But go and learn what this means, “I desire compassion, and not
sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13).

I used to ask my seminary students two questions:

1 What attributes, strengths and characteristics would you look
for in a person with whom you could share your deepest
personal problems?

2 Would you be willing to commit yourself to become that kind
of person–someone others could confide in?

The essential prerequisite for a Christian counselor is to become
the kind of person with whom others feel confident in sharing the
problems of their present and past. Christian counseling doesn’t
require a college degree, although those who counsel
professionally can be greatly helped by receiving Bible-based
training. Whether you sit on the platform or in the pew, whether
you sit at a desk in a counseling clinic or at a dining room
table, God can use you to minister to people with problems if you
are compassionate.

You can’t really help a person unless you hear his whole story,
and you won’t hear it unless you are the kind of person he can
trust. People don’t care how much we know until they know how
much we care. Compassion is not a question of learning a
professional technique; it’s a question of Christian character
and love.

Counseling seeks to help people deal with the present by
resolving conflicts from the past. Many of these conflicts relate
to areas of bondage where Satan-induced strongholds have been
erected in the mind. People cannot grow and mature because they
are not free. The goal of Christian counseling–whether done by a
pastor, a professional counselor, or a friend–is to help people
experience freedom in Christ so they can move on to maturity and
fruitfulness in their walk with Him.

Lord, increase my compassion so I can be an effective counselor
of others. Keep me from jumping to self-righteous conclusions.

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