Daily devotion -no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
1 Cor 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Over the years as a pastor, we have often been called by complete strangers to the Church if we might help with some counselling. Usually it’s for a marriage or a youth situation, often a troubled young boy or girl in their teen years.
If someone comes to sees us about a matter in their life at Church, the first thing we must do is discover the nature of the problem. Even though they may have attended a service or more, you have to determine whether the person is a believer or whether they are not a Christian.
This will then determine what you are going to do. If a man or women is NOT a Christian, you cannot give them spiritual help. The first thing you have to do is to help them to become a Christian.
That is essential first: and it is only then that you can apply your spiritual teaching to that particular problem. If they are not a Christian, it is idle for you to apply spiritual teaching. You can recommend they see a professional to deal with their situation if that be the case.
The business of the pastor as a Christian minister is to be a specialist in dealing with spiritual problems, It is no use talking to people in a spiritual way unless they have spiritual understanding, and such understanding is the result as Paul teaches us, of a spiritual re-birth, which is produced by the preaching of the Gospel – 1Pe 1:23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
The problem that lays at the foundation of all such needs for counselling sits in two basic areas:
1. The person’s relationship or lack of one with the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Sin.
If our relationship is off centre with Christ and His work on the Cross, so too will all other areas of our lives be out of order, especially in the area of relationships.
Sin lays at the core of every issue, are we living a life in obedience to Christ or am I simply playing a dangerous religious game with my soul.
Let each of us recognise that the heart of the problem is always the problem of the heart.
Let us each and every day, if we are children of God, walk in humility and repentance, constantly acknowledging God’s grace and His mercy to us as repentant sinners saved by His grace alone!
Eph 5:15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
Lastly, let us pray for the families of the six hostages brutally murdered by the evil terrorist regime Hamas.
Our hearts break for theses poor Jewish families!