Are You Ready to Counsel These Things in 2021?
Call these among the worst predictions made:
“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” [Ken Olsen, Founder, Chairman and President of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977.]
“Well informed people know it is impossible to transmit voice over wires and that, were it possible to do so, the thing would be of no practical value.” [Boston Post 1865.]
“The telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” [Western Union internal memo 1876.]
“Next Christmas the iPod will be dead, finished, gone, kaput.” [Sir Alan Sugar, February 2005.]
Google won’t make it — ‘Let’s see if they still want to run the business in two or three years.’ [Bill Gates, on Sergey Brin and Larry Page, 2003.]
“…U.S. health leaders like Anthony Fauci told us there was little to worry about from the virus here and that the risk in the U.S. was ‘miniscule.’” [Forbes, 2020]
All those examples illustrate that it is impossible to know the future—even the short-term future. So all those predictions being made today about what will life be like in the next 12 months? And what changes or additions will be made in your life? And what God will do in the coming year? It’s impossible to tell. No man knows the future—no palm reader, no crystal ball, no horoscope, and no bio-rhythm chart. Even after the folly of predictions made in January 2020, some will still be attempting this month to peer into the future to see what events might occur in the next 12 months. But no one knows the future. Tea leaves are only good for making tea, not revealing the future and fortune cookies are only helpful as an after-dinner favor, not for informing of impending fortune. Only God knows the future.
That being said, we do know that there are a variety of kinds of circumstances that we undoubtedly will face in life in the coming 12 months. We do not know the specifics, but we can anticipate the generalities. We know that we will be happy and laugh, we will be sad and afraid, we will be weary and have to sleep, and will face some kind of illness—anything from a simple cold or allergy to cancer or heart disease. We will hear of good news and favor for others and we will hear tragic tales of despair and feel hopeless to help. We know, that despite all our best intentions that we will sin. And all these events are to produce maturity in us.
First Peter 1:13 says that we are to “prepare our minds for action…” Because of what Christ has done for us, we are to prepare ourselves for the sufferings of Christ and the glorious things to come in eternity. We are to be prepared for any eventuality of life so that what happens will produce God-desired maturity. This is true and appropriate for all believers. And biblical counselors, who are graced to help others in their troubles, must be prepared for the action of pursuing holiness themselves—and they must also be prepared to help others pursue holiness in the eventual calamities of their lives.
Have you made plans for your holiness in the coming year? No one becomes accidentally holy. Someone who is sanctified is sanctified because he was intentional in pursuing holy desires and practices. And if anyone has helped someone else become holy, it is because he or she has considered the best means to help others grow in holiness.
So, what are the kinds of things that await all of us this year? And what are some things we can begin doing to cultivate holiness in those eventualities? Here is a list of ten things that both you and your counselee will undoubtedly face and how to use them to grow in Christ. Be attentive to what is coming and purposeful in your responses to these eventualities. [I write this to help you think about your coming challenges, but you can easily adapt what has been written to help others also.]
In the coming year, you will sin. You probably won’t make it past today without sinning (for instance, consider the high call of 1 Corinthians 10:31). Because that is true, plan now to repent. Cultivate now—before you sin—an attitude and desire that is quick to confess and that is desirous of transformation. And then be aggressive and quick to genuinely repent (2 Corinthians 7:9-10; 1 John 1:9; James 5:16). Obviously we want to sin as little as possible. But we will not be sinless on earth. Which means that we must be quick to repent instead of quick to defend, excuse, and justify our sin.
In the coming year, you will be sinned against. Be ready to forgive that sin. Plan now [both those words are intentional] to not harbor bitterness and anger and resentment. God is using the sin of others in your life to shape you into the image of Christ by exposing your own sinful desires, your weaknesses, and the grace of restoration that comes through humble forgiveness. Like Christ, be ready to forgive immediately and fully when confession is offered (Proverbs 19:11; Luke 17:3; Ephesians 4:31-32).
In the coming year, you will observe the sins of others. Many of us are reticent to do this, but it may be that we have been privileged to observe someone’s sin so that we can be the ministering agent of gracious confrontation (Matthew 18:15ff; 2 Samuel 12:1ff). Often our first impulse is to run from confrontation, but gracious help for sinners (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15) is a godly impulse, and we are wise to follow it.
In the coming year, you will have some opportunities for success. Do not treasure the success more than you treasure Christ and do not let the success make you apathetic and forgetful of God. Or do not suppose that God is only “good” when you are blessed with “treasures” and not as good when you are not. God is always good and sometimes He also graces us with extras. “Success” can lead us to idolatry, if we are not careful. (There are pressures and expectations and demands that come with success that are far more costly than most of us realize.) So never let the accumulation of the trappings of success confuse you about the centrality of Christ. He is our life. If we have Christ, and nothing else, we are successful; if we have everything and do not have (fellowship with) Him, we are unsuccessful.
In the coming year, you will have some measure of failure and you will experience some lack. We are particularly aware of this reality because of the fallout from the 2020 shutdowns, but this is always true. Our failures (which are not necessarily sin) will always result in ongoing needs and loss of what we have. Do not despair. As a believer, you have treasures and blessings that cannot be taken away, that are being preserved and kept by the sovereign God, and that will never rust or decay. Be content with what God has allotted you. If you have food and covering, you have enough. Godliness is of far more value (can you say, “eternal value?”) than earthly gain (1 Peter 1:3-9; 1 Timothy 6:6-8).
In the coming year, you will have ministry opportunities for which you feel inadequate. It is good to experience inadequacy because we are inadequate in ourselves for every task given to us by God. And the sooner we recognize our inadequacy, we will flee to God in dependence on Him, and find that He will equip and prepare and sustain us in all that He calls us to do. Remember 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:6. Our inadequacy is designed to make us recognize God’s adequacy.
In the coming year, you will have ministry opportunities for which you feel adequate. Do not be deceived. Your adequacy is not in yourself. Whatever you do, you do only by the grace and empowerment of God (2 Corinthians 4:7). Never forget that what is valuable is what is inside you—the treasure of the gospel. What is valuable is not you yourself—every servant is only a common vessel, a 99¢ clay pot from the home improvement store. Be grateful for encouragement and affirmation that comes from “successful” service, but don’t ever be confused about who is doing the work—it is the grace of God and the Holy Spirit (Philippians 2:13).
In the coming year, you will have some measure of suffering. It may be an illness, or the death of a loved one, or the loss of some position or possession, or an attack on your character, but in some way, you will experience an opportunity to lament and grieve. Here are three principles to guide you in your suffering:
In every trial, God will sustain you (2 Timothy 4:17-18): be confident in and trust Him.
In every loss, you have an opportunity to fill up and demonstrate the sufferings of Christ to a watching world (Colossians 1:24): give thanks that you are worthy to suffer for Him and in Him.
In every suffering, you have an opportunity to experience the fellowship of Christ that cannot be known without that suffering (1 Corinthians 10:13; Philippians 3:8-11): rejoice (yes, rejoice) in the grace of His presence and His work in you.
In the coming year, you will have questions that seem unanswerable. The Bible may not give answers to every question of life (“Should I marry Sally or Sue?” “Should I move to Tacoma or Tucumcari?”). But the Bible does provide us with truth that will change our hearts and minds and make us to know the Lord. And as we know Him and experience His transforming grace in our lives, we will desire to please Him in all things and that will produce decisions that are wise. So delight yourself in Him and desire Him more than anything else, and you will make decisions that will reflect the wisdom of wanting Him more than anything else—and questions will then be answered (Psalm 27:4, 8; 37:4-5; Romans 12:1-2).
In the coming year, you will be tempted to grumble or complain. Instead, cultivate gratitude in all things. First Thessalonians 5:16-18 is not written in a vacuum. It is written to a church that is suffering (1 Thessalonians 1:6; Acts 17:3ff). Be grateful. Be grateful in everything (we don’t need to give thanks for everything that happens, but we do need give thanks in every circumstance). God has decreed and willed this for you. Be grateful because:
God is transforming you into the likeness of Christ.
Regardless of what you have lost, you cannot lose what has been given to you by Christ.
No matter the depth or length of your troubles, you can experience the sustaining grace of Christ every day.
Even when you are weak, you can serve and be an instrument of grace to others.
In summary, remember that in all the events of the coming year, God is weaving them together to produce your spiritual maturity. God is far more concerned in making our character godly than our lives comfortable. And He uses all the circumstances of our lives to produce conformity to Christ (Romans 8:28-29).
Another version of this post appeared earlier at Words of Grace.