Telling Yourself the Truth in Ministry
****INCOMPLETE HANDOUT SAMPLE****
I am going to connect the dots between Freud’s obsession with the subconscious, the counsellors interest in childhood experiences, the devils language of lies, and Jesus’ nature of Truth.
My name is Joel Young, I am a counsellor and trainer and I do spiritual warfare everyday. Helping people turn from the lies they find in their subconscious to a Truth that will sustain and motivate them.
Foundations
We start out with a spirit and body. Our body pretty funny looking and out of proportion, and our spirit. God’s breath of life into us. Into this we immediately start building our personality and character. We are a like a sponges absorbing almost everything that goes on around us.
By the time we are two, we have learn about half of what we will learn in our entire life.
The problem is this. As adults we know that information is only accurate when in appropriate context. Grab those buns for me is only safe within the context of a meal, not in the company of a lady’s bottom. As adults we have plenty of context. We have experience to weigh new information and experiences against. As children we didn’t which means much of what we learnt about the world, life and people has been interpreted, and then stored in our subconscious incorrectly.
As children we were great observers of the world, but poor interpreters.
I call these misbeliefs or lies of the heart. Unfortunately these then provide the foundation that our mind is built on.
The foundation of our mind is based on our observations as a child.
When do you take the time to revisit the assumptions of your heart? The foundations of your mind? It is what the bible commands. What verse is it?
Romans 12:2 (NIV)
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
The things about these beliefs is that they lie below the surface. That is a pun. They LIE below the surface, in our subconscious. Most of the time you will have no idea of the lie, you will just see the effects of the lie in your life. X-Graph
Checking the Cobwebs
Remember these are just cobwebs. No point cleaning out the cobwebs if you don’t take care of the spider. Much time gets wasted on cobwebs. Mere actions and behaviour when it is actually underlying misbeliefs that are actually the cause of the problem.
King Lies – (5 Min)
Here are some common King Lies that can reside in your subconscious. Read them and see which ones might apply to you. Mark them, and declare war on them.
John 8:43 (NIV)
Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
This is War – Lies are the poison and Truth is the Cure.
Propaganda is his favourite tool. What was the first battle that he won?
Proverbs 4:2 (NIV)
Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it spring all the issues of life.
Ephesians 4:15(NIV)
Instead (of being deceived/blown by the wind), speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)
The tongue has the power of life and death
How did Jesus fight back against the lies he was being sold?
“It is written”
“I tell you the Truth” Over 50 times.
Luke 4:9
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written:”bla bla bla
The Deceiver will quote the bible to you and try to use it against you. I spend half my time in counselling delivering people from toxic religion.
Truth requires context. Without context scripture can be a lie that binds you.
Have a reliable epistemology. The bible is not enough to guide you to truth. Align biblical truth with other signposts to check that you have the correct interpretation of scripture. Know the truth so you can spot the lies. Know God so you know his nature. Observe life so you know what works. Apply knowledge to turn it into wisdom.
Journaling – Five Questions to Deliver Yourself from Lies
There is nothing like saying out loud, or writing down something to see it for what it is. I can’t stand the idea of writing letters instead of confronting in person, or journaling to help you process something. I would rather just get on with it. HOWEVER, I have found that writing stuff helps clarify. It is harder to be emotional and irrational when you are writing stuff down. Writing helps sort your thoughts. It opens up an opportunity for God to speak to you.
Here are five questions that I use in counselling, in my Living Wisdom school, and on myself, to help find out firstly where I am lying to myself, and secondly what the truth is.
Who is happy to volunteer to go through one of these on the whiteboard? It can be quite revealing but this is a trustworthy group and I will be gentle. It is a free 30 min counselling session on a topic of your choice.
I am not being rude, but I am not so interested in the situation (The web) but the feeling that got you? Anger? Disappointment? Sadness? Loneliness? Inadequacy? What did you feel?
Conclusion
I hope you have learnt something today. I hope I have inspired you to fall in love with the Truth and hate the lurking lies of the Deceiver. The Living Wisdom School that I run is all about the stuff I have been talking about today. It is the best way I know to get a checkup from the neckup. It runs as a night school from here at the bapo. If you are interested in it let me know. I also work as a counsellor from the Family Doctors and I am available if you find yourself, or somebody you are mentoring, is stuck on an issue in their life. Sometimes you can’t do surgery on yourself, and sometimes its best not to try. It is definitely best not to do surgery on your wife.
(C) Joel Young 2009
Some notes I have come accross since to help with writting sustainable truth into our minds.
- 1. It should embrace the true longing their enslaving belief falsely promises to fulfil.
A freeing belief never requires people to pretend life is better than it is or deny the pain of unfulfilled longings. - 2. It should withdraw the demand made by the enslaving belief.
A freeing belief withdraws any demand that people must control or change their circumstances or other people in order to survive or thrive.
- 3. It should dispute the demand.
A freeing belief provides one or more sensible reasons for no longer bowing to the demands of the enslaving belief.
Kevin D. Huggins PH.D., Friendship Counselling (p.197)