This is the first article in a series entitled Spirit-Led Counseling. I sometimes use other names for this ministry, such as Personal Prayer Ministry, Wonderful Counseling, and Biblical Healing and Deliverance. Jesus is the "wonderful Counselor" of Isaiah 9:6. This ministry attempts to make room for Jesus to personally counsel people by means of the indwelling Holy Spirit with human ministers acting as facilitators. This makes it different from most counseling. It is highly effective at teaching the recipient how to hear the voice of the Spirit and to receive his life giving words.
Almighty God sent his Son Jesus to the earth on a mission to set people free from the awful tyranny and hopelessness of sin and its consequences. Human bondage began when Adam and Eve opened the floodgates of evil by abandoning and betraying their Creator and Sustainer, having been duped by the lying serpent into suspecting that God was an untrustworthy liar. Their decision to make a go at living independently from God proved to be the downfall of the entire creation.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Romans 8:20-21 (ESV)
Adam and Eve separated themselves from the life of God when they sinned. They were still physically alive, but the death process had begun to work. Their spirits were cut off from the Holy Spirit, their minds and hearts were darkened, and their bodies began to die through what we call the aging process. Sickness – physical, societal, emotional, and spiritual – entered the picture. Satan’s promise of their becoming like God turned out to be a horrendous lie.
One of the things we learn from their fall is that we humans, even the newly created version, did not possess any innate immunity to Satan’s deception.
Now, because our minds have been darkened by sin, we are even more easily deceived by Satan’s lies.
As bad as that day was, it is important that we see that God offered hope to Adam and his offspring from the very beginning of his judgment upon our sin. God’s judgment included restoration, but, for that to happen, his Son would have to die and rise again.
When the Law was introduced later at Mt. Sinai, it exposed how deep our sinfulness is. It also brought us a new problem, what the Bible calls the “curse” of the Law, which is God’s judgment upon sin. The Law clearly defined sin and proves that we are incapable of overcoming it on our own. In our pride, this is a hard pill for us to swallow; yet, a necessary one, if we are to be open to God’s solution in the gospel.
Protection against evil spirits also was removed as a result of our rejecting God in the garden. Evil spirits take advantage of our defenselessness and oppress people mercilessly. The ripples of our lawlessness and rebellion escalated into a mad torrent of crashing waves of destruction and judgment. When Jesus arrived on the earth as a baby, things had been spiraling into a deepening darkness for centuries because generation after generation drank deeply from the poisoned cup of sin and deception.
After growing to manhood and patiently waiting thirty years for God’s appointed time, Jesus launched his public ministry with these words.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to tell them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.” Luke 4:18-21 (NET1)
The above passage is the closest thing to a “mission statement” that Jesus gave us. For the next three years, Jesus went about “doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.” (Acts 10:38 NET1)
During his public ministry years Jesus made withdrawals upon a future deposit he would make into heaven’s bank.The authority and power to he used to heal, release people from demons, and forgive sins derived from what he would accomplish later through his death and resurrection.
Each time he set a person free, it drove the nails a little deeper into his hands and feet. Once he began to draw upon that future event called the crucifixion, there was no way out for him. He had to pay the price, having made himself a debtor to God’s system of justice, something he did obediently and without complaint. When he as the innocent Lamb of God gave himself over to death, he defeated Satan on our behalf, the one who had previously held the keys of bondage and death.
When our Lord rose from the dead, the power of sin, Satan, sickness, and death was effectively smashed. And yet we see people, even followers of Christ, still living in all sorts of sin and bondage. What gives?
God’s plan was always for his people to rule and reign alongside the Lord Jesus. After he ascended into heaven where he now sits at God the Father’s right hand, Jesus delegated his authority to us who represent him to the world. He has given us his Holy Spirit to indwell and empower us. Now those who make up the church have the privilege and responsibility to proclaim his message of redemption and reconciliation to the Father and to release people from what holds them prisoner.
Jesus’ mission statement is now our mission statement. What he did on the earth during the short period of his public ministry, we are to continue until he comes again to wrap things up.
The Great Commission involves more than simply telling people about what Jesus did for them and asking them to put their faith and allegiance in him as Lord and Savior.
Christ’s followers are to demonstrate the power of the Kingdom of God as well as proclaim the words of the Gospel.
Paul made it clear that the Good News is meant to be delivered in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 in that our gospel did not come to you merely in words, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction … 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 (NET1)
God has given his church the authority, power, and the tools to accomplish this mission. In the following articles I will present an overview of the process I call Spirit-Led Counseling, which depends on the ongoing ministry of Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor. (Isaiah 9:6)
Spirit-Led Counseling integrates the truth of God’s Word, the presence, power, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the basic principles of repentance and faith to help people experience a growing freedom from sin and bitterness, deliverance from what I call lie-based strongholds, healing for inner hurts, and release from demonization, when needed.
I will do my best to base all of this solidly on God’s Word and give practical applications based on what I have seen work. I have watched God do some amazing things through this ministry, and I hope you will be encouraged that the Lord cares deeply about you and wants you to be free, too. The best revenge we can get on the devil for all he has done to us is to allow God to set us free and use us to help others walk free from his clutches.
