I wrote this for my prayer group ladies because it finally dawned on me that many Christians are receiving unbiblical counsel from their therapists. I used to be perplexed by the similar divorce rates in the church and the secular world. Now I believe I have the key to that question.

When my daughter chose Indiana University, 12 hours away from our home, I wasn’t pleased about it. I was even mad at my husband for showing her colleges that were so far away in the height of the pandemic. I hoped and prayed that she would go somewhere much closer. However, she decided upon IU. 

When you are concerned and worried about important matters and family members; who is your first go-to individual? As a Christian, I hope your immediate answer is God. During my times in prayer, it was clear to me that God wanted me to release Alex and let her go to IU. 

Once you receive a direction and peace from God about an important matter or family member; then after, you need to ask godly and mature believers to pray for you and the decision too. I also like to receive prayers from my church pastors. More godly people praying, the better and safer! There will always be confirmation in variety of ways. The most important confirmations are from the Bible. Other confirmations that I receive are through a sermon, someone’s prayers, worship song, etc. God is always faithful to grant you peace and confidence if you want to know His direction so that you will obey His instruction. 

This past Wednesday in our prayer meeting and it was my turn to pray, I was praying about the great mental health crisis that is happening in our youth and the great lack of therapists available for them. I thought I was going to ask God to provide more therapists. Instead, I saw a vision of a very long line of young people waiting in a single line to get their chance to see a therapist. Then these scriptures came up in my mind: 

Isaiah 55:1-2 

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food“

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2055&version=ESV

Then as if I was a prophet, I declared in the prayer call – “tell my people (believers of Jesus Christ) to come to me (God) and not rely upon another who cannot satisfy them and who cannot quench their thirst. Tell them to get out of the line and come to me!”

Then I saw some young people getting out of their line and going towards Jesus. Therapy is a good resource but it should be a temporary solution, not a permanent foundational support if you are a child of God. Also I firmly believe that if you are using a therapist as a Christian then you should only use a Christian therapist. Why? Because a therapist advises and counsels you on so many important life matters and decisions. Plus a Christian therapist will pray for you after the session, and I’m sure they will continue to pray for you during their private prayer times.

Right before the pandemic, I wanted to talk with a therapist because I felt greatly challenged by my leadership roles, raising teenagers and my marriage too. My husband was okay with that and so I found a Christian therapist in the Transformed by Grace group. They matched me up with someone, and I was very much looking forward to this blessing. But once my husband realized that it was a Christian therapy group, he was not pleased. He asked me to find a non-Christian therapist. I’m mature enough in the word of God to know that this was not an option. And so I told God, “well then, you just have to fill me with more wisdom and power. I cannot handle this workload and the stress. It won’t look good for you too, if I fall apart in public or to my family.” (Lol I had to add this in.)

Boy, I had no idea in only a month that the biggest tsunami was coming to the entire world! The pandemic lockdown happened. It was during that period, we pivoted to prayer by teleconference calls and we prayed daily – Monday to Friday. We kept this up for about a year even through that summer. That’s why I tell you the truth that our children’s schools received a ridiculous amount of our prayers – especially their high school.

Since my daughter is now at Indiana University, my heart yearned to pray with other parents of this university. And so, I created a Facebook group to find other IU Christian parents to pray with. I was hoping to find a few. Today there are 449 members in this group and a small group of us pray together on Friday mornings. If you want to join our group to see how I manage this group and to use/share the spiritual resources that I post, please feel free to join the group. Perhaps you can create your own Facebook group to gather parents to pray for your child’s college too. Here is the link if you want to join us and to check us out:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/iuparentprayer/?ref=share_group_link

Yesterday I heard this sermon by one of the pastors at TSC. I didn’t realize that he is also a Christian therapist. He just came back from an international conference for Christian counselors and he said the mental health crisis is worldwide and in all age groups. He offers advice and good testimonies in this sermon. I was also thinking – imagine if he was your therapist, what prayers you would receive! 

http://sermons.tsc.nyc/the-miracle-of-multiplication/

Please listen to this sermon too. It’s about the importance of inter-generational support for believers in the church. I really value the older ladies in my Bible study group. There are several ladies, ages 70 to 86 with long years of following God. I need their support, prayers and testimonies. My mom used to be my elderly counsel but now as I have become wiser in the Bible I now see that despite her great love for me, her counsel has been ungodly and poor in key times of my life. God has used even this for my good by making me study the Bible A LOT so I can confidently stand firm against my mom’s poor counsel. I don’t know about your mom but my mom is a strong influencer in her subtle ways. I think moms are very powerful influencers to her children. Although it sure doesn’t feel like that for me with my own children. 😂

Please make sure that for the sake of your children, you are filled to brim with godly wisdom in the Bible and lots of prayer partners. If you are not filled to brim with wisdom from the Bible, that’s okay you have prayers. But just keep your counsel limited, other than praying please. Allow God to counsel and guide your children.

http://sermons.tsc.nyc/bridging-the-churchs-generational-gap/

Whenever I get tired of the trials and tests of life and ministry work, I daydream about heaven for a little while. I just discovered this podcast by a ministry group that serves the regions of former USSR. I came upon this ministry group when the war started in Ukraine. This podcast is about three elderly sisters who loved and served God to the end. It was so beautiful. They are now in retirement together in heaven. Please listen to their many short podcasts. Their lives and stories put our trials in the USA in perspective.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sga-encountering-hope/id1686953190?i=1000628972782

Since we are on Ukraine, I discovered this church in Kyiv, Ukraine when the war started. I tried to follow him real-time in the beginning of the war but it’s hard to follow someone when they speak a different language. 😂 He has a really incredible testimony and his older teachings translated in English are great too. Here is his church and ministry website:

https://inspiration.org/tv/ministry/voice-of-victory-with-pastor-henry-madava

That’s about it for this week. Happy studying! God bless you abundantly.

Proverbs 18:10 (AMPC)

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the [consistently] righteous man [upright and in right standing with God] runs into it and is safe, high [above evil] and strong.