One of the main objections I hear when I talk about good-news teaching is that it sounds soft on sin and the need to obey God. When I say that teaching absolutely free grace in Jesus leads us to obey him out of gratitude, from the heart, people sometimes think it sounds like I’m saying we don’t have to obey unless we feel like it. That’s not true at all! We must daily say no to sin even if that...
No one gets mad at God for something small. When we’re angry with God, it is because we’ve faced something immensely hard. Anger is an often-overlooked part of grieving, and as such, is an appropriate response to profoundly painful events. In Angry with God: An Honest Journey through Suffering and Betrayal, counselor Brad Hambrick provides readers with a guided process to being honest with God...
Lament is an important part of the redemption/healing process when pornography has devastated lives. I hope to convince you of the value of grieving losses in general. More specifically, I want you to make sure that three kinds of grief are taking place in your home. First, let your wife grieve the losses and pain she has experienced because of your sin. Second, learn to grieve with her; show her...
When it comes to emotions, we seem disposed to extremes, even in the Christian world. Some of us act as if emotions are a result of the fall, so we stuff them or ignore them. Others of us act as if emotions are king, and we allow them to rule us. Some of us as biblical counselors seem to view emotions as not worthy of being considered part of the image of God. We accept that God created us with a...
Most people are familiar with the story of Job. Job was a good and prosperous man who loved God. But what started out as an ordinary day for Job suddenly turned into his worst nightmare, as he was flooded with wave upon wave of tragic news (Job 1). One at a time, messengers delivered devastating reports (paraphrased here): “Enemies stole your oxen and donkeys and killed your servants who tended...
