Counseling Model

Absolute Surrender

The beginning of lasting change is coming to the end of the self-life in absolute surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God often uses the crises in our lives to expose areas of unsurrender, and thus, to crowd us to the cross of self-denial. Every crisis in life is a call to discover the freedom that only comes by dying to personal expectations, ambitions, rights, and desires in absolute surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus stated in John 12:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” The beginning of spiritual life is in embracing the death of absolute surrender.

Personal Responsibility

The hardest step to spiritual victory is accepting personal responsibility for our wrong choices without blaming the people and circumstances around us. We cannot claim responsibility for the wrong choices of others, but God does require us to  claim full responsibility for all that belongs to our account. Paradoxically, nothing is more freeing than acknowledging personal sin and clearing our consciences with God and those we have wronged. As a counseling ministry, we lead every counselee in the same pursuit that the Apostle Paul modeled: “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men” (Acts 24:16).

Spirit Dependence

No amount of personal resolve and spiritual discipline will ever effect lasting heart transformation, because our flesh (whether religious or indulgent) is innately at enmity with God (Romans 8:7-8). Instead, it is moment-by-moment dependence on the enabling Person of the Holy Spirit, manifested in our child-like obedience to His promptings that gives power to live the Life we cannot live ourselves. Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:4). With this understanding, the Apostle Paul testified, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Daily Communion

The ultimate goal of our biblical counseling is not primarily to help individuals relieve guilt, break wrong habits, or gain courage in difficult circumstances, but to lead them to  establish a vibrant daily walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. This devotional relationship with the Lord will transform their lives at the core of their being and will take them far beyond mere behavioral change. 2 Corinthians 6:18-7:1 echos the goal of communion in the pursuit of life change: “And [I] will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Eternal Vision

It is our burden to lift the eyes of every counselee beyond the crisis of today to the importance of walking worthy of the prize  to be given at the Judgment Seat of Christ to every believer who overcomes (Revelation 2-3). The Apostle Paul noted, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Again, in 2 Corinthians 4:18-19, we read this exhortation: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Whether the suffering is due to consequence because of personal sin choices or to persecution because of faith choices, both scenarios have the potential of forming the Life of Christ in us and redeeming our eternal as we lift our eyes to the Author and Finishing of our faith–Jesus!