NEIL ANDERSON DAILY DEVOTIONAL
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

January 6

AN INDISPENSABLE PREREQUISITE

Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3 NIV).

The focus of my ministry, both as a pastor and a seminary
professor, has been the interrelated ministries of discipling and
Christian counseling. I have been a discipler and a counselor of
countless individuals. I have also taught discipleship and
pastoral counseling at the seminary level and in churches and
leadership conferences across the country. Much of my interaction
with people has been to expose the insidious reality of Satan’s
relentless assault of deception on the Christian’s mind. He knows
that if he can keep you from understanding who you are in Christ,
he can keep you from experiencing the maturity and freedom which
is your inheritance as a child of God.

I am intrigued by the overlap of the ministries of discipling and
counseling. Christian discipleship focuses on truth and tends to
be future-oriented, provoking spiritual growth and maturity.
Christian counseling considers the past to correct problems and
address areas of weakness. Your past has shaped your present
belief system and will determine your future unless it is dealt
with. Biblically, discipleship and counseling are not separate
ministries. Both are intensely personal ministries which are
necessary to apply the truth to set people free from their past
and establish them complete in Christ.

Furthermore, it is my conviction that discipleship and counseling
must both start where the Bible starts: with a knowledge of God
and our identity in Christ. If we really knew God, our behavior
would change radically and instantly. That’s what happened in
Scripture. Whenever heaven opened to reveal the glory of God,
individual witnesses were immediately and profoundly changed. I
believe that the greatest determinant of mental and spiritual
health and freedom is a true understanding of God and a right
relationship with Him. A good theology is an indispensable
prerequisite to a good psychology.

Father, I am eternally grateful to You that in Christ I am a
saint dwelling in the heavenlies instead of a sinner wallowing in
the mud.

This daily devotional is published and distributed by
http://www.GOSHEN.net/ . It is written by Neil Anderson at
http://www.freedominchrist.com/ .