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Dr. Lynda Allison Doty Ph.D.
But I have to ask you this: Could it not be possible that God has ordained certain “psychological problems” as an instrument of growth for His people? And perhaps, also, for use as a cross—that instrument of death that we are to take up daily to follow Him? If that be so, then looking to psychology to make people feel better for awhile will deprive them of the growth that God desires for them. Whoever said that spiritual growth comes easy?
To compound the problem, the practice of psychology and counseling has become so enthroned that even fewer people feel qualified to help. I believe this is also a trick of the enemy. The society we now live in assumes that when a person has a need that involves the mind, it must be a psychological problem. We have been duped into believing that it is out of our province, but we need to take into account the total realm of reality: body, soul and spirit.
“But the counseling field has been divorced from the Word. In the minds of most people, counseling is a fundamentally different matter from preaching. The truths and methods employed in counseling are rarely conceived of as the ministry of the Word tailored to individuals.” (Counsel the Word David Powlison. Journal of Biblical Counseling 11.2, Winter 1993)
How many perfectly qualified men of God have sat down with a licensed counselor only to feel intimidated and inferior? This is hogwash, because the minister and the child of God have been called by the Almighty God Himself. Satan’s favored plan to immobilize the church of God is to send its leaders slinking off into a form of paralysis. Jerry Ensey advises, “Based on the conclusions reached concerning the nature of professional counseling today, pastors would be ill-advised to refer their people to a psychologist or psychiatrist. The mature Christian who is skilled in the Word of truth, motivated by love, and acting under the umbrella of his spiritual authority is competent to counsel, encourage and admonish. We should not think of certain human conditions as being ‘too difficult’ for pastors and biblical counselors to handle. The Word of God contains the principles and direct commands to confront and manage any problem.” (Ensey, J.R.: 1999. The Couch and the Cross. Willis, TX: Advance Ministries.)
Martin Bobgan underscores this: “One reason many pastors find themselves incompetent to minister God’s grace when members of their flock are experiencing problems is that they have been trained in just enough psychology to undermine their faith in God being able to