I Samuel 30:6 - David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
One of the more difficult parts of counseling is overcoming the "I can't" syndrome. If a person thinks s/he can't, s/he won't even try and thus is defeated before s/he has begun. An effective way to overcome this is to have the counselee tell you about something s/he has overcome in the past. This can be done with an open ended question. Can you tell me about the last time you started a new job? How did you overcome the anxiety that time? How did the job turn out for you? If s/he starts thinking about it, s/he will convince him/herself that s/he can do this after all.
Church folks have a phrase for this as well. It is called a testimony. You know that time we used to give on Wednesday night for people to stand and say something for Jesus? Often these testimonies followed a pattern:
1. I had a problem.
2. I didn't know what to do.
3. I knew God had done it before.
4. I prayed and he did it again.
Did you notice the pattern? The person had to remind himself that he had come through a trial before and he would make it through again. Often the answer to the problem was simply getting rid of the "I can't attitude." There is something powerful about believing in oneself and one's own ability to get the job done.
We Christians have an even greater advantage. We are not just trusting in our own ability. We are trusting in an all powerful God who has an awesome track record. He has never lost a battle and never will. He is always in control and never lacks self confidence. Are you facing an obstacle today? Is there a difficult decision directly in your path? Are you uncertain of what to do? Don't despair. Just follow the above guideline with a few modifications.
1. I have a problem.
2. God knows what to do.
3. He has done it before.
4. He will will show me what to do (or not do) this time.
5. Therefore it is not a problem.
Above all, face the situation with an " God and I can" attitude. Remember, God is on your side. Together there is nothing you can't accomplish. Sometimes we wonder why God has not already worked out a certain situation for us. I believe it is often because he wants us to take the first step. Like a parent coaxing a child to try, God wants us to realize that we can. Sure, He is there to help us, but He can't help us if we won't try. "Believe in yourself" is not contrary to the word of God. "Believe in God and yourself" is an unstoppable combination.
Believe in yourself! God does and you should to.
I can,
Sullivan Jones
One of the more difficult parts of counseling is overcoming the "I can't" syndrome. If a person thinks s/he can't, s/he won't even try and thus is defeated before s/he has begun. An effective way to overcome this is to have the counselee tell you about something s/he has overcome in the past. This can be done with an open ended question. Can you tell me about the last time you started a new job? How did you overcome the anxiety that time? How did the job turn out for you? If s/he starts thinking about it, s/he will convince him/herself that s/he can do this after all.
Church folks have a phrase for this as well. It is called a testimony. You know that time we used to give on Wednesday night for people to stand and say something for Jesus? Often these testimonies followed a pattern:
1. I had a problem.
2. I didn't know what to do.
3. I knew God had done it before.
4. I prayed and he did it again.
Did you notice the pattern? The person had to remind himself that he had come through a trial before and he would make it through again. Often the answer to the problem was simply getting rid of the "I can't attitude." There is something powerful about believing in oneself and one's own ability to get the job done.
We Christians have an even greater advantage. We are not just trusting in our own ability. We are trusting in an all powerful God who has an awesome track record. He has never lost a battle and never will. He is always in control and never lacks self confidence. Are you facing an obstacle today? Is there a difficult decision directly in your path? Are you uncertain of what to do? Don't despair. Just follow the above guideline with a few modifications.
1. I have a problem.
2. God knows what to do.
3. He has done it before.
4. He will will show me what to do (or not do) this time.
5. Therefore it is not a problem.
Above all, face the situation with an " God and I can" attitude. Remember, God is on your side. Together there is nothing you can't accomplish. Sometimes we wonder why God has not already worked out a certain situation for us. I believe it is often because he wants us to take the first step. Like a parent coaxing a child to try, God wants us to realize that we can. Sure, He is there to help us, but He can't help us if we won't try. "Believe in yourself" is not contrary to the word of God. "Believe in God and yourself" is an unstoppable combination.
Believe in yourself! God does and you should to.
I can,
Sullivan Jones