Biblical Counseling Insights

Life Discipleship Resources from Dr. Henry Brandt

Finding Contentment

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A gentleman came to see me who was extremely mad at his wife. “I hate to come home from work,” he said, “because I know that when I turn into the driveway, if my wife got there ahead of me, she will have her car parked smack in the middle of the carport. I have asked her time and time again to please either park her car to the left or the right of the carport, but no, she always parks in the middle! We have two cars, and there is room for both in that carport. But if she comes home ahead of me, her car is parked in the middle of the carport. She makes me so mad.”

Every night he has a decision to make. Either he will simply leave his car parked in the driveway, or he will back her car out of the carport, move it over, and drive his in. According to him, you see, his whole demeanor, peace of mind, and joy depends upon a choice that his wife initially makes.

Is this true? [Read more…]

Life in Christ

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Life in Christ“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).

The law of sin pulls us downward. It causes us to miss the mark that we set for ourselves. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, however, pulls us upward.

You cannot pass a law that forces me to love you or to have a heart filled with joy. You cannot order me to be a peaceful man. You can force me to act like I love you. You can describe what a joyful person should look and require everyone to look that way. But you cannot pass a law that orders me to cease being angry, hateful, or lustful. You can only pass a law that limits the way I can behave when I am angry, or hateful, or lustful. You cannot legislate the condition of anyone’s heart. There is a vast difference between a cheerful manner and a cheerfulness that emanates from the Spirit. [Read more…]

How to Deal with Your Anger

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How to Deal with Your AngerAnger is a universal problem. I have observed it in the primitive cannibals in Irian Jaya, uncivilized Indians in the remote jungles of Brazil, illiterate people in tiny villages deep in the forest of Zaire, my playmates when I was a child, in my parents, church members, pastors, highly educated people, the very rich, people in government, and yes, even in myself. Call it what you will:  mad, angry, frustrated, annoyed, perturbed, ticked off–all of these words represent a form of anger.

You cannot decide to be angry. You can take elaborate precautions to avoid being angry. But, alas, sooner or later, anger underneath your skin is triggered by a memory, someone’s behavior, a conversation, a phone call, or a letter. It can cause your heart to beat faster, make you sweat, tense up your muscles, foul up your digestive system, alter the way you think, dictate how you act, and trigger negative words from your mouth.

There seems to be universal agreement that anger must be tamed. Yet there is vast disagreement over the cause and the cure. [Read more…]

Facing the Sin in Your Life

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Facing the Sin in Your LifeDoctors, psychologists, government officials and educators all agree that the human heart must be tamed. And almost all the people in these fields start from the premise that the solution to these problems depends on human intelligence, the scientific method, and social and cultural interaction. There is no deity to save us. There are no fixed standards to go by. We must help ourselves.

However, this is a false premise. We can depend on faith in a living God. Our problems are the result of deviation from His standards, otherwise called sin. It is true; we cannot help ourselves. But God has made provision for such a change. We need a change of heart as a starting point. [Read more…]

Is There Really a Law of Sin?

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Is There Really a Law of SinIn grade school, I learned about an invisible law called gravity. It was on the playground where eight swings were installed side by side. We had a contest to see who could make his swing go the highest. I was standing up on my swing, and at a point where it was as high as it could go, I slipped—and I kept on going up and clear out of sight.

Do you believe that? No, thanks to the law of gravity, I came down so hard the impact broke one of my teeth.

Wouldn’t it be difficult if gravity worked only part of the time? Imagine walking in your neighborhood and never knowing for sure whether you would fly up or come down. Fortunately we can depend on the law of gravity. And though you can’t touch it or see it, if you jump out of a window, you will feel it.

You would not say, “I don’t believe germs exist,” just because you can’t see them. When you are sick, you experience the effects of germs. Even though you can’t see them, you do not deny that they exist.

These invisible powers are explained through science according to predictable laws. There are also biblical laws that affect our interactions. [Read more…]

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