Dear Friends in Christ,
At the beginning of August we witnessed a last-minute compromise by politicians to avert what many predicted would have started a world-wide depression. These politicians raised the debt limit once again so that we could remain solvent as a country. In one sense what they did brought temporary relief and only delayed the inevitable. We could liken their actions to a doctor offering a terminally ill cancer patient an aspirin and telling him that it will bring healing.
Sometimes, as Christians, we operate spiritually in the same way. We have struggles with sin, sometimes habitual problems with drugs, alcohol, or pornography and we want a band-aid instead of radical surgery. Pastors and Christian counselors today attempt to bring help to people through “aspirins” or temporary measures. Like our politicians we “fix” things, but offer no resolution of the real problem. The real problem for all of what ails us as believers is what the Bible calls the flesh. Romans 8:7-8 states the flesh is hostile toward God and cannot please Him. God is not interested in attempts to deal with the effects of the flesh, but wants death to the flesh. Our efforts at self-help programs, steps to this or that, and integrating psychology with Christianity only serve to strengthen fleshly resolve. God desires to break us of self-sufficiency, to free us from the flesh and drive us to trust Jesus Christ as our power to live the Christian life.
Our ministry remains committed to teaching people the truth of God’s Word in solving the sin problem. Whether in counseling, individual discipleship, or in group Bible studies, we proclaim the truth of the need for the cross, not only for forgiveness, but for freedom from self. When people no longer walk in dependence upon themselves, but instead trust the Lord, it impacts every area of their lives.
God uses crisis in our life in order to break us of our self-sufficiency. We want deliverance from our crisis, and to that end we pray and seek help. God remains committed to using the crisis as a means of dealing with our problem – the flesh. Almost everyone who comes to our ministry for counseling is in crisis of some kind. If we just help them cope with the crisis we hinder God’s purpose for the problem.
Two couples came for counseling recently. In both situations God used the marriage conflicts to cause the individuals to see their own flesh and desire freedom. The Lord continues His work in breaking all of the parties involved. Please pray for our counseling ministry, that God would keep us from hindering His work in lives, and that we would point people to the cross as the only answer for fleshly living.
At this point – the end of August – as happens each year, we see a reduction in normal giving to the ministry. In John 6 Jesus fed a multitude with the little boy’s five loaves (pancake size bread) and two fish (sardine size fish). This lad gave his snack to Jesus. If everyone gives a little, the Lord can do a lot! Will you pray about giving your little snack to help?
In Christ Our Life,
Dr. Jay Jackson
