Demons | Counseling | ACBC Exam Question #46

24. Is there any place in biblical counseling for casting out demons? In your answer, include your position on demonic activity in the post-apostolic era and the biblical methodology of dealing with it.

                I do not feel that casting out demons ought to be part of biblical counseling in the post-apostolic era, no. Casting out of demons during the ministry of Jesus and the apostles (because he gave them this authority) was to prove Christ’s deity and authenticate the His message and that of the apostles.  It was a method used by God for a certain time in history, but because we now have the full cannon of Scripture, and a complete understanding of Christ, and the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer this type of spiritual activity is no longer needed.  Yes, demonic activity is real in our modern world, without question.  Scripture does not deny that.  Of unbelievers the Word says;

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

Believers are warned; “…do not give the devil an opportunity.” (Ephesians 4:27), “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” (6:11), “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7), “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

                Our role as counselors however is not to involve ourselves with demonic activity, Scripture nowhere commands this.  We are to evangelize the unsaved, and aid our believing counselees in sanctification through the Word of God.  Scriptural directives regarding demons and the devil would include; resisting, fleeing and using the Bible to stand firm on God’s truth.    As ambassadors of truth we need to be wise to; “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)  Keeping counseling sessions based on Scriptural truth is essential, exorcism and casting out demons is not Scripturally based, and need not be practiced to lead someone to the Word, and walking in right relationship with Him. 

                It is impossible for a believer to be indwelt by a demon (1 Corinthians 6:15, 19-20).  “…God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth…” (1 John 1:5b, 6)  It is diametrically opposing to suggest that a believer could possibly be under the power of Satan.  And the goal of counseling an unbeliever ought to be their salvation, exorcism isn’t what they need, the Gospel of Christ is.  

ENDings for the best and worst case senarios | ACBC Counseling Exam Question #45

23. List several reasons for terminating a counseling case. Answer this for cases terminated because of spiritual change (growth) and spiritual hardening (failure to comply).

                Counseling is not meant to be a lifelong process (as discipleship is) in a believer’s life.  Because it’s intention is to intervene when the counselee requires aid of another in their walk with Christ is the hope is that in due time the one-on one counsel will no longer be required as the counselee gains understanding of truth, independence, and a pattern of obedience in their life in the area they came to counsel for.  Occasionally counseling cases must end due to a counselee’s failure to comply, in which case there is no progress being made, or willingness on the part of the counselee.  These situations are unfortunate, but a counselor cannot force a counselee into yielding to Scripture or Biblical change, so it is sometimes best for the process to end until the counselee is willingly responsive.

                When a counseling case has met the intended purpose of using God’s Word to discern thinking and behaviour that God wants to change, for the benefit of the counselee, and the glory of God; helped our counselee become God’s kind of person; becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ then logically you want to send them out to live their lives for the Lord, and serve others.  For example if a counselee came in with the issue of anxiety/worry and over a period of several sessions came to see that worry is sin, that it revealed a heart of disbelief in God’s character, and has with a personal plan using Scripture, prayer, and accountability seen growth and the putting off of worry and replacement with faith and gratitude towards God then this person is ready to finish their counseling sessions at this time.  It does not require the person to have totally eradicated worry from their life, but to have a working plan in place, be practicing repentance when they fail, and seeing progress towards less and less anxiety, and more peace and confidence in the person of Christ in their life.  In Galatians 6 we read that we need to bear one another’s burdens in the body of Christ, and then; “The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.” (Galatians 6:6)  When our counselee can testify of God’s Word changing them, and show evidence in their lifestyle that is Biblical change in that specific area of sin for which they came, then they can “graduate” from this season when counsel intervention was required. 

                When a counselee is non-compliant to receiving truth from Scripture, refusing to change the sessions have no value in their lives, and the case must be closed until the heart of the counselee changes.  This is hard to do, and difficult for a counselor, but we cannot do the work of the Holy Spirit, or the Word of God in a person’s life. Scripture speaks strongly; “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.” (Proverbs 12:15)   Wasting time with a counselee bent against the work of God in their lives is futile, it can be best to move on to the next willing person and pray that God changes that individual’s heart.  For example; a counselee may come in and string out a long sob story of parental neglect, and blame their inability to keep down a job on their parents who “didn’t teach them necessary life skills”.  In doing a little research outside the counseling room you as the counselor come to discover that the counselees’ parents are respectable citizens, have done their best by their daughter/son, and they are simply lazy, and unwilling to work hard for a living, giving up easily when things become challenging.  In counseling sessions you seek to help the counselee see their faulty thinking and blame shifting, urging them to take responsibility for their own choices, attitudes, and actions.  This only results in them becoming defensive, angry, and walking out of sessions.  After several attempts you come to conclude that this counselee will not accept Scriptural truth or responsibility, so speaking in love you tell them they are welcome to come back when they are prepared to accept God’s Word about their situation, and welcome the help you are seeking to offer, but until then the sessions are unfruitful. 

                Though Scripture says; “Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.” (Proverbs 19:20) We as counselors cannot force compliance. It brings great comfort to take heart as counselors that it is never our responsibility to change a person.  “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)  God Himself will always continue to work in the lives of Christians.  He after all commits to; “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8)  Yielded or not, God will pursue, love and discipline His own.              

Biblical View of Emotions

22. Develop a biblical view of emotions. Use both the Old and New Testaments in your answer.  How can emotions be changed biblically?

Emotions are; “an affective state of consciousness in which joy, sorrow, fear, hate, or the like, is experienced, as distinguished from cognitive and volitional states of consciousness.”¹ Emotions are a God given part of our human make up.  We don’t make them happen, they are causes of our environment, involuntary reactions that occur mentally, some with biological effects also (tears, sweating, increased heart rate, etc.). “We need to think biblically and theologically about emotions. Every emotion itself is not automatically sinful. It is what motivates our feelings and what we do with and how we respond to our immediate felt experiences that are crucial in identifying the nature (health/holiness) of our emotional life.”¹

Here are two passages where emotions are conveyed; “…but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.” (Genesis 4:5)  “So Ahab came into his house sullen and vexed because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate no food…..Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be joyful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” (1 Kings 21:4,7) 

There are passages referring to people feeling fear (Matthew 10:28), anxiety (Philippians 4:6), wrath/anger (Proverbs 15:18), sadness (Nehemiah 2:2, 1 Samuel 1:8), grief (Genesis 26:35, 2 Samuel 18:33, Job 6:2, 17:7, Psalm 31:9, 119:28) joy (1 Samuel 18:6, 1 Kings 1:40,8:66, 1 Chronicles 15:16, 25,Ezra 3:12-13, Nehemiah 12:43, 1 Peter 1:8, 1 John 1:4, 3 John 1:4), despair (Deut. 28:65, Job 10:1, Psalm 27:3, Psalm 42:6, Ecclesiastes 2:2), hatred (Proverbs 10:12, 13:24), familial love (Genesis 22:2, Genesis 37:4, Proverbs 3:12, 10:12, 13:24) friendship love (1 Samuel 18:1, Proverbs 17:17), and marital love (Genesis 24:67, Genesis 29:18, Hosea 3:1, Song of Solomon 5:1, 7:10, Proverbs 5:19, Ephesians 5:33).  These are just a selection of emotions, and Scriptural references, there are many in the Word of God. 

“God designed your emotions to be gauges, not guides. They’re meant to report to you, not dictate you. The pattern of your emotions (not every caffeine-induced or sleep-deprived one!) will give you a reading on where your hope is because they are wired into what you believe and value — and how much.”² Because our natural man is bent towards sin we should not trust our emotions to dictate our choices, justify our reasoning, or be our bearing on what is right or wrong (Jeremiah 17:9).  Feelings or emotions themselves are not sinful but can easily lead us into sin.  For example; anger can lead to words of wrath or violent acts.  “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26) would indicate that we do have a choice, and can use anger biblically.   If we address the individual/group; speak truth lovingly (Ephesians 4:15) confront them (Matthew 18:15-17), and pursue peace (Romans 14:19, Hebrews 12:14) we are responding biblically with to our emotion of anger.  Elsewhere in Scripture we find commands to bring our thoughts captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), set our minds on eternal/heaven (Colossians 3:2), not be anxious (Philippians 4:6) but think on what is true, lovely, excellent, praiseworthy… and peace will result (Philippians 4:8,9).  Often Scripture prescribes a perspective change which results in a change of emotions; “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials” (James 1:2), “Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.” (James 4:9) “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.” (Psalm 42:5)  When we view our circumstances in the light of eternity, and with an understanding of His goodness then our we can gain control of our emotions and submit joyfully to His will, plan and purposes in our lives (Romans 8:28,29, James 1:2-4, 12, 2 Corinthians 4:17).  Emotions can be an asset in bringing us to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9-10), revealing our hearts, and a fuel to action.  We get to choose how we deal with emotions and are responsible to God for our actions.       

¹ Bob Kellerman http://www.rpmministries.org/2014/06/the-emotional-life-of-jesus-lets-be-good-bereans-out-there/ ² www.dictionary.com  ³ Jon Bloom http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/your-emotions-are-a-gauge-not-a-guide