Author Archives: selfconfronter

True or False: There are Certain People I Cannot Forgive

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19. Name at lease five biblical truths you could tell a fellow believer who said that he “couldn’t forgive another.” List Scripture references.

1.   God’s nature is to forgive

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:6-8

2.   We are to be imitators of God

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. – Ephesians 5:1-2

3.   Therefore, we are to forgive out of the overflow of that from which we have been forgiven

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. – Ephesians 4:32

4.   We will remain under God’s punishment if we fail to love through forgiveness

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of goldh was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.i He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” – Matthew 18:21-35

5.   Refusing to forgive is sinful

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. – James 4:17

True or False: I Have a Right To Be Angry

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not necessarily…

18. List five ways in which you can know if your anger is a violation of Scripture. List verse references.

  1. Outbursts of anger are of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21)
  2. Lack of mercy (Eph. 4:32)
  3. Non-edifying words (Eph. 4:29)
  4. Harboring anger (Matthew 5:21-22)
  5. Failing to rejoice/pray/give thanks (1 Thes 5:16-18)

True or False: I Know I’m Going to Heaven Because I Prayed “The Prayer”

not necessarily…

17. List five statements (along with supporting verse references) that emphasize the need for a believer to be a faithful steward of the Lord.

  1. A believer must be demonstrating Christlikeness (1 Cor. 4:1-4)
  2. A believer must give glory to God (1 Cor. 10:31)
  3. A believer must study God’s Word (Psalm 119)
  4. A believer must use the body in accordance with God’s will (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
  5. A believer must use material resources in accordance with proper perspective (Matthew 6:19-21)

True or False: I Need to Love Myself More

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16. What is the primary problem with a believer emphasizing the “need” to have a “good self-esteem” or “positive self-image?” List at least five reasons (with supporting Scriptures) why a focus on self in any dimension is contrary to God’s Word.

These bits of worldy wisdom are under the heading of “self trust.” Psalm 49 says that the fate of people who trust in themselves will be subject to death feeding on them. Isaiah 25, however, promises that God will swallow up death for those who trust in Him. Nothing good is in us according to Romans 7, so trusting in ourselves is worthless! Romans 6:16-18 says that we are a slave to sin on our own. John 15:5 says that we can do nothing apart from Jesus. Proverbs 14:12 says that we might plan our ways but God directs our steps.

True or False: You Don’t Know What I’ve Been Through…

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15. List at least five biblical steps that must be taken in order to walk again in a manner worthy of the Lord after a person has sinned and has recognized it. (Give the supporting Scripture verses).

  1. Identify your failure; recognize the “put-off” components (Matthew 7:1-5)
  2. Confess your sin and pray (James 5:16)
  3. Recognize the “put-on” components (Eph. 4)
  4. Construct a plan for accomplishing the “put-ons” (Philippians 2:12-13)
  5. Live God’s way again (Revelation 2:12-13)

True or False: I Can’t Change; This is the Way I Am

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14. What does it mean to “put off the old” and “put on the new?” (Refer to Romans Chapter 6; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:5-15.)

Putting off the old means to get rid of unloving behavior (crucify the flesh), which God gives believers the power to do by His Spirit. Putting on the new means acting in love as the Spirit enables (new creation).

True or False: Bad Things Happen, God Is Dead

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13. Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:2-4 state that trials are for a believer’s good. In a brief paragraph, describe how you would explain this spiritual truth to someone who has lost hope in an extremely difficult trial.

Gold is not naturally purified. It takes a lot of heat to melt it so the dross separates and can be scraped off the top. The gold may not find the heat to be at all comfortable, but that’s because it doesn’t have the bigger perspective. God is purifying us, and He uses difficult trials to accomplish a great purity in us; if we persist in faithfulness, he will grow us to maturity–a new creation in which Love is fully formed!

 

True or False: If This is What I Want, Then God Made Me This Way

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12. List at least three “statements of hope” in I Corinthians 10:13. Then explain each of these statements as though you were telling someone how to have hope in any situation. Also explain how you would use this verse with an unbeliever.

“a. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. b. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. c. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

  1. temptations faced are common; many people have faced the situation you are experiencing
  2. God does not allow temptation beyond capacity; God is in control, and ensures that we do not face anything beyond our ability to withstand it
  3. God provides a way out in temptation so we can stand; God has equipped us to find the way out of any temptation we face

 

True or False: You’re OK If You Just Read Your Bible Everyday

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10. List five scriptural references that emphasize the importance of being a “doer of the word.”

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. John 3:36

Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. Revelation 22:12

… The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:25

Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord. Jonah 2:8-9

Jesus replied, “if anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. John 14:23-24

 

True or False: I Please God When I…

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9. List three reasons – with scripture references – why the natural man cannot please God.

1. The natural man is a sinner

… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… Romans 3:23

2. The natural man is inadequate and cannot comprehend God’s ways

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. I Corinthians 2:14

3. The natural man is rebellious

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with 10,000 rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruits of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does The Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:6-8

 

True or False: If I Don’t See Prayer Answered, There Is No God

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8. List three reasons – with scriptural references – why, under certain circumstances, you may not receive what you ask for in prayer.

1. He will not answer you if you pray in doubt.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. James 1:6-7

2. God’s grace is enough.

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was giving me a form in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, So that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, and difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. II Corinthians 12:7-10

3.God’s will may play out on a level above our understanding.

My father, if it is possible, maintenance cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. Matthew 26:39b

 

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

True or False: Prayer Doesn’t Actually Work

false; it may not be in our timing (and we may be praying our own will rather than His)

7. List five reasons – with scripture references – for the importance of prayer.

1. Prayer is important because it is God’s will for you.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

2. Prayer is important because it results in the fulfillment of desires of people who fear him.

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.  Psalm 146:18-19

3. Persistent prayer is important because God responds by bringing about justice.

Then Jesus told his disciples comparable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “in a certain town that was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a window in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this window keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her complaining!'” And the Lord said, “listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:1-8

4. Prayer is important because God hears.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him. I John 5:14-15

5. Prayer is important because it is a good work which is in line with God’s will.

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. I Timothy 2:1-4

 

True or False: My Problems are Too Much To Handle

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6. How does the Holy Spirit help you face and deal with your problems? List at least three scriptural references to support your explanation.

There are two choices when facing problems in life. The first employs our own thoughts, feelings, and desires–which lead to more problems. The second option, however, is to live by the Spirit, which gives us new passions and desires which are in line with God’s pure goodness rather than our perception of what we think is good. The outcome of the Spirit’s influence on a person’s life– love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control – is entirely different than the natural passions that people pursue in life– the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

But the counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name, will teach you all things remind you of everything I said. John 14:26

 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:1-17

 

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. The sinful nature desires what is contrary, in the spirit was country later. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you were led by the Spirit, you Are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, actions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I want you as it did before, that those who live like This will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the spirit. Galatians 5:16-25

 

True or False: Lasting Solutions to my Problems Exist Apart from the Bible

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5. In your own words, explain how you would tell a fellow-believer that God’s word is all that is necessary to solve any problem.

Any life problem you may have is solvable by applying the word of God. All problems come down to a rejection of the total control (Lordship) of Jesus in your life and a refusal to use the power available by God’s Spirit.

True or False: The Bible is Not Enough

 

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4. List three scripture references that tell of the total sufficiency of Scripture.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. II Timothy 3:16-7

 

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; and keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:7-11

 

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition in the basic principles of this world rather than Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given forms in Christ, is the head over every power and authority. Colossians 2:8-10

 

True or False: I Can Help People

likely false, unless…

3. List one scripture reference that specifically states you should judge yourself first before dealing with the problems of someone else.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust and your brothers I and paid no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there’s a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers.” Matthew 7:1-6

True or False: Eternal Life is Earned by Being a Good Person

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2. Explain how a person can receive the gift of eternal life, citing at least three scripture references to support your explanation.

A person receives the gift of eternal life when they turn from their own ways and follow Christ.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming pages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:1-10

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because she has not received in the name of God one and only son. This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen that what he has done has been done through God. John 3:16-21

 

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the Gospel. Colossians 1:21-23

 

True or False: Jesus is not the Only Way

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1. Write one verse in its entirety (and reference) that shows a person’s hopelessness apart from salvation provided through Jesus Christ. (Lesson 1, Pages 2-4)

There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23b-24

…and a bonus:

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Self-Confrontation: Open Book Test

As part of my training in learning to provide Biblical counseling (a far cry from psychological and so-called “Christian” counseling–not that they don’t have their place 🙂 ), I’m taking a Course Exam, an open-book test. The subsequent posts will each feature one of the questions along with my responses.

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The whole idea here is that anytime we open our mouths, we are providing counsel–whether that counsel is man’s way, God’s way, or neutral (if there is such a thing). What kind of counsel do you provide?