Category Archives: Counseling

“The Powerful Tool For Powerful Living”

The story was told about a man who wanted to build a cabin in the woods. The place that he chose to build was far off the beaten path. He wanted that sense of privacy and remoteness and he found the perfect spot. So, he went to the local hardware store and purchased all of the latest power tools. With great excitement he loaded up all of his newly purchased treasure trove of tools and made his way to the woods. After arriving at his chosen spot and as he began to unload his tools, etc., he realized that something was very wrong. There was no power. How can you use power tools that have no power source?

God never intended for the Christian life to be led through our own abilities, gifts, or through sheer will power. Think of all the tools that He has given us as means of growth and change. He has given us His Word, corporate and personal worship, fellowship, prayer, etc. Can we participate in these means without availing ourselves of God’s power? Can we participate in the forms of godliness without power? Some would say “we can fake it, till we make it”… but, just as power tools cannot run without power Christians cannot live the Christian life without the power of God.

There were many options for the Apostle Paul in terms of which form of the Greek word for power that he would use. He chose the word dunamis to describe the nature of the gospel’s power. Why this word among the many he could have used? Well, dunamis is power, natural ability, inherent power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or power which a person or thing exerts or puts forth. The gospel is the inherent, omnipotent power of God operating in the salvation of a lost soul that accepts it.

Here we have an interesting insight into the meaning of this word. The gospel is INHERENTLY the power of God that works and operates and accomplishes God’s purpose. The gospel carries the very power of God. So, it truly is more than a mere story or message. It is a vital weapon. It is the power source of God!

Walking with Depressed Loved Ones (Pt 2)

Great strides have been made in the areas of diagnosing and treating clinical depression. For this we should be thankful for God’s grace and common grace that allows for discoveries into the human heart and psyche.

However, much wisdom in this area can also be gained by looking into various writings within the last 400 years or so. Recently I came across one such resource contained in the book written by Archibald Alexander titled, “Thoughts on Religious Experience.” Alexander was one of the founders of Princeton, which originally existed for the equipping and training of those who would be pastors. He was brilliantly insightful into the Christian life and all that entails, including the work of the Holy Spirit in the human heart.
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Walking with Depressed Loved Ones (Pt 1)

During our current and challenging times, most of us have personally had to interact with issues such as fear, anxiety, grief, and depression. We have also had to deal with friends and loved ones who are struggling with one or more of these issues. As followers of Christ how do we understand these issues and how do we find the help we need to deal with these struggles with power and hope?

As a starting point I wanted to focus on depression. Now, depression takes place on a continuum that encompasses situational depression to clinical depression. For the sake of discussion I will take a look at clinical depression. A person who is clinically depressed is one who typically has great difficulty sleeping, eating, and functioning with common day-to-day activities. They find themselves having difficulty enjoying things that used to be easy and fun for them. For those in the throes of clinical depression, even such mundane tasks as brushing their teeth can wear them out physically. For them, the future looks bleak and one of their greatest fears is that they will stay this way forever with no way out. Continue reading →

Power is a Person

When it comes to biblical counseling, we at KAINOS believe that it must be biblically-based, Christ-centered, and grace-driven. You can find out in more detail what these concepts mean by reading the respective blogs here on the website.

The ultimate goal of this kind of counseling is to lead people to see particularly how relationship with Jesus is the source of the necessary power for transformation. In other words, while we might just want our struggles to be FIXED, Scripture teaches us that God has a much better plan for us since He desires for us to be renewed and continually revived through the power of the Spirit of Christ. Continue reading →

Living Out of Our Hearts

What is man? What does it mean to be human? When it comes to a biblical understanding of humanness, we see that Scripture defines humanness as being reflective of God. The Godhead said, “Let us make man in our image….” So, Scripture teaches that men and women are made in God’s image, which means that there are ways we are like God without ever being equal with God. God created us to think, will, and communicate. Since God is a community, we are created to live in community, outside of ourselves. Since the essence of God is love, we must see that we were created to love in a way that reflects God’s being and character. For example, beginning in Matthew 5:43, Jesus taught on what it should look like for us to love our enemies. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” This is how sons and daughters of God live because this is a reflection of the character and mercy of God, who makes the rain to fall “on the just and the unjust.” This is the essence of being an image bearer of God. This is the essence of humanness. Continue reading →

What Does It Mean to Be Grace-driven?

How does growth happen in the Christian life? How are we being transformed to conform more and more to the image of Jesus? How does real change happen?

I have had many dear brothers and sisters in the Lord come to me with struggles and issues in their lives, and what they wanted most was for me to FIX them. Well, as I told them, I had really good news for them. I told them that God’s plan was not to fix them, but to transform them. Typically, when we say we just want to be “fixed,” what we mean is that we do not want to struggle anymore, but we want the problem gone! It is like the old Calgon commercial, which had the tag line, “Calgon, take me away,” as we bathe in the luxurious bath water with this glorious substance in the water. Unfortunately, this is a very superficial way to think about our struggles, problems, and sin.

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