May is Mental Health Awareness month and there is much being written on the subject. But I would like to pose a couple of questions that I believe need to be asked as we think about people’s mental and spiritual well-being. Has psychology, as we know it today, affected the spread of the gospel? And has it hindered spiritual growth in believers?
When I speak of psychology, I’m referring to it in the counseling or therapeutic sense. This has to do with diagnosing problems and seeking to change a person’s behavior, thinking, attitudes, values, and beliefs in an effort to solve those problems.
I don’t mean to imply in any of my comments that counselors of all kinds don’t want to help people. But as followers of Christ, we need to hold everything up to the light of God’s Word. I hope to do that in this post.
We’re working our way through the book of Colossians in these weekly posts. In this lesson, we’ll talk about how Paul could rejoice in suffering, what he meant when he said he was “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions,” how persecution can be like murder when it’s a crime of passion, the unfolding plan of God, and the mystery that had been hidden from earlier generations.
We’re working our way through the book of Colossians in these weekly posts. And even though we are still in chapter one, speaking for myself, I have learned so much. If you missed the previous posts, I’ll add the links below. In today’s passage, Paul moves from his beautiful hymn about the preeminence of Christ and a sweeping view of His reconciling work in the new creation to a closer look at the people of God and a summary of the Christian life.
As I mentioned in the introduction last week, I have had a desire for some time to really dig into the book of Colossians. And this year I’m one of several teachers who will be taking our women’s ministry through this powerful little epistle. So I thought I would share some of the truths we are learning with you all, as well.
Colossians is all about Jesus. It calls us to worship Him, understand who He is, and live in light of that truth. It’s both theological and practical. And it contains one of the most quoted and most taught portions of Scripture, especially when it comes to Christ.
Studying the book of Colossians will help us answer some very important questions. For starters, what does it mean when we say that Jesus is preeminent? That He is sufficient? And how should we live in light of who He is? So, I hope you will come back each week and grow with me through Paul’s letter to our first-century brothers and sisters.
Today we’re going to look at how He is preeminent and sufficient. And what it means that we should preach the gospel to ourselves.
As I mentioned in the introduction last week, I have had a desire for some time to really dig into the book of Colossians. And this year I’m one of several teachers who will be taking our women’s ministry through this powerful little epistle. So I thought I would share some of the truths we are learning with you all, as well.
Colossians is all about Jesus. It calls us to worship Him, understand who He is, and live in light of that truth. It’s both theological and practical. And it contains one of the most quoted and most taught portions of Scripture, especially when it comes to Christ.
Studying the book of Colossians will help us answer some very important questions. For starters, what does it mean when we say that Jesus is preeminent? That He is sufficient? And how should we live in light of who He is? So, I hope you will come back each week and grow with me through Paul’s letter to our first-century brothers and sisters.
Today we’re going to look at how He is preeminent and sufficient. And what it means that we should preach the gospel to ourselves.
I have had a desire for some time to really dig into the book of Colossians. And this year I’m one of several teachers who will be taking our women’s ministry through this powerful little epistle. So I thought I would share some of the truths we are learning with you all, as well.
Colossians is all about Jesus. It calls us to worship Him, to understand who He is, and to live in light of that truth. It’s both theological and practical. And it contains one of the most quoted and most taught portions of Scripture, especially when it comes to Christ.
Studying it will help us answer some very important questions. For starters, what does it mean when we say that Jesus is preeminent? That He is sufficient? And how should we live in light of who He is? So, I hope you will come back each week and grow with me through Paul’s letter to our first century brothers and sisters.
As I said last week, keeping clutter under control seems to be a battle I’m constantly fighting. And most of us would agree that clutter can quickly make us feel overwhelmed and disorganized. But could there be spiritual clutter in our lives that creates a whole host of problems? Could it lead to a sense of hopelessness and lethargy and could it hinder our relationships with God?
While I’m sure it’s not an exhaustive list, I suggested eight things that I see as spiritual clutter. Today I’m going to talk about ways to rid yourself of that clutter.
Keeping clutter under control seems to be a battle I’m constantly fighting and sometimes losing. As a friend of my husband’s once said, an open surface just seems to invite you to put something on it. It’s easy to set things on the nearest convenient space thinking we’ll deal with them later. Unfortunately, clutter can quickly make us feel overwhelmed and disorganized. In fact, organizational experts will tell you that the minute or two it takes to put things in their proper place can save you a lot of time and energy later. But what about spiritual clutter? Could spiritual clutter lead to a sense of hopelessness and lethargy in our spiritual lives? Worse yet, could it be hindering our relationships with God?
Today we’re wrapping up a study on anxiety and how to deal with it as believers in Christ. If you missed the previous ones, I’ll leave links in the post. As I said in previous posts, since worry and anxiety are such common problems, I wanted to share with you some of the truths I talk about when counseling those struggling with fear, worry, and anxiety. Many of the same principles apply whether you have experienced milder versions of worry or full-blown panic attacks.
If this is your first time stopping by, I hope you’ll check out all six lessons. In week one, we looked at a biblical definition for worry and anxiety. In week two, we talked about what Jesus had to say about worry in Matthew 6. In week three, we dug into Philippians 4 and one of God’s greatest promises. In week four, we looked at fear versus love and how they are in opposition to one another. And last week, we took a deeper look at a favorite passage of many, Proverbs 3.1-6. This week, we’ll dig into some other truths that can help you going forward.
Three weeks ago we started a study on anxiety. If you missed the previous ones, I’ll leave links at the bottom. As I said, since worry and anxiety are such common problems, I wanted to share with you all some of the truths I talk about in counseling.
Many of the same principles apply whether you have experienced milder versions of worry or full-blown panic attacks. So prayerfully, you will find some truths that will be helpful to you or someone you know.
In week one, we looked at a biblical definition for worry and anxiety. In week two, we talked about what Jesus had to say about worry in Matthew 6. That is the first of two very important passages on the subject. And last week, we looked at the second of those two passages. Today we’re going to talk about fear versus love.
