Assisting Parishioners to Cope with Sickness through Christian Counseling - Coursework Example

Download file to see previous pages People spend millions of dollars on self-help books and professional counseling. While the advice thus found may sometimes be helpful, a Christian’s faith leads him to a far better source of aid. Says James: “So, if anyone of you is lacking in wisdom, let him keep on asking God, for he gives generously to all and without reproaching; and it will be given him. But let him keep on asking in faith, not doubting at all, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and blown about.” (James 1:5, 6) A Christian’s faith is the guarantee that such divine aid will be provided. He has no hesitancy about approaching God in this way, for ‘he has this freeness of speech and an approach with confidence through his faith in [Christ].’(Ephesians 3:12) True, the degree that professional counselors garnered from their respective universities cannot be denied to have a certain level of high standard when it comes to dealing with individuals who are having problems of different sorts. However, this truth cannot also be denied of the fact that their counseling procedures are based upon the capability of humans to resolve their issues. How the Church Handles Counseling
On the contrary, the church relies on the most powerful source of knowledge and practical counsel, the Bible. Admittedly, the direction God gives people can at times seem difficult, perhaps even impossible—to implement. Abraham, for example, received God’s promise that he and his wife were to have a son. Considering the fact that their reproductive powers were ‘dead,’ attempting to have this child seemed futile. Yet, says Paul: “Although [Abraham] did not grow weak in faith, he considered his own body, now already deadened, as he was about one hundred years old, also the deadness of the womb of Sarah. But because of the promise of God,  he did not waver in a lack of faith, but became powerful by his faith, giving God glory and being fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do.” (Romans 4:19-21)  ...Download file to see next pagesRead More