Three Questions That Can Change
Your Life
by Douglas Hoff
From time to time most preachers
are asked for help dealing with personal problems. A person recognizes he
is miserable and wants relief. He may have tried everything he can think
of but he still feels awful. It is at this point that some will come to a
preacher. While many preachers are not specifically trained in
counseling, these situations present a great opportunity to minister to people
who are hurting. Good preachers direct troubled souls to God’s word since
it has the answers to all of life’s issues:
(2 Peter 1:2-4; NKJV) “Grace
and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
{3} as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to
life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and
virtue, {4} by which have been given to us exceedingly great and
precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust.”
Notice Peter’s prayer for his readers (and that includes us
today) was that they might have God’s grace and peace multiplied in
their lives. But, this blessing comes only through the knowledge of God’s
will and this results only as one reads the
Bible. The scriptures address every facet of life since it comes from the One who created man. However, His Book must be
used for it to help (James
Unfortunately, some people think
counseling will not help them in their situations. Perhaps they have
tried other times with no success. The problem may not have been with the
counselor or the advice given but the ones seeking help. They may not
really want to change for the better.
An older preacher I know has on
occasion been asked to counsel people in distress. He told me that before
agreeing to spend much time with them he would ask three questions.
Unless all three answers are “Yes” he would politely inform them that he would
not be able to assist them. No doubt this approach has disappointed some
folks but I believe he is wise to ask.
So what are
these three questions that can change a person’s
life?
1. Do
you really want to do what is right?
2. Are you willing to let God’s word tell you what
is right?
3. Are you willing to do what is right as
soon as you learn the answer?
Even if each reply is “Yes” the
counselor may not be able to help much. Sometimes anguish is the result
of serious depression. There may be a physical cause such as a chemical
imbalance in the brain or head injury. If the preacher suspects this is
the case he may suggest seeing a doctor. Counseling and medication may
help the sufferer cope with and hopefully overcome this medical condition.
Sadly, some people will not be
helped by counseling because they answer “No” to the first question. They
may not verbalize it but their actions belie their real choice. Miserable
is the word that best describes their situation. Sin is the cause.
It may be their own or another party’s as in the case of a marriage or family
situation. When two or more parties are involved the difficulty of
obtaining a remedy is multiplied. This is especially true when a spouse
does not want counseling. Why do people choose to stay in sin when it
causes such grief? The Bible says sin has its pleasures (Hebrews
Other people, who answer “Yes”
to the first question will give a “No” to the
second. They are unwilling to seek help from God. This is nothing
but stubborn pride at work. It caused the ruin of the devil and it will
cause the loss of many precious souls (1 Timothy 3:6).
Instead of searching the scriptures they will look everywhere but the
Bible. The path to eternal life is found only in God’s word (John
Finally, there is a third group
of people who will answer “Yes” to the first two questions but “No” to the
last. To them, there is no urgency in obeying God’s will. Perhaps
they do not appreciate just how destructive sin is. These deluded souls
are waiting for a “convenient time” much like Felix was (Acts 24:25). There is no mention of him ever becoming a
Christian. I wonder why? Probably because that time never
came. That usually seems to be the case when there is no urgency in
forsaking sin. Consequently, they remain in their sin (Romans 6:1, 2). It is a tragedy for one to die in his sins for his soul
will be lost eternally (John
Will counseling really
help? It can if the person or persons seeking help can honestly answer
“Yes” to the three questions previously listed. The way to escape the
burden and guilt of sin is through obeying the gospel (1 Peter
Douglas Hoff, preacher
Flat Rock Church of Christ
(734) 782-2886 [office]
P.O. Box 12
Flat Rock, MI 48134-0012
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