How can a Christian counselor help you strengthen your relationship with God?

You arrive at your counseling session, and you’re approaching counseling expecting to receive answers and solutions to problems that you’re facing. You’re having issues with massive anxiety and panic episodes. And you’ve been advised by your therapist to engage in physical activity or new hobbies to reduce the anxiety. These suggestions perhaps may include exercise, painting, crafting, writing or yoga. This is exactly what your Christian counselor will recommend, correct? No, not quite. 

Although, it is a fact that engaging in exercise or hobbies that are enjoyable reduce stressors and help ease anxiety. Christian therapists understand that the development of one skill will help with reducing stress and that one skill is known as prayer. 

Many times, Christian therapists will suggest exercise or physical activities to help promote overall health and well-being. But it will almost always be coupled with prayer as the primary anecdote. 

Joshua 1:8, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Prayer and Mediation. Joshua 1:8 pontificates the importance of not only speaking the word of God but also meditating in its word daily. What the world calls meditation we call prayer and prayer involves the belief that a higher being known as God is hearing your conversation. Prayer is essential in the Christian lifestyle. It’s your prayer that will help you rely not on your ways but seek for alignment to God’s plans for your life. 

The word of God is more than a tool; it’s a weapon against spiritual warfare. So, when you are confronting troubled times reciting scripture will help minister your spirit, and the power that rests in God is higher than will power. 

Comfort in forgiveness. A Christian therapist can lead you to encounter God’s mercy. Often many people feel shame and guilt. A Christian therapist can guide these kinds of patients to meet god’s forgiveness by modeling what a relationship with God looks like without shame and guilt. 

Identity. Many of us go through identity issues throughout our lives. We possess insecurities, self-conscious, and self-defeating thoughts. Whether such thoughts derive from childhood traumas, relationships with parents or words spoken onto us by others, it can be challenging to find our identity. Christian therapist can help you find your identity in Jesus through the Christian faith. God created you in his likeness for a purpose that serves the kingdom of God. Your life has a purpose. 

Do not conform to this world. A Christian therapist can help you remain focused on the renewal of your mind. The renewal for your mind can be achieved through continually referring to what the scriptures say on a multitude of topics. All of which may be brought up throughout Christian counseling. Faith-based counseling seeks to fortify your alignment to the kingdom of God and its agenda by refocusing your thoughts from self-destructive ones. 

Christianity understands that changing behavior won’t heal you or help build a relationship with God. Nothing can transform a heart except for God. So a Christian therapist will help you dominate your thoughts by connecting you to the Holy Spirit of God for two reasons. 

• Renew your thoughts and fix your eyes on God’s desire for you. Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
• Will power only gets you temporary results. Having a connection to God and your new nature in him will help connect to power that rests in who Jesus is in you. 2 Timothy 1:7, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”

The Christian faith is manifested in a believer when he or she acknowledges their sinful nature, which dominates behavior. The goal of Christian therapists is to help you recognize your self-destructive weapons such as shame, fear, insecurity, impulses and uncontrolled thoughts. All of which separate you from experiencing the goodness and fulfillment that comes from a relationship with God.