REAL Prayer and Keeping it Real with Biblical Counsel -
Purity 1143
Purity 1143 09/09/2023 Purity 1143 Podcast
Purity 1143 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of crashing waves on the rocky shores
of Lake Ontario at sunset comes to us from Celestial Blue Photography (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069048257152).
While Oswego is a three-hour drive away from me, I got to see last night’s
sunset on Lake Ontario because of social media and because Celestial Blues’ Rocco
Saya is faithful in sharing his photographic artistry with his “friends”. Thank You Rocco!
Well, it’s Saturday and as the sun sets on the first
week of September, I am grateful for the people that God has brought into my
life who so generously share their talents, expertise, friendship, and love. And I am grateful for the people that God
has put on my path that I have been able to minister to. While I continually receive a little help
from my friends and a whole lot of help from the Lord, I am more than happy to
help others with whatever counsel or guidance I can give because I have
received so much.
I had the pleasure of offering prayer ministry and counselling
to two people in the last 48 hours whom I would have never even met if the Lord
hadn’t guided me to where I am today. Because I have tried to follow the Lord’s
lead, I find myself being trained as a Deeper Walk International Prayer Minister
and serving at Recovery/Discipleship Ministry for a church that I didn’t know
about a couple of years ago. I am simply amazed by how technology has allowed
me to meet, get equipped by, and minister to people from all across the world
and how the Lord has been moving me on the terra firma to boot!
On Thursday evening, I led one of my fellow students
through a session of REAL prayer as part of our studies at Deeper Walk’s School
of Prayer Ministry via Zoom. The REAL Prayer
process is a form of listening prayer in which one asks the Lord to guide them
into healing. REAL is an Acronym that stands
for:
“R – Remember – Where we ask the Lord, or Jesus specifically, to “bring to my mind any memory or memories that you would like to heal today.”
“E – Explore – This is a two-part process where explore both the relational (right brain) and logical (left brain) aspects of the memory by praying:
“… please bring to my mind the sights, sounds, smells, emotions, and other aspects of this memory that I need to remember in order for your healing to be as complete as possible. “ - this highlights those sensory/relational aspects. After this prayer, we look at what emotions are coming up and how intense they are.
We then pray to see how this memory impacted our beliefs or logical/analytical processes by asking to the Lord to reveal the false beliefs/lies we hold because of this memory by praying:
: “… please reveal the lies that the Adversary succeeded in planting in my heart as a result of this memory/traumatic event.
After this we list whatever lies we believed and rate how “true” they seem to us. And then we
A - Ask – the Lord to heal us by praying:
“I ask Jesus to do whatever he needs to do to heal this memory. I invite Him into the memory and ask Him to allow me to perceive His presence.”
And finally we,
“L – Listen - Once we have asked Jesus to heal the memory, it is time to stop, look, and listen. Jesus tends to reveal himself through sight, sound, or sense. Some people see him or a representation of him in their memories. Others hear his words in their minds. Still others sense relief from dominant emotion and have an experience like a light going on in which the lies no longer feel true.”
(The REAL Prayer Process, the instructions
and prayers listed above come from Dr. Marcus Warner’s “REAL Prayer” book, For
more information about REAL Prayer you can buy the book by that title from the
online store at www.DeeperWalkInternational.org )
Real Prayer relies completely on what
the Lord brings to the minds of those who go to Him in prayer. As a facilitator
of the process, you simply guide the participant to pray to the Lord and assist
them by repeating and validating what they report. Thursday’s session was my
first time facilitating the REAL prayer process and although I was a bit nervous
over my lack of experience, I was relieved that the Lord was faithful to lead
the process and assist the participants by revealing what they needed to “see”
and know to bring healing. I just led
the participant to pray the prayers and ask Jesus to help them and He did!
My experience as a CFMA for Freedom in
Christ Ministries and this latest training experience with Deeper Walk
International has shown me that the Lord can bring healing to root issues that
keep Christians stuck or hurting. God is
faithful to expose the lies and heal the hurts when we ask Him and all we have
to bring to the process is faith in Him.
Amazing things can happen when we
pray!
However, I was also reminded yesterday
that just knowing what is “right” according to the word of God can bring
healing too as I was asked to give counsel regarding some relationship problems
from someone connected to my local church. This person is new to the Celebrate
Freedom growth group and reached out to tell me some specifics about their
situation and to get biblical counsel about what they should do.
After I got some basic details of what
was going on with their relationship, I advised them that while I am not a
licensed counselor with the state, I have a master’s in Christian counsel and
that the advice that I bring would be considered “nouthetic” – or biblical – counsel
and that it is somewhat confrontational because in this form of counseling, we
examine the person’s thoughts and actions against what the word of God says and
would exhort them to do the “right thing according to God’s word.” Unlike other
forms of counseling that would leave the interpretation of their lives and next
steps up to the client’s subjective thoughts, feelings, and insights, nouthetic
counseling confronts clients with their sins and directs them to repent and do
things God’s way.
So after hearing the details of this
person’s situation, I had the uncomfortable task of pointing out how their
troubled relationship had really been broken from the start because the parties
weren’t married and had no intention of marrying although they lived together. As for the future of the relationship, I
suggested that there was really just one question to be addressed: Do you want
to be married to this person and would you put God at the center of your
marriage? While no decisions were made in our short conversation, this person
said they really appreciated the clarity that our conversation provided. The confusion over what to do and all the
mixed-up emotions were clarified through the filter of God’s principles for living.
“Oh I don’t know what to do!”
“Well, let’s look at the word of God and
do what’s right”.
Because the parties weren’t married, the
person wasn’t under any obligation to continue in the relationship. The
dysfunction that was rearing its ugly head and the fact that the relationship had
already broken up were all pretty clear signs that this person was not “the one”
to get married to and that it was probably best to say goodbye and make the breakup
final. When we operate according to the wisdom of God’s word, things are pretty
simple and the person I counseled really appreciated that I listened and “told
it to them straight”.
These two episodes of helping others
just mirror what I had learned in my own journey.
I prayed through and was lead through
the Steps to Freedom in Christ and God helped me. So, I am just doing what was
done for me by becoming a prayer minister.
I was given wise biblical counsel and
teaching on how to live according to God’s word. So, I am counseling and teaching
others to do the same – to follow the Lord with the way you live.
I have received, and constantly still receive,
the Lord’s help and help from my friends. So I try to be a “brother and a friend”
to the people God has put on my path by praying for them, and with them, and
telling them the truth of what God’s word says and how to apply it to their
lives. I’m not giving anything I haven’t
been given. And the amazing thing is the
more I give the more I still seem to receive.
So ask if you need it, ask the Lord for
healing and go to your friends when you need their help. There is no shame in
receiving help because we need it and because when we receive it, we most
likely will give the help we receive to others.
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For
those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide,
I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s
Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.
(
While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick
google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late
author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This
morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Anger, Hot Temper
Psalm 7:11 (NKJV)
11 God is a just
judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.
1 Kings 11:9 (NKJV)
9 So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because
his heart had turned from the LORD
God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
2 Kings 17:18 (NKJV)
18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and
removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.
Mark 3:5-6 (NKJV)
5 And when He had looked
around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He
said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."
And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the
other.
6 Then the Pharisees went out
and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy
Him.
Today’s verses fall under the first point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Anger, Hot Temper
1. Anger is not in itself sinful.
According to our resource, and the context, the verses above demonstrate:
God is angry with the
wicked.
God was angry with
Solomon.
God was angry with Israel.
Jesus was angry with the Pharisees.
Today’s verses show us that anger is not sinful. God does not sin, and His anger is “righteous” because it is aimed at those who are wicked – those who rebel against what is right. The Lord’s anger at Solomon and Israel comes from the fact that they were not walking according to His ways.
Likewise, Jesus was angry with the Pharisees because they had distorted God’s word by their manmade traditions and refused to see the truth of who He was.
God and Jesus are angry when they see something that is wrong – wicked, So we too can be “angry” when we see something wrong, but the key is that we are to also follow the Lord and Jesus’ lead and “not sin”. So we should not develop our hostility, we should develop our humility, patience, and self-control by walking in the Spirit so we can have a measured and righteous response to evil that won’t lead us into sin.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from The Holy Spirit By A.W. Pink.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available online
for $0.99 (https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Arthur-Pink-Collection-ebook/dp/B008CM5292/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AHKAQOM39CTN&keywords=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit&qid=1684376225&sprefix=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit+%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-3)
A.W. Pink’s The Holy Spirit
23 - The Spirit Witnessing
What He
Bears Witness To
It is most important that the Christian
should be quite clear as to what it is
his own “spirit” or conscience bears witness to. It is not to the eradication of evil from his heart, nor is it to any
purification of or improvement in his carnal nature—anyone whose conscience
bears witness to that, bears witness
to a lie, for “if we say that we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). So long
as the Christian remains on earth, “the flesh (the principle of sin) lusteth
against the Spirit”—the principle of grace (Gal. 5:17). Moreover, the more our
thoughts are formed by the Word, the more do we discover how full of corruption
we are; the closer we walk with God, the more light we have, and the more are
the hidden (unsuspected) things of darkness within discovered to our horrified
gaze. Thus, the Christian’s assurance that he is a regenerate person by no
means signifies he is conscious that he is more and more dying to the presence
and activities of indwelling sin. God does not intend that we should be in love
with ourselves.
That which the
renewed conscience of the Christian bears witness to is the fact that he is a
child of God. Side by side with the sink of iniquity which indwells the
believer—of which he becomes increasingly conscious, and over which he daily
groans—is the spirit of adoption which has been communicated to his heart. That
filial spirit draws out his heart in love to God, so that he craves after the
conscious enjoyment of His smiling countenance, and esteems fellowship with Him
high above all other privileges. That filial spirit inspires confidence toward
God, so that he pleads His promises, counts on His mercy, and relies on His
goodness. That filial spirit begets reverence for God, so that His ineffable
majesty is held in awe. His high authority is respected, and he trembles at His
Word. That filial spirit produces subjection to God, so that he desires to obey
Him in all things, and sincerely endeavors to walk according to His commands
and precepts.
Now here are definite
marks by which the Christian may test himself. True, he is yet very far from
being what he should be, or what he would be could his earnest longings only
be realized; nevertheless, is not his present case very different from what it
once was? Instead of seeking to banish God from your thoughts, is it not now
the desire of your heart for your mind to be stayed upon Him, and is it not a
joy to meditate upon His perfections? Instead of giving little or no concern as
to whether your conduct honored or dishonored the Lord, is it not now your
sincere endeavor to please Him in all your ways? Instead of paying no attention
to indwelling sin, has not the plague of your heart become your greatest burden
and grief? Well, then, these very things evidence
you are a child of God. They were not in your nature, so they must have been
implanted by the Holy Spirit. Those graces may be very feeble, yet their presence struggling amid corruptions—are
marks of the new birth.
If with honesty of
purpose, lowliness of heart, and prayerful inquiry, I find myself breathing
after holiness, panting after conformity to Christ, and mourning over my
failures to realize the same, then so far from it being presumption for me to
conclude I am a child of God, it would be willful blindness to refuse to
recognize the work of the Spirit in my soul. If my conscience bears witness to
the fact that I honestly desire and sincerely endeavor to serve and glorify
God, then it is wrong for me to deny, or even to doubt, that God has “begun a
good work” in me. Take note of your health, dear reader, as well as of your
disease. Appropriate to yourself the language of Christ’s Spouse, “I sleep, but
my heart waketh” (Song 5:2)—grace is to be acknowledged amid infirmities; that
which is a cause for humiliation must not be made a ground for doubting.
But notwithstanding
the evidences which a Christian has of his Divine sonship, he finds it no easy
matter to be assured of his sincerity, or to establish solid comfort in his
soul. His moods are fitful, his frames variable. Grace in the best of us is but
small and weak, and we have just cause to mourn the feebleness of our faith,
the coldness of our love, and the grievous imperfections of our obedience. But
it is at this very point the blessed Spirit of God, in His wondrous grace and
infinite condescension, helps our infirmities—He adds His witness to the testimony of our renewed conscience, so that (at
times) the conviction is confirmed, and the trembling heart is assured. It is
at such seasons the Christian is able to say, “My conscience also bearing me
witness in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 9:1).
The question which
most deeply exercises a genuine saint is not, have I repented, have I faith in
Christ, have I any love for God? but rather, are my repentance, faith and love sincere and genuine? He has discovered
that Scripture distinguishes between repentance (1 Kings 21:27) and repentance
“not to be repented of” (2 Cor. 7:10); between faith (Acts 8:13) and “faith
unfeigned” (1 Tim. 1:5), between love (Matthew 26:49) and “love in sincerity” (Eph.
6:24); and only by the gracious enabling of the Holy Spirit can any soul
discern between them. He who bestowed upon the Christian repentance and faith
must also make him to know the things
which are freely given to him of God (1 Cor. 2:12). Grace can only be known by
grace, as the sun can only be seen in its own light. It is only by the Spirit
Himself that we can be truly assured we have been born of Him.[1]
---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the
mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available
on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and
Audible.com.
These teachings are also available on the
MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her
Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
For those who require the assistance of a Deeper
Walk International Prayer Minister to experience healing or your freedom in
Christ, I highly recommend Christy Edge’s Life on the Edge Freedom Prayer
Ministry. You can schedule a session by going to : https://cedge216.wixsite.com/life-on-the-edge
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
Arthur Walkington Pink, The Holy Spirit
(Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.).
