ChristianCounsel with Rob Jackson

Does God Take a Personal Interest in Us?

2009-08-06T03:23:00Z

It's only natural that when life gets hard we ask, "Does God care?" Recently I found a scripture that is so relevant to this question. Let me share it with you:

"You have kept count of my tossings (or wanderings); put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?...This I know, that God is for me." Psalm 56:8, 9b (ESV)

Whatever your circumstances I hope you find more of God's perfect peace.

What's Your Success Rate?

2009-07-31T03:02:00Z

I'm often asked by first time callers about my success rate. In any words, when a sexual addict (and his wife if he's married) works with me, does he really recover? And to be honest, it's hard to say, because true recovery is not just shake-and-bake-better behaviors, but a changed heart that increasingly reflects God over the span of a lifetime.

Callers also ask me which approach to recovery is best. What about SA? Celebrate Recovery? What about this type of therapy versus another? Well, here's the scoop - I don't think a perfect formula exists. But I do believe that recovery occurs only in Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who indwells us, is the primary agent of our recovery. So in any event, make God the center of your recovery approach and your life.

Take a look at Merton's thought on the Christian life, which applies equally to Christian recovery and the problem of sex addiction:

" The spirit of man must first subject itself to grace and then it can bring the flesh in subjection both to grace and to itself. 'If by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live' (Romans 8:13)...Those, then, who put their passions to death not with the poison of their own ambition but with the clean blade of the will of God will live in the silence of true interior peace, for their lives are hidden with Christ in God. Such is the meek 'violence' of those who take Heaven by storm."
p. 96-97, No Man Is an Island

My prayer is that every child of God, whether addicted or not, learns that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit is the one true source of recovery that lasts.

A Day of Rest

2009-07-27T04:57:00Z

This morning I began my day hiking in the open space near our house. I have to admit that I was out of the house at 8:00 AM only because my 14 year-old son is more energetic than I am. Thanks to his nudge, we had two hours to enjoy the beauty of God's creation before heading out to church. The whole experience was the perfect prelude to corporate worship.

Only in recent years have I begun to experience these precious moments of integration. The physical exertion of the hike awakened my body far better than sitting in a chair as I do most days as a counselor. The quiet, the color, and the textures of nature awakened my mind far better than big box stores, the radio, and driving on I-25. And my spirit was captivated by the Creator's exquisite signature.


Indian Paintbrushes	Yucca

I know that by the time you read this entry, it probably won't be Sunday evening as it now while I blog. Most likely you and I are going to be back at it - pressed and busy. Just remember, however, that the Spirit of Sabbath rest is alive and well within us. I pray that with spiritual eyes we are taken by his beauty.

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to meditate in His temple. Psalm 27:4 (NASV)