behavior. Be careful. If you concentrate all your energies on correcting external behavior, or staving off misbehavior with threats of discipline, you may be doing little more than training a hypocrite.

I’ve seen that happen repeatedly. I know Christian parents who think their parenting is successful because they’ve taught their children to act politely on cue, to answer with “Yes, Sir” and “No, Ma’am,” and to speak to adults when spoken to. While that kind of behavior control may appear to work wonders for a time (especially when the parents are nearby), it does not address the root problem of depravity. Sinful behavior is a symptom of a sinful heart.

Trap #2: Focusing on Environment

Other parents try to control their child’s environment. They attempt to build a cocoon around their kids to isolate them from bad influences. They restrict their children’s exposure to television, ban popular music from the home, and sometimes forbid contact with children whose parents may not share their same parenting philosophy.

While I do think you should shield your kids from the experience of evil, you need to teach them to be wise and discerning when confronted with evil. They won’t learn those lessons if they are completely isolated. The isolationist approach merely produces naïve children who are gullible and vulnerable, defenseless in the world.

Try as you might, you won’t be able to isolate your children forever. When the day comes that they venture out into the world, they need to be prepared with discernment skills and wisdom to detect and resist the enticements of the devil and the world. If you choose to shield them from an evil environment, you are ignoring the enemy within them — a depraved heart. But if you win the heart, you win the child.

Trap #3: Focusing on Self-Esteem

A very prevalent approach today is to build a child’s self-esteem. That method assumes that if a child sees himself as good, noble, and wonderful, he’ll not only behave better, but he will also treat others better. This method turns self-love into a virtue.

The truth is that much of the modern effort to spark kids’ self-esteem is simply pouring gasoline on a runaway fire. It encourages already selfish kids to think they are justified in wanting their own way. It makes you as a parent think you have to defer to the child, no matter what, because the child has a right to express himself freely, so he feels good about himself. All of that only escalates out-of-control behavior and feeds the worst tendencies of human depravity. Want to ensure that your child will become a delinquent? Feed his self-esteem and then compound the problem by refusing to correct him when he is wrong.

Self-esteem is based on an unbiblical perspective that denies original sin and the doctrine of total depravity. The Bible has nothing positive to say about self-esteem, self-love, or any other variety of self-centeredness. It teaches your child to deny himself, not love himself (Luke 9:23).

The Right Approach: Focusing on the Heart

There’s only one remedy for your child’s inborn depravity: the new birth—regeneration. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, “That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit… [Therefore,] you must be born again” (John 3:6-7). “Born of the flesh” with a sinful bent, your children have no power to free themselves from sin’s bondage. They lack the Holy Spirit and thus have no capacity to please God or obey Him from the heart (cf. Rom. 8:7-8). Until your children are born again, they are dead in “trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1).

So your top priority as a parent is to be an evangelist in your home. You need to teach your children the law of God, show them their need for a Savior, and point them to Jesus Christ as the only One who can save them. If they grow up in your home without a keen awareness of their need for salvation, you have failed as a parent in your primary task as their spiritual leader. Teach them the gospel and ask God to perform His sovereign work of regeneration.

One word of caution about that — if you try to force, coerce, or manipulate your kids into a profession of faith, you may pressure them into making a false profession. The new birth is a work of the Holy Spirit, and your child’s salvation is a matter that must ultimately be settled between him and God.

Don’t approach parenting by focusing on the symptoms rather than the heart. If you attempt to modify your children’s behavior, isolate them, or bolster their self-esteem, you will not only exacerbate the problem, you will fail to reach to the heart of the matter. But if you teach them about their sin and need for the Savior, and if you live a life that models what you are teaching them to be, you can rest your hope in God’s grace for the salvation of your children.

posted with permission
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/A131

Homosexuality in the End Times

I originally posted this on May 26th, 2010

Not too long ago, I went off line at about 4:30 to finish cleaning up the house and get supper started for Bruce for when he got home from work. We both like to listen to the news when it comes on at 5pm so I turned the TV on our local news station so that it would be on the right channel when the news came on. While cleaning I realized that the show playing then was Oprah and she had on a young country music star who had apparently recently come out and said she was a lesbian. She told a heart wrenching story of how she hid it all her life from everyone including her parents and how being brought up in a good Christian home she was sure she was hated by God and would go to hell for it. Her story was truly heart wrenching and my heart went out to her and to all those like her.

Unfortunately she still doesn't understand the Truth. She thinks she feels a billion times better now because she's told the truth and she's not "living a lie" anymore. And well she should! Lying is a sin (as she knew too) and of course "living a lie" is a sin as well. Sin hurts us in many ways and hurts those around us. So here are these poor people who are so enslaved to many sins that they feel their only way out is to either kill themselves and get it over with, or be a practicing homosexual and decide (somehow) that God doesn't see homosexuality as a sin anymore.

What's even sadder is that many of these people were raised in "good Christian homes" and went to "good Christian churches". Where then was the discipleship they so badly needed when they were young??? Why then do they not understand that God never hated them because they were tempted to sin??? He hates the sin, not them. Where is their understanding that God doesn't make mistakes, that He doesn't create people as "homosexuals" or pedophiles, or thieves, or murderers, or liars etc. Why do they not understand that all of those things, like so many others, are quite simply sins and temptations??? Why do they not understand that God has called us to take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ???

Do they seriously believe that God creates people to be murderers and thieves and homosexuals??? Apparently they do, but they are so very wrong!

How very sad that they feel they have to act on their sinful desires in order to "be happy." All they had to do was tell the truth about their sinful desires to have a homosexual relationship instead of hiding them. It's when we hide our sins that we give Satan a hold over us and many of these people obviously hid this sin for a very long time. Then instead of confessing the sinful thoughts/feelings and taking them captive in Christ, they went the other way and determined to find a way to reconcile their sin and yet remain "Christian". Just as Adam blamed God for his sin when he said, "the woman you gave me" made me do it, so they are blaming God for their sin by saying "God made me this way so it's His fault".

And now they are blaming those "good Christian churches" for all their problems and this young lady actually said that churches are ruining young people by telling them that homosexuality is wrong!!!

Unfortunately she's right in some ways. Churches that haven't been or aren't discipling their youngsters, and parents that are waiting for the church to teach their children God's Ways instead of doing it themselves are hurting the young.

Our children should all know that they will be tempted many times in many ways, but that being tempted doesn't make them "bad"and isn't a sin. It doesn't become a sin until we act on the temptation or dwell on the temptation.  It simply means that they need to turn to the Lord for His help and they need to be taught how to guard their minds and hearts by taking their thoughts captive for Christ. Basically, it means they're human! They need to know that they can always go to God about any thought or feeling they have and that He loves them always and that He will help them. That doesn't mean that He will make it easy for them though. There's a big difference between helping someone and doing it for them! And that's a HUGE thing that many people today simply don't get anymore.

Everyone wants everything handed to them on a silver platter instead of having to work for it. While God does give us gifts that way sometimes, for the most part He requires us to work out our salvation and use the tools He's given us in His Word.

I could go on and on about what they "should" have been taught, and what they should know, but you get the idea. What's so horribly sad though is that now, because these people think that they have finally been "freed" they are preaching their "salvation" to everyone, using every means at their disposal--TV, Radio, movies, the Internet, meetings and community groups, political activism etc.

Some of them are in many ways a part of this "new Christianity", that Warren, Piper, and others preach--but it's a Christianity without the Gospel and those people are going to go to Hell and will bring everyone else right along with them! So this half of the homosexual group is attacking the church, the body of Christ, with all the ammunition they can bring on it, and the other half, the half that are "atheists" are paving the way for them in society by mocking God.

It really opened my eyes (even wider) to how very active Satan is in our times! It's like an old fashioned cattle round up, only humans are the cattle and they're being rounded up to go to Hell. I think these people, these "stars" are going to be at the forefront of the battle to have the bible banned as hate speech and that's just part of what they'll accomplish. The question is, how much of it will we witness before the rapture???

We need to understand that it's important for us to know the Truth about what God says in His Word and tell people about that Truth.  Christians don't seem to have any problem pointing out to a murderer or a thief that they have sinned and need a Savior, or that God loves them and wants to save them.  But when it comes to someone saying they're homosexual, suddenly everyone clams up or spouts the oft heard phrase, "I can't judge them" as an excuse not to speak the Truth in love to them.  All they're doing though is condemning these poor folks who are already suffering to an eternity of yet more suffering!  We need to stand up for God's Truth and not be intimidated by the homosexual activists who condemn us and say the bible is hate speech.  They only say that because Satan has blinded them to the truth and because they've heard some very real hate speech even from Christians!  Instead we need to let them know the very same things we'd tell any sinner, regardless of what their sin is:  That God loves them more then they can imagine and He doesn't want them to suffer.  He wants them to spend eternity with Him.  That doesn't mean this life will be easy, or that they won't be tempted by homosexual thoughts and feelings.  It means that just as we have to do about any sin we're tempted about, they have to do with this one:  ask the Lord for help, study His Word, flee from any tempting situations and not allow ourselves to be put in any tempting situation, and finally to take any sinful thoughts, ideas, feelings, imaginings etc captive and replace them with God's Truth.  That's how we're to deal with any sin, any temptation.  We need to let them know that they're not bad and not sinning because they're tempted and that it only becomes a sin when they insist on dwelling on sinful things or acting on them.  We need to make sure they understand that once they are saved they cannot lose their salvation, and if they were really saved before, then they still are.  What they can lose though is the closeness of their relationship with the Lord, as that's what happens when sin comes between us and Him until we repent of it.  So we need to let them know how to repair their relationship with Him.  (through confession and repentance and then obeying Him)  We need to pray for these people and pray hard for Satan, the world and their flesh have all come against them to keep them from our Father's comfort and love which is the one thing they need above all else. 

FEAR: SHUTTING GOD OUT

FEAR: SHUTTING GOD OUT

The admonition to “fear not” is frequently repeated in Scripture. Fear is described as bondage, torment, and a snare. Often the phrase “nor be dismayed” (lit. “torn apart,” “panicked”) accompanies the command to “fear not.”

Scripture offers a long list of things about which we are not to worry: provision, enemies, other gods, death, armies and wars , reputation, evil days, children, the future, sudden terror, safety, events beyond our control, health, fearful thoughts, words of others, and suffering.

Reasons are also given for not fearing: you are His creation; He fights for you; you are loved; He is your helper; you are more valuable than the sparrows. The reason given most often is God’s presence. You do not need to ask for God’s presence—He is with you; you have His word on it. But you often need to ask for an awareness of His presence. This awareness is most often promtped by remembering His faithfulness in the past.

The Woman’s Study Bible.

Here's some verses for you when you are worried or fearful:

Romans 8:15 —For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” *

1 John 4:18 —There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. *

Proverbs 29:25 —Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

Matthew 6:25 —“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? *

Deuteronomy 1:21 —See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” *

Psalm 23:4 —Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. *

Psalm 27:3 —Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. *

Psalm 49:5 —Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me— *

Proverbs 3:25–26 —Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, *for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared. *

Matthew 10:28 —Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. *

Matthew 8:26 —He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. *

Philippians 4:6–7 —Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. *And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. *

1 Peter 3:14 —But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” *

Revelation 2:10 —Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. *

Isaiah 44:2 —This is what the Lord says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. *

Exodus 14:13 —Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. *

Hebrews 13:6 —So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” *

Luke 12:7 —Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. *

Genesis 26:24 —That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” *

Deuteronomy 31:8 —The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” *

Romans 8:15 —For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” *

Isaiah 41:10–14 —So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. *“All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. *Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. *For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. *Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. *

Deuteronomy 7:18–19 —But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. *You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the miraculous signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. *

Joshua 1:9 —Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” *

Matthew 14:27 —But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” *

2 Corinthians 4:1 —Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. *

Matthew 17:7 —But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” *

1 Chronicles 22:13 —Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. *

Psalm 34:4–7 —I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. *Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. *This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. *The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. *

Psalm 46:1–3 —God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. *Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, *though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah *

John 14:1 —“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. *

2 Timothy 1:7 —for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. *

Psychology and the Doctrines of Devils

Psychology and the Doctrines of Devils

McMahon, T.A.
October 1, 2006

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” —1 Timothy 4:1

In my two previous TBC articles this year (Mar and Apr ’06), I addressed the destructive influence psychological counseling is having on the evangelical church. Simply put, the church has turned from God’s Word to man’s bankrupt theories in attempting to resolve mental, emotional, and behavioral problems. The greater part of the church no longer believes what the Scriptures proclaim: that God, in His Word, has given us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3). The results, sadly, are what one might expect: there is often little statistical difference between those who profess to be Christians and those who do not, regarding the number of divorces, the reliance upon psychological counseling theories and methods, living together outside of marriage, illegitimate childbirths, pornography, sexual and physical abuse, and so forth.

Although such consequences are shocking, they shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who believes the Bible. Twice in the Book of Proverbs we are told, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). Death throughout Scripture implies separation, whether of the soul and spirit from the body in physical death or, in another sense, the separation of light from darkness and truth from error—and ultimately, from God eternally. Just as the body without life corrupts, so do one’s life choices result in corruption when they are separated from God’s truth.

Psychology, with its psychotherapeutic counseling, has been embraced by evangelicals more than almost any other unbiblical endeavor that has entered the church in the last half-century. “Christian psychologists” are generally more popular and influential than preachers and teachers of the Word. What evangelical in America doesn’t know of psychologist Dr. James Dobson? The psychologically oriented American Association of Christian Counselors boasts 50,000 members. The evangelical church is one of the leading referral services for secular counselors (whether they claim to be Christians or not!). Like their secular counterparts, the second-most popular career choice for students at Christian colleges is psychology. What makes this information truly shocking is the fact that the roots, concepts, and many of the psychological counseling practices come from “seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”

First Timothy 4:1 is a prophetic verse. It foretells that “in the latter times,” that is, the time near the return of our Lord, “some will depart from the faith.” This is supported by other verses such as Luke 18:8: Jesus asked, “...when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” The implied answer is no. Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, declares under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that a “falling away” from the faith will characterize the Last Days. But haven’t many professing Christians departed from the faith since the time of the Apostles? Yes. The rest of the verse, however, indicates a condition that is unique to our present day. Those who profess to be Christians will give “heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”

Doctrines of devils are designed to undermine what is taught in the Scriptures. They reflect the strategy that Satan instituted in the Garden of Eden when he seduced Eve into disobeying God. The chief of the seducing spirits began his direct communication with Eve by raising doubts in her mind as to what God had commanded: “Yea, hath God said...?” (Genesis 3:1). The serpent’s dialogue with her led her to believe that God had lied to her: “And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die.” Although God instructed Adam and Eve that the punishment for disobeying Him by eating the fruit of a certain tree in the Garden would be death (Genesis 2:17), Satan twisted that around, making God not only a liar but also the one who was withholding what they needed for their self-improvement and for realizing a supposed higher potential.

 Genesis 3:1-5 contains Satan’s basic strategy for the seduction and destruction of mankind. His deception began by questioning God’s Word, and offering tempting alternatives. Eve responded by believing Satan, rejecting God’s Word, and turning to her own self-interests. The enticements were so desirable to the flesh, including immortality, enlightenment, godhood, and knowledge (Genesis 3:5), that she eagerly embraced the lie. At that tragic moment in the history of mankind, self became a god, an autonomous rebel bent on doing its own thing. What Satan offered to Eve, he likewise has presented to all of her descendants, with similar success. His deadly allurements—immortality, enlightenment, godhood, and knowledge-—comprise the foundational teachings of “doctrines of devils.”

Even in a cursory review of psychotherapeutic concepts, Satan’s primary lies are clearly revealed. Teachings (i.e., doctrines) such as the following are found in nearly all psychotherapeutic theories. Immortality: There is no death in the sense that it should be feared. Materialist psychotherapists teach a judgment-free mortality; spiritually oriented counselors claim that we either evolve to a higher consciousness or reincarnate to improve our next temporal state of being. Enlightenment: Knowing the self, who we are, why we do what we do, and how we change, all open the critical gate to establishing our mental wellbeing. Some systems teach that our problems of living are determined by traumas related to our past (including past lives), our parental upbringing, our environment, or our having been oppressed by religious dogmas. Godhood: The solution to humanity’s problems is found within the self. Self is deified, whether directly or indirectly. For instance, psychology’s “self-actualization” is a process that leads to self-deification, which ultimately replaces any need for salvation outside humanity. Knowledge: The deification process for humanity involves methods of plumbing the depths of the unconscious, which is alleged to be the infinite reservoir that holds all mysteries of life.

Sadly, these doctrines of devils now permeate “Christian psychology.” Few evangelicals realize that these demonic teachings were introduced to the “founding fathers of psychological counseling” literally by “seducing spirits.”

It was Sigmund Freud who declared that “religion is the universal obsessional neurosis of humanity.” Furthermore, there is evidence that Freud hated Christianity, which he erroneously regarded as anti-Semitic. How then would this atheistic rejecter of organized religion advance doctrines of devils? By founding the “religion” of psychoanalysis. None of Freud’s theories, whether psychic determinism or psychosexual development or belief in the unconscious, have any scientific validity; moreover, they are religious beliefs that are antithetical to the doctrines of the Bible. Research psychiatrist Thomas Szasz had Freud primarily in mind when he declared, “...modern psychotherapy...is not merely a religion that pretends to be a science, it is actually a fake religion that seeks to destroy true religion.”1

Given the fact that psychoanalysis and its associated concepts are so diametrically opposed to biblical Christianity, there’s no doubt that Freud’s “fake religion” is the product of “doctrines of devils.” Furthermore, a strong case could be made that Freud’s theories came both directly and indirectly from “seducing spirits” through the techniques he employed in analyzing his patients. He put them into altered states of consciousness through hypnosis and the highly suggestible technique of “free association.” Early on, when he was formulating some of his theories, Freud was a regular user of the mind-altering drug cocaine for his bouts with depression.2 Calling it his magical drug, “he pressed it on his friends and colleagues, both for themselves and their patients.”3

Psychiatrist and historian Henri F. Ellenberger’s classic work, The Discovery of the Unconscious, reveals, “Historically, modern dynamic psychotherapy derives from primitive medicine, and an uninterrupted continuity...through the exorcists, magnetists, and hypnotists that led to the fruition of dynamic psychiatry in the systems of Janet, Freud, Adler, and Jung.”4 Psychotherapy is a modern form of shamanism, which explains why psychiatrist E. Fuller Torrey rightly observes, “The techniques used by Western psychiatrists are, with few exceptions, on exactly the same scientific plane as the techniques used by witchdoctors [medicine men and shamans].”5

Shamanism is all about contacting spirit entities to gain their help, wisdom, insights, and so forth. In an interview with a former Yanamamo shaman who resides in the Amazonian rain forest of Venezuela, I was told rather bluntly that his spirit guides were liars and deceivers, from his first contact with them through ingesting hallucinogenic drugs until they left him when he turned to Christ. Their lies reinforced what he wanted to hear. It seems the same for Freud, whose concepts were a reflection not of science but rather removing his own guilt and satisfying his flesh. Freud’s theories were based mainly upon his own personal problems, most of which were sexual perversions.

In Freudian thought, the “unconscious” is a God-replacement realm without laws and judgment; morality is an oppressive neurosis-generating structure imposed by society and organized religion; sexual freedom (including adultery, homosexuality, incest, etc.) is paramount for normal mental health; dreams are symbolic messages from the unconscious and can be scientifically interpreted through psychoanalysis. These beliefs represent doctrines of devils. Although a materialist, Freud acknowledged the existence of spirit entities. He was influenced from that source, either indirectly, through his patients, or directly, through his own drug use, the ancient statuettes he used to help him write,6 and other techniques he used to explore the unconscious.

The life and works of psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung clearly reveal that his psychological theories came directly from the “seducing spirits” Paul warns about in 1 Timothy 4:1. Jung is far more popular today among professing Christians than Freud (the atheist) because of his perceived affinity for religion and things spiritual. However, though his father was a Protestant pastor (who seriously doubted his professed faith!), Jung was anti-biblical and resentful of organized Christianity from his youth. His early symbolic visions revealed Jesus as a Dark Lord and God defecating on a cathedral. His mother’s side of the family was heavily involved in spiritualism. His grandfather, pastor Samuel Preiswerk, conducted ongoing séances to commune with his deceased first wife, with his second wife and daughter (Jung’s mother) participating. The latter, who had bouts of insanity, reserved two beds in the Jung home for visiting ghosts. Jung’s doctoral thesis (published in 1902) was based upon séances conducted by his 13-year-old cousin, whom he placed in an altered state of consciousness through hypnosis in order to contact his and her dead ancestors.

In 1916, Jung’s household experienced an assault by demonic beings who claimed to be dead Christian Crusaders from Jerusalem. They were seeking counsel on redemption and were greatly distressed that their Christianity had left them in a hopeless condition. They would not leave Jung’s home until he began writing advice to them, which he received from one of his many spirit guides, his mentor Philemon, the “old man with horns of a bull.”7

Richard Noll, a lecturer in the History of Science at Harvard University and a clinical psychologist (who declares that he “is not a Christian of any sort”), makes some stunning observations in his book on Jung titled The Jung Cult. He argues that Jung’s “psychological theories of the collective unconscious and archetypes are essentially masks, a pseudoscientific cover to hide the practices of what was essentially a new religious movement in which Jung taught people to have trance visions and to contact the ‘gods’ directly.”8

Jung’s teachings are doctrines of demons, gleaned directly from seducing spirits: the unconscious and the collective unconscious represent an impersonal form of God; archetypes are viewed as psychological rationalizations for demons, the anima and animus are terms for the female and male entities within each person; psychological “types” are determined characteristics within our make up. Jung promoted all things occult, including astrology, alchemy, the I-Ching, mysticism, necromancy, visualization, dream interpretation, the active imagination, yoga, meditation, etc. Incredibly, his theories and recommended practices are endorsed in the teachings of some of the most influential people in evangelical Christianity. In many cases, ignorance is the principle reason, yet the demonic lies are nevertheless readily promoted and accepted among the sheep.

Rick Warren’s 30 million copies of The Purpose-Driven Life include Jungian concepts, such as psychological “types.” Saddleback Church’s “Celebrate Recovery” program (see TBC Oct ’05), which has been exported to 4,500 churches and Prison Fellowship Ministries, is based on A.A.’s 12-Step principles. A.A. co-founder Bill Wilson received the 12 Steps during the time he was in contact with spirit entities. He later wrote a personal letter to Carl Jung thanking him for his influence:

...[A.A.] actually started long ago in your consulting room, and it was directly founded upon your own humility and deep perception....You will also be interested to learn that in addition to the “spiritual experience,” many A.A.s report a great variety of psychic phenomena, the cumulative weight of which is very considerable. Other members have—following their recovery in A.A.—been much helped by [Jungian analysts]. A few have been intrigued by the “I Ching” and your remarkable introduction to that work.

Warren is not the only witting or unwitting promoter among evangelicals of what Jung learned from demons. He is just the most successful and the best known. Others include Christian psychologists, inner healers, and pastors. Jung’s occult methodologies, especially his demonically inspired techniques of visualization, guided imagery, meditation, and working with spiritual directors, are foundational to the Emerging Church interests of evangelical youth and the contemplative movement supported by Richard Foster, Eugene Peterson, and a multitude of others.

This astonishing development in the evangelical church is symptomatic of the abandonment of God’s Word. The result will be the advancement of the apostate “Christian” church. The antidote is found in Isaiah 8:20: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

http://www.thebereancall.org/node/2431

you know, when I was younger I wanted to be a psychologist. I grew up trusting in psychology and psychiatry etc. After all, they're part of "medical science" or so I thought then anyway. Satan has been infiltrating the medical field ever since day one just as he has infiltrated the church itself. Now things like hypnosis, meditation, and yoga and reiki and all kinds of new age techniques are also seen as just another part of "medical science". But back to the subject. I've been to psychologists and counselors etc, before I was saved. I studied psychology myself. I just praise God that He protected me as much as He did when I did go through that, and then after I was saved began to show me His Truth from His Word which is directly against the vast majority of garbage taught in psychology today. The more I learn about it the more appalled I am that any Christian leader could be so mislead by it. It's one thing for a layman who didn't know the bible well to be mislead, but for a pastor who's supposed to be saved and being led by the Holy Spirit and supposed to know their bible to be mislead by psychology is just totally beyond my understanding. The only way I can figure it is that they never really checked it out against their bibles. They simply accepted that it was "medical science" and decided that it wasn't something they should look into. Because of that though, or for whatever reasons it happened, millions have been misled by this wolf in sheep's clothing.

 

 PSYCHOLOGY VS. SANCTIFICATION

The very fact that God's ways are higher than our ways has important implications in both salvation (justification) and Christian growth (sanctification). God's plan of salvation is an example of how His ways are higher and therefore different from man's ways. His plan was the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, which is quite beyond the imagination and comprehension of the human mind. Human wisdom relies on self-improvement, salvation by works, or some other such human endeavor. God's ways are also higher and different regarding how Christians are to think, speak, and act; how they are to relate to one another; and how they are to handle problems of living.

Increasingly during the past 50 years, Christian sanctification has been thwarted through psychological counseling theories and techniques. Mistakenly supposing that psychotherapy (counseling psychology) is science and that its findings concerning the human condition are true, Christian leaders, pastors, teachers, and authors have embraced this "enlightened" means of helping Christians deal with problems of living and learn how to become better marriage partners and parents. Gleaning from the wisdom of men regarding the hidden psyche, Christians have sought to improve their lot in ways that are lower than God's ways with ideas that often conflict with or undermine the revelation of God's Word given in Scripture.

--Dr. Martin Bobgan

posted with permission from an email

 

 1 IN 5 AMERICANS HAD MENTAL ILLNESS IN 2009

[TBC: We have noted in past newsletters that the psychological industry is one of the most lucrative fields to be found. The following article shows how judgments are made that will inevitably increase the potential for further earnings.]

Nearly 1 in 5 Americans had mental illness in 2009 [Excerpts]

More than 45 million Americans, or 20 percent of U.S. adults, had some form of mental illness last year, and 11 million had a serious illness, U.S. government researchers reported on Thursday.

Young adults aged 18 to 25 had the highest level of mental illness at 30 percent, while those aged 50 and older had the lowest, with 13.7 percent, said the report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or SAMHSA.

The rate, slightly higher than last year's 19.5 percent figure, reflected increasing depression, especially among the unemployed, SAMHSA, part of the National Institutes of Health, said.

"Too many Americans are not getting the help they need and opportunities to prevent and intervene early are being missed," Pamela Hyde, SAMHSA's administrator, said in a statement.

"The consequences for individuals, families and communities can be devastating. If left untreated mental illnesses can result in disability, substance abuse, suicides, lost productivity, and family discord."

According to the survey, 6.1 million adults last year had a mental health need that went untreated, and 42.5 percent said it was because they could not afford it.
It found 14.8 million Americans had major depression last year, and 10 percent of the jobless did, compared with 7.5 of retired people or those not in the job force, 7.3 percent who worked part time and 5.4 percent who worked full time.

(http://www.cnbc.com/id/40257359 - 2010 Reuters).

[TBC: More than one commentator has spoken of the "psychologizing of society." Although this is an invented term, it illustrates well how older groups have lower levels of "mental illness" while the proportion increases with the young. It should as they have had more exposure to psychological teaching. Finally, in the March 2006 issue of the newsletter, we wrote, "The Bible teaches that reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ is the only way for man to truly remedy his sin-related mental, emotional, and behavioral troubles. 'And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he [Jesus Christ] reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in [God's] sight' (Colossians 1:21-22.)]

 

 

 

The Lord has blessed me by giving me all my Biblical Counseling books in my Bible Library forum! He even got me the books that I studied when I got my diploma as a Biblical Counselor so now I can more easily refresh my memory with them! Thank You Lord! Plus I can share a lot more with you guys! I am going to close this thread though, at least for now, till I can post all that I want to on it, which may take some time. I want people who need the information to be able to get it. So it might be better if you want to discuss it, to start another thread.

This first part is from a book my Godfather, who is a biblical counselor, had me read when he first suggested that I become a counselor too. He had no idea at the time that I myself and my family had been through a bunch of pscho babel counseling and that I already knew that it had hurt me and my family a GREAT deal. I didn't know "why" it had hurt us, but I did know we would have all been much better off without it. (I started to include all the footnotes and citations, but there's just too many and it would take too long, so I'm going to leave those out for the most part)

Why Christians can't trust psychology
By E. Bulkley

The Myth That Psychology Is Effective
Harmful Therapies

The unpleasant truth is that psychology is not only relatively ineffective in changing thought and behavior patterns, but in many cases is also actually harmful to its clients. Most laymen are unaware of Hans Eysenck’s 1952 study, which demonstrated that recovery from neuroses is unrelated to whether a patient receives any form of psychotherapy. Some researchers have challenged Eysenck’s conclusions and have stated that there is general agreement that psychotherapy is at least better than no therapy.
Additional research indicates the very opposite. To prove his point, Eysenck did a second study in 1965, and according to Martin Gross, Eysenck’s revision was—

a more extensive survey of published studies, with still more damaging results for psychotherapy. He now claims that psychotherapy is a general failure by the very nature of its being unessential to the patient’s recovery. “We have found that neurotic disorders tend to be self-limiting, that psychoanalysis is no more successful than any other method, and that in fact all methods of psychotherapy fail to improve on the recovery rate obtained through ordinary life-experiences and nonspecific treatment,” Eysenck states.

Eysenck’s research is an explosive revelation that psychotherapy is a failure and is absolutely unessential. It is not surprising that many psychologists hotly dispute Eysenck’s conclusions. Gross points out that “the mere act of testing the art’s effectiveness has raised a ground swell of anger within the profession.…This defensiveness is a professional trademark in the Psychological Society.”
As a result, Eysenck’s work has been reexamined. A review of Eysenck’s research by Truax and Carkhuff claims to validate his conclusions. They go even further when they state, “The evidence now available suggests that, on the average, psychotherapy may be harmful as often as helpful, with an average effect comparable to receiving no help.”

If it is true that standard psychotherapy is superior to biblical counseling, how does one account for the Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study reported in American Psychologist in 1978? The 30-year study revealed that the men who had received an average of five years of psychotherapy as boys were in worse shape, in view of alcoholism, criminal behavior, and mental disorders, than those who had not undergone psychotherapy.

In spite of the evidence that psychotherapy fails to change people’s hearts and can even increase their “dysfunctions,” seminaries continue to insist that pastors need psychological training to help people with their problems. How can this be when there is no scientific evidence that one form of psychotherapy is superior to other forms or is more effective in achieving results? Why should pastors or parishioners have confidence in any therapeutic system? And if long-term treatment does not achieve superior results, as research indicates, what possible justification is there for prolonged psychotherapeutic sessions?

Professional Versus Lay Counseling

The psychological industry has successfully concealed its ineffectiveness from the general public. Pastors, churches, and the laity have been brainwashed into believing that only psychologically trained professional counselors are competent to deal with serious problems. Christian colleges and seminaries have bought into this incredible deception and now enthusiastically encourage Christians to submit to the insights, methods, and findings of secular psychology.

Even when forced to admit the failure of psychology, Christian mental-health experts insist that professional counselors are surely more effective than untrained laypeople in helping to relieve psychic distress. The evidence, however, does not support their claim.
Psychologist Gary Collins reports an important study done by J.A. Durlack entitled “Comparative Effectiveness of Paraprofessional and Professional Helpers”:

[The research] reviewed forty-two studies that compared professional counselors with untrained helpers. The findings were “consistent and provocative. Paraprofessionals achieve clinical outcomes equal to or significantly better than those obtained by professionals.…The study, on the whole, lent no support to the major hypothesis that…the technical skills of professional psychotherapists produce measurably better therapeutic change.”

Collins reluctantly admits, “Clearly there is evidence that for most problems, laypeople can counsel as well as or better than the professionals.” But he hastens to ask, “Is their success rate as good with the more serious problems?” Professional counselors, in an understandable defense of their livelihood, say that inexperienced or untrained counselors can easily be fooled by counselees, while trained professionals are more likely to detect and understand complex and abnormal behavior.

If so, one would rightly expect that their diagnoses of mental disorders would be consistently accurate and that they would readily perceive when someone is faking a mental illness. Dr. E. Fuller Torrey and Dr. Judi Striano, in separate books, describe an experiment at Stanford University that revealed just how inaccurate psychiatric diagnoses can be and how easily the experts can be fooled. A psychologist by the name of D.L. Rosenhan, a professor of psychology and law at Stanford University, had eight “perfectly sane people” (Rosenhan “himself, one graduate student, three psychologists, a pediatrician, a psychiatrist, and a woman who was a homemaker”) admitted to 12 different mental hospitals. The attending psychiatrists were told that these “patients” were hearing voices.

Otherwise, these normal people, mostly graduate students, gave completely truthful histories to the psychiatrists. They were all diagnosed as “schizophrenic,” except one who was diagnosed as “manic-depressive.” Once admitted, they acted perfectly normally; yet were held for 7 to 52 days (the average was 19) and were given over 2,100 pills total. The true patients on the wards often recognized them as pseudopatients but the staff never did. Once labeled, the staff’s perception of them was apparently so profoundly colored that normal behavior was seen as part of their psychosis.

In an even more damning postscript to the experiment, Rosenhan told one hospital what he had done. He then told them that he would try to gain admission for another pseudopatient there within the next 3 months. Ever watchful for the pseudopatient who was never sent, the staff labeled 41 of the next 193 admissions as suspected pseudopatients; over half of these were so labeled by a psychiatrist. The experimenter concluded: “Any diagnostic process that lends itself so readily to massive errors of this sort cannot be a very reliable one.”

In his succeeding pages, Torrey cites several other experiments which underscore the low reliability of psychiatric diagnostic techniques.

Contradictions in Psychotherapy

Even in the face of secular criticisms, one Christian psychologist states that it is “irresponsible to dismiss psychotherapy as a pseudoscience riddled with contradictions and confusion,” and that such a conclusion is “clear bias, not supported by research.” Yet the question remains, How could psychological counseling be anything but confusing when there are more than 250 competing and contradictory psychological systems in America alone?

In their book The Psychological Maze, Otto and Miriam Ehrenberg list just a few of the more prominent psychological systems: Freud and Psychoanalysis, Adler and Individual Psychology, Jung and Analytic Psychology, Reich and Vegetotherapy, Rank and Will Therapy, Horney and the Cultural Approach, Sullivan and Interpersonal Relations, Rogers and Client-Centered Therapy, Existential Analysis, Gestalt Therapy, Lowen and Bioenergetic Therapy, Janov and Primal Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Ellis and Rational-Emotive Therapy, Family Therapy, Child Therapy, Group Therapy, Encounter Groups, est, Hypnotherapy, Behavior Therapy/Behavior Modification, Sex Therapy, and Medical Treatment (psychoactive drugs, electric shock, psychosurgery, and orthomolecular psychiatry).

If this list is not confusing enough, remember that there are subgroups within the major systems. For example, Torrey writes about psychoanalytic therapies:

There are several different schools within this general group, including orthodox Freudian, neo-Freudian, Jungian, and Adlerian. Each of these schools is further broken down into subschools, e.g., the neo-Freudians are divided into followers of Karen Horney, Erich Fromm, Harry Stack Sullivan, and Frieda Fromm-Reichmann. Many of these schools and subschools have their own training institutes. The outcome is a panorama of parochialism and provincialism not seen since medieval Europe.

A Christian psychologist and dean of the Graduate School of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary admits being embarrassed by some of the antics of psychology. “At times I felt ashamed to be identified with a profession that merely used psychotherapy as a cover for carnality,” he writes. “Every professional convention I attended contained booths showing pornographic movies—under the guise of ‘sexual therapy.’ Many private gatherings of therapists reeked of marijuana’s pungent odor.” Feeling it necessary to defend his profession, he concludes, “Fortunately, this has all passed.”

However, it has not all passed. While professional associations may have clamped down on their peers and psychological conventions may have banned the porno stalls, weird psychotherapies still abound.

Thomas Szasz, well-known to the psychological establishment for his intense criticisms of psychotherapies, is a professor of psychiatry at the University of New York at Syracuse. He has documented surrogate sex therapy, nude therapy, divorce therapy, dance therapy, poetry therapy, shopping therapy, scream therapy, rib-cage stimulation therapy, camping therapy, pet-facilitated therapy, sailing therapy, skydiving therapy, hydrotherapy, thumb therapy, and many other unusual techniques which are recognized by the psychological establishment as legitimate treatments.
Therapies can become even more bizarre. Torrey points out that virtually any activity can be labeled as therapy so long as a psychologist or psychiatrist thinks of it. These include treatments such as money-management therapy, punching therapy, kinky sexual therapies, and more. “One common element is that they are all labeled as ‘psychotherapy.’ ”

Szasz refers to a Newsweek article to illustrate this point:

Sandi Enders, an attractive brunette of 26 who intends to become an occupational therapist, is earning her way through San Jose State University by working as a sexual therapist. She charges $50 for a two-and-a-half-hour session—including love-making—in her sensuously decorated apartment with its incense burner and heated water bed.

By relabeling her trade as a therapy, Ms. Enders made her prostitution acceptable. I ask then, is it “irresponsible to dismiss psychotherapy as a pseudoscience riddled with contradictions and confusion”? Not according to the research —or common sense.
Listen to this statement, which is representative of the unscientific and almost desperate approach that psychologists often take in supporting their findings: “Many benefits can come from therapy, in spite of its weaknesses. According to one review of the research, therapy can help people feel better.” One review? And the astonishing conclusion of this research? That therapy “can help people feel better.”

Of course therapy can make people feel better—temporarily. But does it truly change them? Does it help them solve their problems? Do they become more like Christ? Are they led into Christian maturity? Are their thought and behavior patterns brought into conformity to God’s Word? Those should be the tests of effectiveness for Christian counseling.

Though most people believe that professional counselors are more effective in dealing with people’s problems than untrained laymen, studies have shown that laymen are often more effective than professionals. One does not need to study psychology to help other people find God’s solutions for problems of living, for it is not as hard to diagnose a person’s problem as the professionals would have us believe.

There are only a few essential qualifications for a competent counselor: One must have an extensive knowledge of the Scriptures (Romans 15:14), a good measure of divine wisdom (experience and common sense under the illumination of the Holy Spirit) (Colossians 3:16), goodness (consistent, righteous lifestyle with a humble attitude) (1 Peter 5:5), an ability to relate to others (Colossians 4:6), an ability to communicate (Titus 2:8), and a genuine desire to help others (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

Bulkley, E. (1993). Why Christians can't trust psychology. Eugene, Or.: Harvest House.

How could God be so cruel???

How could God be so cruel???

How could God be so cruel??? That's what many people think and some are brave enough to say and in fact, it's what Job's wife thought when all those horrible things happened to him. OK, let me be more personal here and tell you exactly how I was feeling after the accident that caused me to become disabled.

I felt betrayed and hurt. I couldn't understand how God could let that happen to me. True, I was no where near as good a person as Job was, but still, I was saved, I was obedient to God and always tried to do whatever He told me to, including studying His Word daily with Him and praying. But that made it even worse, because the morning of my accident, I had prayed for safety! Here I'd thought God would protect me, keep them safe from horrible things like this, and yet He obviously hadn't! How could I ever trust Him again????

Unlike Job's wife though, I didn't turn from the Lord, instead I turned to Him and I told Him what I felt and asked Him why...what had I done wrong? What was I misunderstanding here??? Help!!! And of course, He answered me. It's His answer that I want to share with you all, because with all the horrid trials that so many of have been through, or are currently going through, or may go through in the future, I think it's something we should talk about.

When we ask about things like this, what we're really asking about is God's sovereignty. I've got to tell you though, when I consider God's sovereignty for too long and get too deep into the questions of why, and what it's, and how some bad thing or another be allowed to happen, that I wind up giving myself a headache trying to understand it all.

Because it is so difficult to understand, I freely admit to you that I'm quite sure that I don't completely and thoroughly understand it even now. But you know what? I'm OK with that. I know I have a basic grasp of it and more importantly, I know my God and who He is and His attributes, so I'm ok with leaving the working of the universe and all that's in it to Him and trusting that He really does know what He's doing. I've written this post innumerable times trying to explain His sovereignty and have finally come to the conclusion that I can't do it well enough to satisfy myself. It's something that I understand, but can't seem to put into words very well. So probably the best thing to do is just state the facts to start with and we can take it from there.

First, we know that God is sovereign--He has complete and total power over everything and everyone; He is omniscient--He knows everything there is to know about everything and everyone; and He's omnipotent-having unlimited authority and influence; He's transcendent or exists above time and space and isn't limited by them.

Usually when we're asking why God allowed something to happen, it's because we in our great knowledge, think that He messed up and made a mistake or that He wasn't being "fair". When I got down to brass tacks with Him over my accident, that's exactly what I was getting at. "I was a good born again woman, so it was wrong for Him to let that happen to me." Period. But my thoughts came back to haunt me.

I was "good"??? Really? And I remembered my sins of that day and of the day of the accident, and I even realized that I was still learning what attitudes were sins because it hadn't been that long ago that I'd thought sin was when you broke one of the commandments. So I recognized that even with all the sins I realized I'd committed, there were probably twice as many that I wasn't even aware of yet.

"But they been forgiven!" Yes, they had, thanks to a loving merciful Father who had loved me and saved me even though I didn't deserve it. I was beginning to feel a bit humbled by now as you can see, but there was still a spark of rebellion in me too. "But I'd prayed for Him to keep me safe that day!" And I recalled my husband and my boss telling me after they'd seen the car, that we were really lucky to be alive. "But now I can't work or do anything and You could have kept it from happening at all!" And the Lord led me to Job 38 on. I won't post it all, but just enough for you to get the idea...

Job 38:1–7 (NIV) — Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?........

Basically, the Lord reminded me of just who I was, and more importantly, who He was.

Romans 9:20 (NIV) — But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ”

Isaiah 29:16 (NIV) — You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “He did not make me”? Can the pot say of the potter, “He knows nothing”?

Isaiah 45:9 (NIV) — “Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?

Even as I read though, I knew He was being gentle and loving with me and that He wasn't angry. (at least I hadn't pushed Him that far yet) As I read, I thought about it in relation to what had happened to me. Yes, I'd been hurt, but not killed, and could have been killed in either my accident of the one that happened right next to us while the police were there helping us! So really, He HAD protected me, not just once, but twice! I thought, how do I know that if I hadn't been hurt the way I was, that someone else might have gotten hurt worse? I was thinking of a huge quilt and that I was like one colored thread in that quilt. I didn't even know everything about my own thread, much less the thousands of other threads that intersected or interacted with mine at some point or another, and every little thing that happened to me, would also affect them in some way too. And there was also the idea of if I hadn't had the accident, could something worse have happened later? For example, we've all heard stories of people running out of gas only to find out that if they hadn't, and had kept going, they likely would have been involved in a terrible accident that happened exactly in a place they would have been in at that time. The more I thought about all of that, the more ignorant I realized I was.

Then, just as I was feeling humbled by all this, the Lord really surprised me. He led me to Matthew 4 and suddenly I saw something I'd never noticed before: Who led Jesus into the desert to be tempted?

Matthew 4:1 (NIV) — Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

It wasn't Satan, it was God! God led His Son into what we would surely see as a horrible situation! Why??? And of course when I thought of that, I also remembered other things, like the way He was tortured, reviled, and ultimately hung on a cross. Jesus did all that, went through all that, in obedience to His Father's Will for Him. In obedience to Our Father's Will for Him. Of course we know why He did it, it was to save us...Suddenly I was remembering a lot of other things too. What about the disciples What about Stephen being stoned to death? Or all the times Paul was beaten literally within an inch of his life, or stoned and left for dead, or put in prison and mistreated? Or how about how most of the apostles ultimately died??? I think we can all agree that we'd consider any of those things pretty horrible!

Here I was saying it wasn't fair because I was a good born again woman, and yet these folks, who I'm sure were a lot more spiritually mature then I was, and who could more correctly be considered "good", had all been through things much more horrible then my experience. Was that "fair"? Was that good? Yes, we know that because of all those things, the gospel spread like wildfire and millions have been saved, but still..... Do you really think that Stephen understood "why" God was allowing him to be stoned to death when it happened? Or any of the others for that matter? Yet the Lord used what happened for tremendous good. At the time I was asking God about all this, I didn't understand how these things could have worked for their personal good, but I did see that God did use it for good in general and for others. Now I also understand how it worked for their personal good as well, because they will each receive tremendous rewards in Heaven at the Bema Judgment for all they went through; and their rewards won't waste away because they'll last for eternity.

And that brings us a big problem, because most of us think this life is pretty great and don't really see this life as the drop in a bucket that it really is. Compared to what even the worst born again Christian is going to have in Heaven, this life is more like Hell! When we study the Gospel like we're doing in the bible studies now, we find that the Lord was constantly trying to get people to see the eternal perspective instead of just an earthly perspective. We do have the capacity to have an eternal perspective, because if we didn't, the Lord wouldn't tell us to have one. I think part of the reason we don't is because again the church has failed to teach us about this, as they've failed to teach about so many important things. You know how when a woman is pregnant, she's always thinking ahead? She thinks about what to name the baby, what the baby is going to need when he or she arrives, how she's going to take care of the baby, what she needs to do to get the house baby proofed for when the baby starts to crawl and then walk; she imagines what the baby will look like, what the baby will sound like, and how the baby will act and what it will feel like to finally hold her child in her arms... What if when the mother was pregnant, she absolutely refused to think beyond the pregnancy? She didn't think about names, didn't consider what she'd need or buy anything for the baby, didn't talk about the baby and how she would care for the child, or anything at all. Instead, she just continued on as though she was going to be pregnant for the rest of her entire life and that's all that was important. Wouldn't that be totally ridiculous??? Yeah, it would even be pretty stupid! Yet, that's exactly what we do every day! We continue on in this life as though THIS is what's important and as though this is all that mattered! About the only time we peak beyond this life at all is when we consider where we're going to go when we die. Once we've made our decision though, we quickly run right back into this life and stay here. It makes me wonder if we really believe there's a heaven or not. But then, when I think about it, I realize that most people don't study their bibles and so they really don't know what's going to happen to them or what it's going to be like, and most churches don't preach about it so we generally remain ignorant. Yet Paul truly longed to be in heaven, and would have much preferred that to continuing to live this life!

Philippians 1:21–24 (NIV) — For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

And no, he wasn't suicidal! Having studied God's Word myself, I can honestly say the same thing. I understand now that this is just a short prelude and my real life will begin when I get to Heaven. That's my Home, and I am truly homesick and long to there. Yet I can't tell others that, not even other Christians really because they'll think that I'm either depressed, suicidal, or maybe affected because of the pain I live with, or if nothing else, then just plain crazy. They just don't understand. But Paul did, as did the other apostles..

Part 2:

 

When we finally can see beyond our pregnancy, and see this life the way the Lord sees it, we also begin seeing the things that happen to us now in a completely different light, because we begin to not just think or believe that this is all just temporary, we know it is.

Again, here I was, thinking God wasn't being fair because He didn't keep me from getting hurt at all in that accident, and the Lord showed me that I wasn't looking at the big picture. I was still focusing on the "now" or as I put it before, I was still focusing on being pregnant and not on what would happen when the baby came. When I finally began to look past the present, I began to realize that this is just preparing us for our real life. As I studied I began to see that the Lord and the apostles were constantly talking about our eternal lives and the rewards we'll be getting, and what those rewards will be for and warning us of the consequences of disobedience.

I relate most things to parenthood since that's what I'm familiar with, and it seems reasonable too since God is our Father. We're in a kind of difficult position because we're adults and yet we're His children and He has to grow us up so that we'll know how to behave properly in our real lives. So we all need to "grow up" spiritually now that we've been saved.

1 Peter 2:2 (NIV) — Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

Ephesians 4:15 (NIV) — Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

When the bible talks about "growing up in our salvation", we're being told that we're to become spiritually mature. God doesn't want a bunch of spiritual babies inhabiting heaven after all, instead He wants us to be mature adults who can enjoy and appreciate all He's done for us. Just as earthly parents discipline their children when they misbehave, so our heavenly Father disciplines us when we're misbehaving and living according to the worlds standards instead of His standards. Obviously, if we don't know His Word, we can't know what His standards are or what His Will is or even, really know Him, so the very first thing He commands those who are born again is that they study His Word and grow up in their salvation.

Especially now that we're so close to the end of this age though, He is disciplining those who aren't doing that. He also disciplines us for other misbehavior and generally we see that discipline as a trial. So sometimes, that's the cause of our hardships. God isn't like earthly parents who make mistakes, nor does He ever discipline us in anger or to hurt us. His discipline is always to help us and He wants us to know when we're being disciplined and why. That's why He tells us that if we can't figure it out, that we should ask Him for wisdom and He will give it to us.

James 1:2–5 (NIV) — Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Again the Lord showed me that He's growing us up so that we'll be ready for the day our salvation is finally complete....that glorious day when we finally receive our new bodies and leave this awful sin nature behind forever! The Rapture!

You know, we've talked in many threads about how the world seems to have come full circle now. Full circle from when Jesus rose again and the age of the law ended and the age of grace started, to now when we're at the tail end of what the Bible has called "the end times". A lot of people don't realize it, but the end times actually began back then. They didn't just start. That's why I always say we're at the very end of them. Jesus assured His followers that He would return for them and they thought it would be in their lifetime. That's what He meant for them to think, because it was that that gave them the strength to get through all those horrible things that happened to them.
When the early Christians were horribly persecuted, and when they went through severe trials, they could sincerely rejoice because they KNEW it wouldn't be long and Jesus would return and everything they went through till then would be repaid to them 100 times over when He did! So they knew exactly what Paul and Peter meant when they said to "Rejoice in the Lord always" Philippians 4:4 and that they should "rejoice even though "for now" they're going through trials and suffering".

As I also said in that thread, this is another way we've come full circle, because once again, just as He said He would, the Lord has brought the knowledge of the rapture to light to remind us of this and now many of us too realize that He could return at any time.

That's good to know, but there's another part of coming full circle that we need to recognize too. Back then the whole known world was in complete turmoil. Bad economy? Many people then were starving to death! No jobs now? Same problem then! Persecution? They could tell us a thing or two about that! All the problems the world has now, were present then too and just as bad if not worse. It was during this time that Jerusalem was destroyed and later Rome was also destroyed. Knowing this, we too shouldn't be surprised at all that's happening to us.

Yes, us, God's church. The followers of Jesus went through terrible times at the end of their age and the beginning of ours but instead of asking how God could be so cruel as to allow these things to happen to them, they rejoiced knowing that He would work it all out in the end and their trials wouldn't be for nothing. Instead of focusing on what they lacked or how much they hurt, they focused on what these trials were accomplishing in them, what the trials were teaching them; how the trials were helping them to grow up spiritually to be the person God had created them to be for all eternity.

They even realized that some of the trials might not even be about them at all, however that didn't mean they couldn't learn from them. What do I mean about the trials not necessarily being about them? I mean that while God will discipline us, there are also times that the trial we're going through really has nothing to do with us, but is instead to teach others. For example, if someone is going through hardship and has no money etc. if the trial isn't discipline, it could quite well be to teach fellow Christians various lessons and/or to give others a chance to see how they should respond to such a trial in their life when/if it happens; or even to give other believers a chance to respond the way God wants us to when we see a brother or sister in need. It might be to teach others about how God calls us not to just give to others that are in need, but to give sacrificially to them, putting them above our own needs. Or, it might be to give someone a chance to repent of the wrong way they've reacted to that person in the past and now help them; or all kinds of other things. See most of us don't mind being on the giving end of the stick, but when it comes to being on the receiving end, it makes us mighty uncomfortable. That too is another lesson that the Lord might be trying to teach; or He could be giving someone who was once on the receiving end, a chance to be on the giving end. After all He's growing us up to be perfect as He is so He's going to cover all the angles.

Again the problem with our viewpoint is that it's usually way too short, considering only this life, and generally only "right now" and it generally doesn't take into consideration all the other people who are affected by what we're going through and the many different ways they're affected by it. Look at all the people who were and who still are affected by all the things that Paul went through and I'm sure we don't know about most of them.

There are many reasons why the Lord allows these terrible things to happen to us, the children He loves, and we've discussed most of them in threads like the Trials and Tribulations one.

The bottom line is first that the Lord WILL allow horrible things to happen to us; or at least things that we generally consider are horrible. And second, that the Lord allows these things to happen, NOT because He's cruel or mean or unfair, but because He loves us and really does have our best interests at heart. Not our best interests for this life, but rather, our best interests for our "whole" life which unlike unbelievers, will stretch through all eternity. Certainly He wants us to have good things now, but there are times when "bad things" are allowed to ensure that our whole life is the best it can be. This is why it helps to truly know the Lord through studying His Word, because when we do that, then, we can really know we can trust Him and that He would never, ever, betray us.

That my friends is the bottom line of what the Lord showed me all those years ago when I had my accident and cried, "How could I ever trust Him again????" I can tell you all about the Lord and what He's like till I'm blue in the face, and so could many others, but that's something we simply cannot really know in our hearts until we've studied His Word with Him, regularly for ourselves. That's how we grow our relationship with Him and get closer to Him. Those who do are never put to shame as He Himself promises, for when we do, then we know that we can trust Him with our very lives without a single hesitation, worry or backward glance. This is what Peter is saying here:

1 Peter 4:16–19 (NIV) — However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.