How do you feel about that?

 Psychologist will utilize personal and group therapy as their primary method of assisting their patient

The big difference between a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist is the psychiatrist  has an MD as well as a PhD and that at his or her option can prescribe medication that can assist their patient with their particular problem. A good Psychologist will utilize personal and group therapy as their primary method of assisting the patient.

If we take it one step further, the Christian Psychologist will also utilize “lifestyle” teaching and scripture within his or her personal or group therapy sessions as additional tools to assist their patient with their particular problem.

One of the greatest challenges of the Christian psychologist is knowing what teaching and scripture to apply to the situation without turning the session into just another “ad hock” small group or Sunday School class. It’s always important to keep it professional.

People with problems want and need solutions. Getting to the heart of the problem is essential.

As I work through my counseling sessions with my patients, I try to keep them focused by keeping them on point and periodically referring back to what they believe to be their problem; what they believe is not always the case.

I try best as possible to refer them back to Philippians 4:8-9 “ whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

People need to focus on and accentuate in their lives the “positive things”; they’re what really matters.

If people focus on the positive long enough, it won’t be long before they’re feeling much better about everything.

I also like to ask my patients within the session, “How do you feel about that?” when discussing a potential solution to their problem.

If the patient feels better, he is twice as likely to get better faster because he helped solve his own problem.

So, “How do you feel about that?”

© 2021 Dr. Lee W. Outlaw III

How shall we then live?

At the Heart of Christian Psychology is Repentance

In one point of my Psychology internships I served as a Chaplin at a Juvenile detention center. This facility was mainly for older boys and young men between  ages 12 to 17  and most had committed very serious crimes. 

I was often asked by these young men how I could help them "fix" their lives. They were off to a good start in doing so themselves  just by asking me that question. Their soul was yearning to be free and as my mentor Dr. John Drakeford would say in his book, "Psychology in Search of a Soul",  his soul was seeking to meet his psyche'.

Ezekiel 33:10 tells us that at one point in her history, "Israel had become so offensive to God, that she wasn't sure what to do  about it; just like those young men, their  soul was seeking some serious repair and she knew it; she just wasn't sure how to do it. "Israel was so aware of how far she had strayed from God that a  public saying had developed among them which some say was even chanted: "(Our) offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them." Yet with all of this, Israel wasn't  repentant of her disobedience to God.

This idea of Israel asking God how they should live has come to the forefront of American Christian Psychology; you have to realize you're sick and  if  you want to become spiritually and emotionally well, you must change your world view; that is you must repent.

In other words, you must change from living your way to living God's way.

In his book, "How shall  we then live", author, Francis A. Schaeffer says the very same thing to America and Western civilization  that Ezekiel said to Israel.

Schaeffer points out that America ia no longer obedient to God and as a result if she continues to do so, America will ultimately self destruct; bear in mind Schaeffer wrote this book in 1976.

© 2021 Dr. Lee W. Outlaw III

CLICK OUR  SHARE BUTTONS, SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS

PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER SUPPORTING DRTRUTHMAN COUNSELING MINISTRY

(ALSO SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS BY CLICKING THEIR ADDS)

Drtruthman Counseling is, Organized by Dr Lee Outlaw. This PayPal Pool allows you to contribute in any amount and your donation is deposited directly into my Pay Pal account. PLEASE Chip In About this pool: Although Counseling is always FREE, Your volunteer support in any amount is greatly appreciated to allow Drtruthman Counseling and Opinion to offer expanded services

Drtruthman Counseling Service

Christian Counseling available to everyone regardless of ability to pay.

$1.00

UNTANGLING THE WORD OF TRUTH

My spirit is over whelmed with  sadness as I see so many pastors and Bible teachers corrupting  Biblical Truth, so let me untangle it for you.

I know this will upset many people but I must address this before I explode.

There are great depths to which I could go with this topic but let me simply deal with one point: Eternal Security,  aka eternal salvation or "once save, always saved".

There is one verse of scripture which makes everything CLEAR on this subject: Ephesians  2:8-9  which states: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

But unfortunately that's not what most of our churches, preachers and teachers are teaching these days. Is it any wonder our people are confused?

I heard a televangelist preaching this past week on how to a "return to grace, if you have fallen from from grace? 

My question is, "HOW can you fall from grace if you've been born again?" you've repented of your sin and invited JESUS to come into your heart. The answer is clear, you can't.

John reminds us, "Jesus gives us eternal life, and we shall never perish; no one can snatch us out of His hand." (John 10:28)

Probably the greatest verse of all most of us have learned from childhood is John 3:16,

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Titus also tells us "2 the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time."

That's a pretty strong promise, ETERNALLY promised before the beginning of time. 

Of course there are always the nay Sayers that want to bring up Galatians 5:4 which says 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

In other words, if you are trying to live a sinless life in expectation of getting into Heaven or you're trying to live via the ten commandments, Levitical or Deuteronomic code/law, you can forget it. Only God's grace through the shed blood of Jesus can get you there.

Jesus death and resurrection changed everything. Man is no longer bound by the law.

God called or career choice

God calls out Moses

A friend of mine recently shared with me that his church brought in a young seminary grad to discuss the possibility of his becoming part of a needed ministry.

After extensive questioning one member asked about the young man's calling to which he responded that he didn't accept the traditional idea of a "calling"; whatever the church needed him to do he would do.

My friend was very disturbed as was I.

Lately, this has become an all too often repeated answer given to church search committees. Ministerial candidates refer to themselves as having "chosen a field of ministerial service" rather than being actually called by God.

Being "called by God" is not a choice.  When God truly calls you, you know it and God doesn't stop until He gets you.

The Bible is full of examples of how God calls people out for His purpose. Moses (the burning bush), Samuel (direct revelation) Isaiah (Temple vision), Jeremiah (direct revelation), Daniel (dream and study), Ezekiel (wheel within the wheel), Saul (Paul) (Jesus on the road to Damascus) and Timothy (his study and revelation) (just to name a few) are such examples. None of these men had any doubt about their calling; it was from God and they knew they couldn’t refuse.

I was raised in a Christian home but even though I didn’t accept Christ as my Savior until I was fifteen years old, from the time of my child hood I knew God was calling me to preach; I had no doubt about it and I still have no doubt.

When I was called, I knew I had to accept. I heard God, I felt God, I could sense His presence. When the man of God is truly called, he will struggle like a mother trying to give birth. To be called by God is to become pregnant with God’s word and purpose and you cannot stop fulfilling God’s call and purpose.

Over nearly 53 years of ministerial service, I have often felt God’s call so strongly I accepted calls to churches with no pay simply because I knew God had a plan and a purpose.

A man might be extended a call to and by a church but if he isn’t called first by God, he needs to stay home; to do otherwise could be both church and self-destructive.

My mentor, the late Dr. Jess Moody used to say, “Gentlemen, be sure of your call; no call and you’ll most certainly fall”. I saw his words fulfilled all too often.

No church should ever extend a call to a man which can’t definitively say, “Yes, I am absolutely called by God”. In like manner no minister should ever consider accepting a call to a church that hasn’t asked the question, “When were you called?” and “Would you explain your call”.

We read the prophet Isaiah’s call, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
He said, “Go and tell this people (Isaiah 6:8-9).

We’re reminded in the calling of Paul (Acts 9:4-16) that God made it impossible for him not to accept his call. Paul was blinded and had to wait on Ananias to aid in his healing and Paul was taught that he would have to be totally dependent on God. Paul had no choice but to accept God’s call.

Accepting God’s call is a hard life and a hard thing to do but if done it’s the greatest experience imaginable.

Charles Spurgeon, Dwight L. Moody, Billy Sunday  and Billy Graham all knew and expressed strongly their calling by God to preach God's word. We need more pastors, preachers, ministers and missionaries to know the certainty of their call; even to the point of putting their lives and lively hood on the line for the cause of Christ.

Churches and ministers both would do well to re-evaluate their call.

May God bless those who genuinely accept God's call.

© 2019 Lee W. Outlaw III, PhD

Share Jesus - by Tim Outlaw

I'm excited to say this is one of the best young preachers I've heard in some time and he just happens to be my youngest son.

Tim's message is simple but direct and demonstrates just how many preachers have taken the simplicity of scripture and turned it into complicated "gobbly gook" that becomes boring and void of the life application Jesus intended.

Tim and his wife Sara have been missionaries to Asia and Africa for the past seven years.

Dazzling your mind

Needless to say, this is a new blog/website which will also be affiliated with a You Tube Channel and Podcast.

It is somewhat ironic, that as a Theologian/Pastor/Psychologist, I have never really attempted a true Theological On-line website with the exception of a few Church Websites I maintained as a pastor.

Unlike those sites, this will be more about enjoyment as well as information. One thing for certain, if you're looking for a traditional Bible Study, you won't find it here; although I do hope you experience some new biblical and theological truths along the way.

It is my intent to make this website and associated podcast different. Of course, "That's what they all say" but this site will be as much about trying to be historically and factually accurate as it is scripturally.

The goal is to make us think, search and ultimately learn great truths which are in many cases right before our eyes yet to much a degree deeply hidden due to tradition and personal or historical prejudice.

In the days ahead it is my personal desire that your belief will be strengthened, your faith enhanced and your mind absolutely dazzled by the knowledge you gain.

Ultimately, it is my goal that this website will help each of us  "Untangle the Word of Truth".