"The entrance of thy words giveth light (Psalm 119:130)."
Christian Counseling and the Devil
"And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NASB)."
"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power (1 Corinthians 1:17 NIV)."
"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect (1 Corinthians 1:17 NKJV)."
There is a fallacy among many Christian mental health professionals—straight from the devil. That fallacy is that mental health problems should be addressed using secular theories. Or that the way to approach these issues is to integrate psychology and the Bible.
To a certain extent, that is OK. Common sense ideas, no matter what their origin, can always be shared. I once suggested that a teenager use the 'broken record technique' in response to his brother's annoying behavior. This technique means to repeat instructions to another person, in a monotone, until you get an appropriate change in behavior. So, with the brother, the client might say: "Stop throwing toys at me." "Stop throwing toys at me." "Stop throwing toys at me." "Stop throwing toys at me." "Stop throwing toys at me." You get the idea. You're already irritated. Wouldn't you stop?
But there is a danger in combining too much psychology with the Bible. When your therapist focuses on a psychological theory, you are being taught to place your faith in human wisdom—and not on the Word of God. The end result is that the cross of Christ is "emptied of its power." It has "no effect." And this is what often happens when Christians see licensed Christian therapists.
Anything that distracts you from the Word of God, for very long, will be detrimental to your making progress.
When I used to attend local CAPS (Christian Association for Psychological Studies) seminars, the topic was almost always on how to integrate some psychological theory with the Bible.
More strictly biblical perspectives were not discussed or allowed: When I mentioned a client of mine, who got rid of a visual hallucination by rebuking the devil in the name of Jesus, the leader made it clear that such perspectives were not welcome.
The primary focus of Christian counseling should be on the Bible: what it says about your particular issues. And how the Bible can be used, successfully, to resolve whatever issues you are dealing with. Your Christian counselor should be able to provide this information.
This doesn't mean that feelings shouldn't be expressed in therapy. If you're burdened by something, and feel the need to talk about it, go ahead. This can be very helpful and is fully consistent with Scripture. The Bible explicitly tells Christians to "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2 NASB)." A professional Christian counselor can, indeed, be the one who does this.
Unfortunately, many Christian therapists today do much the same thing as their secular counterparts. They may pray with you and occasionally drop in a Scripture or two. But mostly, they are using secular psychology. What they do often doesn't work much better than the therapy provided by their secular counterparts.
Furthermore, even therapy by Christian counselors can sometimes make things worse. This is especially true if your therapist comes from a psychoanalytic perspective: Never continue in therapy with a therapist who encourages you to share every thought that comes in to your mind.
Adding psychotropic drugs to the mix is also problematic. A good rule of thumb is this: Bible + Psych Meds = Failure. Refer to the article on psychotropic drugs for more information and possible exceptions.
I would never tell anyone who feels they need counseling not to seek out the help that they need. And counseling for mental health issues should be from Christian counselors.
Just remember the cautions mentioned when seeking counseling and evaluating the counseling that is being provided.
Remember: Your focus should be on the Word of God. Your understanding should be based on the Word of God. Your faith should be in the Word of God.
"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." {Colossians 2:8 NKJV}
"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life." {2 Peter 1:3 NLT}
"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." {John 8:31-32 NKJV}
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