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christian counseling today
Vol. 21 no. 2
19
what is the length and width, height and depth
[of God’s love], and to know the Messiah’s love
that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled
with all the fullness of God”
(3:16-19, HCSB).
The Church must also recognize the
reality of spiritual warfare
. We live in a
battleground, not a playground, and must
teach our people that the evil one wants to
use every weakness and struggle in our lives
to steal the joy of our walk in Christ. My
daughter allowed this to happen. Jesus knew
we would struggle in this world. In fact, in
John 16:33 (HCSB), He said,
“I have told you
these things so that in Me you may have peace.
You will have suffering in this world. Be coura-
geous! I have conquered the world.”
Knowing there will be difficulties, we
must acknowledge that living in a “war zone”
is not easy. There is a battle raging against
abundant life, and the ultimate prize in this
conflict is the souls of godly people. We need
to remember that Scripture teaches there is
spiritual weaponry available (II Corinthians
10:4-5). In Ephesians 4:14-18, we are shown
the weapons, as well as the armor, we have for
this spiritual conflict.
The “Do’s and Don’ts” of
Ministering to Family, Friends
and Loved Ones
Sadly, I know from experience some of the
“do’s and don’ts” of ministering to others who
are grieving the loss of a suicide.
Avoid promoting bad theology.
There
are people in the Christian world who can
be harsh, and even cruel, in their expressions
of theology. For example, some will quickly
point out that if a person simply prays
enough or has enough faith, he or she will not
struggle with emotional or mental illnesses,
and certainly never consider the possibility of
suicide. I believe everyone is responsible, and
Know there is hope.
Understand that
grief has many
stages. While
grief and loss are
universal, people
mourn in phases and
in their own unique
ways. Encourage
church members to
allow this process
to take place, and
reiterate there is no
right or wrong way to
grieve.