Counseling by the Spirit: Discipleship Guideposts

4 Pillars of Ecclesiastical Counselling

⁷ I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. ⁸ But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

Job 32:7-8

Good Morning

We have been studying the book of Job as our assignment. In our last physical meeting, we did some practical sessions on spirit led counseling using the ecclesiastical notes from Job 23-32 as guideposts. This is an abridged version of our meeting notes.

We expect you have been practicing since then and will be available next week for any further questions and field issues arising.

Shallom.

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Counselling is something you will be faced with regularly in the marketplace of Life.

• Jesus has made us a Royal Priesthood. That confers on us certain specific Ecclesiastical Responsibilities. (i) To Teach / Preach (ii) To Heal the Sick (iii) To Cast out Demons.
  Every single disciple should exercise themselves in these 3 dimensions.
• In performing these 3 functions, there is 1 common denominator you will encounter: It is counselling!
• There are many systems of counselling in the world, all of which have their uses. Psychological, Sociological etc…
• For us disciples, Jesus is our standard bearer. From His demonstration at the well of sychar we see that the most effective and fruitful approach to counseling is counseling that is Spirit led and God centered.

The book of Job offers excellent guideposts on how to sharpen ourselves as pertaining to this crucial role for a Christian.

• Given that 85% of the book of Job is actually a sit-in counselling session [Ch 2 – 37], you’d be hard pressed to find a better place to glean insight into spirit-led counselling.
• For 35 chapters men of age, experience and knowledge use all that they know to counsel Job.
• God does not show up until chapter 38 after all men have spoken!. And when He does He discountenances all that’s been said as ‘off-target’ save for ONE! Men are quick to talk and offer ‘opinions’ but we are being trained to Be the one who speaks to the issue from the mind of God.
• When God shows up we learn that though 3 of the 4 counsellors said ‘many true things’ all through 35 chapters, only the final speaker actually spoke ‘THE RIGHT THING’ [i.e out of God’s Heart] and spoke it concisely in just one chapter! It is not about the volume of words..but the accuracy!
• Elihu was least in experience and knowledge and age..But Jobs situation required more than a man of experience It required a man of the Spirit. Elihu was that man!.
• This is the person whom we as disciples should model our operations after.

4 Pillars of Spirit-Led Counselling

1: Right Perspective from the Spirit: It Must Be By The Spirit!

“⁸ But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding”. Job 32:8

• Maintain Your Consecration: it helps
  The Holy Spirit can either be ‘constrained’ in you [silent] or free flowing [active] in you. As a disciple it is expected that you yield daily to the Spirit and maintain the consecration of your ‘receptacles‘ [i.e. flow channels] in such a manner that minimizes the hindrances in His way through you.
• Get in the Spirit / ‘Connect’ / Stay in the Spirit
  Most often the first step you take in approaching a matter or person is to ‘get in the spirit‘..How?.
  This doesn’t mean demonstrating any ‘dramatics’ & foolishness that highlight your effort as you “exercise” yourself like Naaman wanted Elisha to do in 2 Kings 5:11. Instead in a very basic level (i) simply bring the person/matter before God in your heart, (ii) you may need to still your mind (iii)wait on Him to speak! Like Moses in Num 27:5. All of this process can happen whilst the subject is still talking. p.s It is much faster to do this or not even break connection at all if you started the day right like Jesus!
• Leave the Dramatics / The Word IS enough!
  ¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.
• The key rule as always “He must increase and I must decrease“. Men will often want you to ‘show yourself’ and ‘demonstrate’ but understand that these things most often diminish from Gods glory excepting where you are given direct instruction from God. Leave the show! Speak the Word! It is enough!
• One Size doesn’t fit all!..Only call on your experience when led to
  Job’s 3 friends drew on the abundance of their experience but still was off the mark. Learn to EMPTY YOURSELF before the Lord and let Him fill you. His directives are sometimes very unique to the individual and cannot always be served by what has been done before. Your experience is not necessarily invaluable, after all He takes us through certain things in order to be able to better serve others..yet…Let him prompt when or if at all you bring it up!
• Get to the root of the Issue!
  Counselling without the Spirit makes you ramble on and on like Job’s 3 friends stumbling around for 35 chapters without getting to the heart of the matter!. Don’t waste your time nor theirs.
• ‘Elihu’s anger burned against Job’s three friends because they had found no answer [and were unable to determine Job’s error], and yet they had condemned Job and declared him to be in the wrong [and responsible for his own afflictions]’ ^{Job 32:3}.
• If you find yourself asking too many ‘leading’ questions, your most likely of course! and are likely engaging more from an intellectual/investigative perspective. Try to avoid the hybrid approach.

2: Right Perspective of the Person: Not a Respecter of Persons!

‘Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man’. ^{Job 33:12}
‘I will not [I warn you] be partial to any man [that is, let my respect for you mitigate what I say]; Nor flatter any man.‘. ^{Job 32:21 amp}

• Most, if not all who cross your path will generally justify themselves before their own eyes. i.e They will always come from the perspective that they are right & righteous and are the true victims of the situation. They will most often want to narrate their experiences in such a manner as gets you over to their side of the aisle. Avoid this!
• Your position in not to necessarily to take sides (God doesn’t take sides between His children in particular), but to relay the mind of God as per the situation or the person(s) as is. Just as in Job 26:3 you must declare the thing as it is without looking at their face!
• “I will be partial to no one, nor will I flatter any man” ^{Job 32:21}.
• Do not be moved by any man’s status or lack of; any man’s carriage or lack of; any man’s wealth or lack of. Before the Almighty God whom you serve all of mans glory put together is nothing!!!!!
• Do not be impressed with any man like Gehazi was, Neither disdain any man as inferior to you.
• Always lead with the heart of Love.

3: Right Perspective of Yourself: An Unprofitable Servant!
⁶ Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite answered: “I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you. Job 32:6

⁶ Behold, I am toward God and before Him even as you are; I also am formed out of the clay [though I speak with abnormal wisdom because of a divine illumination]. ⁷ See my terror [for I am only a fellow mortal, not God]; I shall not make you afraid, neither shall my pressure be heavy upon you. Job 33:6-7

• We are Unprofitable Servants
  Be humble and understand your value from the standpoint of who you are in Christ.
• You are God’s servant and His vessel through whom He chooses to reach out to others.
• God is your reward. Position yourself as a Eunuch, avoid any temptations to be like Gehazi who felt Elisha should have put the full consideration of gain before the mission. That way leads to leprosy! avoid it!
• “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” ^{Luke 17:10}
• All Have Sinned
  Understand that no matter the sin committed or the state of the person before you, you are technically not superior or inferior to them in essence. In fact what is good and useful in your life is because of GOD’s work in you! and all credit is due to Him!. Given the same circumstances you might even make worse choices than this person before you…so judge by Spirit not by sight.
• In Christ there are no divisions!
  Empty yourself of your tribal, religious, denominational, and cultural leanings. They are almost of no value except when the Spirit requires. Too many believers put forward the toga of their church/denomination/G.O in all their dealings. This way is emptiness at best, Idolatry at worst. Have a Kingdom perspective and an Apostolic approach to operations. Be like Joseph of Arimathea who strived for ‘The Whole Body of Christ”
• You are limited!
  When you lead by the Spirit, it ALWAYS produces the right kind of fruit. And IF God is hallowed properly do not be surprised if He shows up in a dream or some other way to the person you have counselled to confirm and advance what has been said.
• Finally remember, YOU ARE NOT responsible for the outcome! You have no power to bring it to pass. There are dealings which are entirely exclusive to the Holy Spirit in their lives. Let Him do His wondrous work.

4: Right Perspective of God: Loving, Merciful, Redemptive but also Just and Holy!

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance”. 2 Peter 3:9

• God is in the business of redemption and reconciliation!.Yet He is not overbearing. He doesn’t trample on peoples right to choose and make choices! Neither should you!
• He is omniscient and sees even the hidden things of the heart. There are things He will say to you concerning those before you that may seem improbable and even ridiculous on the surface of it! But remember, He does not look on the outward appearance but on the Heart!
• “Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off!” ^{Romans 11:22}.
• Avoid the new age narrative of the God who tolerates everything and permits everything.
  in one of His first dealings with Adam He gave Him all things minus one. He set one boundary on the tree of good and evil! Your understanding of God’s ways and character must be able to comprehend His boundaries and why He sets them.
• “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God!” ^{1 Cor 4:5}.
• Don’t assume anything. It is God who judges motives.
  
  I shared the example of when i was going to counsel someone harshly on a matter of adulterous sin: but the Spirit of the Lord constrained me and said ‘ask Him about His father when He was age x” this subsequently revealed the pattern that had been in the lineage for some time. What was required at that moment was not further condemnation which would only have served to make an already helpless man throw in the towel – but rather light needed to be shone on the patterns and the inevitability of the cyclical destructions unless the right steps were taken to enforce the victory of the cross on the bloodlines; and He still had the opportunity to take those steps! That brother turned out very well in the end. Praise the Lord.
  
  Or the Sister i was about to absolutely butcher on a recurrent issue of looseness. But this time i started by asking the Lord, and He showed me in a vision the first time that sister was abused and sexually violated at 7, the subsequent effects and traumas which had laid untouched and served as open doors to continuous molestations by the enemy. Of course that changed our approach to w=the whole situation as now the root was laid bare!

Ultimately fellow disciple. remember this:-

• We have been/and are being saved so that through us others might be saved!
• We have been Healed/ and are being healed so that through us others might also be healed.
• We are delivered so that throught us others might enjoy the freedom from oppression Christ offers
• We are renewed and refreshed so that through us, others might likewise be refreshed and renewed.
• We are blessed, so that through us Christs blessings might richly flow to others and draw them to Him.

Nothing complicated about it..Only a wholly yielded, loving and consecrated life willing to see men saved and Christ richly exalted in all will do.

We continue our physical sessions next thursday.

Till then peace be unto you.