Session 3 Using Spiritual Disciplines in Counseling
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LECTURE -BIBLICAL COUNSELING INTENSIVE by Vivian Villalobos, MSMFT, MAICS
Session 3 Using Spiritual Disciplines in Counseling –
Ministry flows out of being. You are in Christ. You don’t tell people, “I am listening to you in Jesus name so I am showing you how godly I am.”
In Counseling we know that Jesus already said he would send a Counselor (Helper) to lead and guide you in all truth. The Holy Spirit will teach and instruct you. John 14:26 Amplified “But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name (My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf) He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall – will remind you of, bring to your remembrance – everything I have told you.”
Sometimes God literally speaks through you and sometimes he doesn’t!
Read and discuss handout of “Discerning of Spirits” by Francis Frangipane
Note to self: tell story about African woman - Breaking Generational Patterns
Prayer, Inner Healing Prayer & Forgiveness
Weapons of Spiritual Warfare: Praying in the Spirit = Counselor, be prayed up!
This facet of the Holy Spirit is the overcoming power of the Lord, that which causes you to be victorious. It is also joy, triumph and exultation that comes forth when you know a victory has been won.
Romans 8:26-28 / 1 John 5:14,151 Cor. 14:4a / Eph. 6:12-18
You regain territory from satan and the demonic kingdom / The power of the Holy Spirit in you gives you authority to use the name of Jesus to defeat the enemy.
But a key to your authority to use the name of Jesus is your personal relationship with Him.
The Name of Jesus has Authority
Luke 10:19 / John 14:13, 14Philippians 2 / Everything has to bow at the Name of Jesus!
Here is an effective way to pray using Jesus’ name and authority:
By the authority of Jesus and His precious blood, I bind you satan, according to Ephesians 6:12 and break your powers over this situation. I loosen ______(name of the person) from your hold and destroy your works and your assignment against them in Jesus’ name. I renounce ______(whatever bondage of sin) and I repent of this sin. I give my heart and soul to your Lordship. Thank you Jesus for setting me free. I believe in your cleansing power and put my trust in your power to save.
Father God, I ask that Your will now be done, and I thank you. In Jesus’ name and by His authority, I declare it done.
The Blood of Jesus: What does the blood of Jesus do for us?
· Salvation – John 3:317 Mark 16:16
· Atonement for us – Blotting out our sins - Romans 5:11
· Redeems us – Our life is paid for in full bought back from the power of sin and death. Psalms 107:2, Ephesians 1:7; Revelation 5:9, Hebrews 9:12
· Justifies us – Acquits us of sin and guilt (Acts 13:38,39
· Makes us righteous – Puts us back into right standing with God – Isaiah 59:2; 1 John 1:9, Romans 3:22, 23, 25
· Gives sanctification. It sets us apart to God at the time of salvation as well as each day thereafter through the blood of Jesus (1 Cor. 1:30, Hebrews 10:10, 14
· Allows remission of sins – Sin was cancelled (Hebrews 9:22)
· Reconciles us – Accepting God’s provision, we can now fellowship with Him in love, (Colossians 1:20, Romans 5:10)
· Gives us overcoming power as we receive and use what has been delegated to us (Luke 10:19, Rev. 12:11)
· Provides deliverance - Releases from powers of darkness and sets us free. (2 Cor. 2:14; Col. 1:13)
· Forgiveness – Pardons sins (Colossians 1:14, 1 John 1:9.)
· New covenant – Replaces the old covenant of sacrifices because the perfect sacrifice was made through Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 10:9, 7:22; 12:24, 8:13; 9:15).
Pleading the blood of Jesus is to remind the enemy of his boundaries! See Exodus 12:22,23 when the blood of the lamb was placed on the doorpost the death angel could not enter the household.
Silence and Solitude – Silence is passive listening. Listening to another person without verbally responding. Silence can be a powerful “Non-Verbal” message communicating acceptance. Sometimes all another person needs from you is to be heard. This is something that can be accomplished by simply listening attentively. Passive listening communicates acceptance to the other person if the listener gives undivided attention in such a way that they are away that they are being listened too.
Read and discuss handout of “Wounded Healer,” by Henri Nouwen
Henri J. M. Nouwen has made synonymous the “wounded healer” and the wounded minister. In his book, The Wounded Healer1, Nouwen describes wounded healers as individuals who “must look after (their) own wounds but at the same time be prepared to heal the wounds of others.” The minister is one who wants to serve others. However, the minister is a wounded person.
Nobody escapes being wounded. We all are wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. Nouwen specifically raises the question “what are our wounds?” He noted that words such as “alienation,” “separation,” “isolation,” and “loneliness” express our wounded condition. In another book, Being A Wounded Healer: How to Heal Ourselves While We Are Healing Others, the author Douglas C. Smith answers the same question by describing our woundedness in terms of life’s tragedies such as divorce, death, abuse, addiction, sickness, and mental illness.2
Experiences such as alienation, separation, isolation, and loneliness are both wounding and expressions of our woundedness. We often experience these wounding incidents through other persons. Some words may be spoken or some actions taken by others that leave us feeling dissociated, dejected, companionless, misunderstood, depressed, abused, violated, and hurt. Wounded healers, however, do not just look after their own wounds, and the wounds of family members and friends. They also are prepared to heal the wounds of strangers. They become prepared by realizing two primary insights about their own wounds: 1) their wounds are not a source of shame; and 2) their wounds are a source of healing.
When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we become wounded healers. We do not have to be embarrassed by our wounds. As previously noted, nobody escapes being wounded. We all are wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. Thus, there is no need to hide our woundedness from others.
The need to hide our woundedness, however, is often an initial reaction. For example, It is not easy to admit to a divorce. We can feel rejected, depressed, and very insecure. Also, we are not sure what another thinks.
Embracing Pain and Letting go – Confession, Genuine, Authentic
The ability to heal stems from one’s understanding of one’s own pain. Understanding one’s own pain provides the opportunity to convert weaknesses into strengths and to offer one’s strength as a source of healing to those who are unable to cope effectively with feelings of alienation separation, isolation and loneliness and with the aftermath of life’s tragedies. Thus, not only does the pain and suffering rise from the depths of a human condition that everyone shares, but healing as well.