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

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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.