For bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:8 – (NASB95)
If the Bible has answers for today’s problems, why am I still struggling with them?
You may be thinking, I’ve tried to get rid of my anger problem but it seems to always keep coming back. My anger has caused a lot of damage to my relationships over the years and I just don’t know what to do to stop getting so angry. Things are going fine then out of nowhere my anger rears its ugly head.
I’ve practiced applying God’s word on anger, memorized scriptures, and read books with little success. But in the long run, my anger keeps popping back up: WHY?
If this is you or someone you know, you need to know that there really is hope and an effective solution. God does give us answers. The problem you are experiencing is not a failure on God’s part or His word, but a lack of understanding on how we actually use and apply what God says to our lives.
Biblical counseling is not just giving someone some scriptures on a topic people are struggling with and encouraging them to live out the scriptures. This kind of counseling is superficial and will not result in permanent change. What’s needed is spiritual heart surgery which results in a transformed heart and a transformed life.
Illustration: If you mow down weeds on your lawn what happens? They grow back. What is needed is to pull out the weeds from their roots. The same thing is true with sin in a believer’s life. If we don’t root out the idols in our heart, they will grow back.
Example: Bill has an anger issue and often yells at his wife and kids. This has caused a lot of stress on his relationships. Bill knows his anger is wrong and he has memorized a few scripture passages that address his anger. Bill has diligently tried to put on a loving attitude and to hold his anger back, but this requires Bill to continue to be committed to work on the problem at mostly a behavioral level. Overtime, Bill falls back to his old ways of anger (Galatians 5:16-17).
What is the real problem? The idols Bill is worshiping are driving his anger. How does Bill know what his idols are and how does Bill get rid of his idols? Through the guidance of a good biblical counselor Bill discovered that he has a need to control situations. If Bill doesn’t have control of a situation, he gets mad and blows up into a rage. Bill also discovered that he gets angry when he is disrespected. These two idols (a need to have control and a need to be respected) are driving Bill’s anger. His counselor can help Bill work on his anger problem by helping Bill root out these idols by their roots (Galatians 5:18-23)
Progress will happen when the idols are dealt with properly and Bill views things from a biblical perspective. This is the kind of change God wants, permanent heart transformation that results in lasting spiritual maturity (not temporary behavior modification).
“But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.”
Colossians 3:8 (NASB)
After a few sessions with the counselor Bill will be able to diagnose his own problems and discover his idols and root them out on his own. It is these idols that are driving sinful feelings, emotions, and behavior. Once the idols are destroyed, the problem can be overcome (not perfection but progressively under control).
The Bridge Counseling Center is here to help our church members root out unwanted idols of our heart that hinder our growth in our relationship with God and cause havoc in our lives.
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