Sadly, we see a number of problems as biblical counselors. I’ve ranked them from 1 to 10 so you’ll know what we deal with on a typical day.
At #10, we meet with many rebellious teens/youths. These young people fail to listen to their parents, respect authorities, and are out of control. Our approach is to work with the parents first and pray that they can make some changes that will help the young person. Then, we work with the young person often with great success by God’s grace!
#9 Basic Discipleship and Evangelism – Some Christians simply need to know what God says in His Word so they can obey it. Some people do not know the Christ yet as Savior and Lord even if they’ve been in church for years (they do not have a relationship with Him yet).
#8 Conflict Resolution – Some people avoid conflict and it leads to serious problems. Others are too aggressive in trying to resolve the conflict and hurt others. Being a biblical peacemaker is what is required (Matt. 5:9).
#7 Grief – Many do not understand that we live in a fallen world cursed by man’s sin. Therefore, they do not understand death. Grief is a hard thing to overcome but God comforts His children so we do not mourn like unbelievers.
#6 Anger – Anger is mentioned over 600 times in the Bible and it continues to be a common problem today.
#5 – Fear/Worry/Anxiety – This is a major issue that many are afraid to admit though everyone experiences fear. There is righteous fear that God uses to protect us and then there is sinful fear that inhibits our ability to serve Him.
#4 – Lack of Forgiveness – Many people will NOT forgive a loved one who has sinned against them. They hold the sins over that person like a “spiritual terrorist” and refuse to forgive.
#3 – Depression – Some people have lost hope, even believers. Some battle sadness and self-pity that lead to deep depression. This is a common problem in our culture yet we are so wealthy and prosperous…do you know why?
#2 – Addiction issues – drugs, alcohol (which is a drug), excessive spending, gambling, eating, sexual issues and other “addictions.” We usually see God move in these situations – sometimes in the spouse of someone caught in an “addiction.” We address many problems stemming from sexual idolatry and have great success in this area, thanks be to God!
#1 – Marriage relationships. Most couples are exasperated after a few years of bad habits in a relationship. They have developed poor communication habits and face many challenges in today’s world.
We offer pre-marital counseling to help couples BEFORE they marry and it almost always yields great results by God’s grace!
There are many more problems we address DAILY but at least this will give you an idea of what our ministry offers in the area of hope and help!
-Mark (glad the Bible addresses ALL of these problems sufficiently)