Applied Biblical Counseling

Sacrifice

Robin Hulce — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 17:29:52 +0000

What do I know about sacrifice? I’m a proud American, I’m a rock, I’m an island, I feel no pain, I am free, I have my rights, I am independent, don’t tread on me, my choice, fix me now, I’m number one. I, me, my.

Seriously? How could it even be possible to consider self-sacrifice in this capitalistic society I am part of? As long as I am striving for more, doing the best I can every given moment, highly educated, working hard, houses, kids, vacations, savings, retirement, doing, doing, doing, I am probably considered successful in this culture.

How do I justify this with Romans 12:1: “I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE, really?? Psalm 51:17: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” BROKEN SPIRIT? BROKEN HEART? Ouch! Isn’t this a bad thing in our society? “Lord, help me get my head around this, how do I get me out of the way? Grant me that broken and contrite heart, help me to live a life of self-sacrifice, holy, walking in love for Your honor and glory in all I do and say.”

I love You God. I trust You God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Thank You God.

—Robin

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Thankfulness

Robin Hulce — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 15:34:16 +0000

To me, this is one of the basic foundational life points. Thankfulness is the direction of our heart that should be leading our paradigm. Thankfulness is actually an essential mental health matter that should dominate our activity. What if thankfulness was the beginning of everything that shapes our focus? Do I look at life as a problem or a gift? An opportunity or a threat? Misery or hope? Self or Jesus? Why don’t we just start with thankfulness?

If God has created all this — our universe, man, and everything in it for His good pleasure (Isaiah 46:10, Philippians 2:13) — and as a believer who accepts His supremacy, wouldn’t joining Him in this with a heart of thankfulness and joy bring peace to this mirror? Doesn’t acting out our lives in thankfulness acknowledge the sovereignty of God?

Lord, help the beginning of all I do, my heart and soul, be one of daily, moment-by-moment thankfulness for who and what You are.

I love You God. I trust You God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Thank You God.

—Robin

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Joy

Robin Hulce — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 06:42:49 +0000

In the past, I have wondered what joy is. What does it look like? How is it expressed or seen in my life? The more I have thought about this word, the more I have struggled with understanding it. Is it happy, happy? Is it fun, fun, fun? What does it look like really? How is joy revealed through my actions?

As I have struggled with this word or concept for many years, I have seen through multiple trials, suffering, and confusion, God, through these circumstances and by pushing me into His Word (Colossians 3:17, Deuteronomy 28:47) has shown me a path to joy. For me, the path to joy has been by fighting for and pushing through a consistent, purposeful, daily application of thankfulness. This is done routinely in writing, singing, and repentant self-talk. It really helps to maintain thankfulness in yucky situations.

Over time I have found a consistent heart of thankfulness to God displaces anger, bitterness, and negative speculations. It actually frees my heart, soul, and mind to a clear and obvious outward demeanor of joy. So it appears that joy is a choice. Choosing Jesus over self on a consistent, moment-by-moment basis. Maintaining a thankful heart of gladness for what Christ has done for me. True joy comes from God. Lord Jesus, fill me with Your joy, allow Your joy to shine through me. “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)

If we find ourselves lacking joy there is a good chance we are serving self. Because a selfless life serving Jesus will produce joy.

As I serve Jesus, keeping myself clean and clear from sin, there will be a joy about me. If Christ has covered all my sin past, present, and future, and my body of sin has been nailed to the cross with Christ, then when God looks at me He doesn’t see my sin, He sees Jesus’ sacrifice. Why wouldn’t I be joyful? I’m free, I’m free, I’m free!

I love You God. I trust You God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Thank You God.

—Robin

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Waiting On God

Robin Hulce — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 18:05:46 +0000

Could our waiting on God be unnecessarily difficult because we don’t know what we are waiting for? Our paradigm is this world, with all its temptations. In particular, our free society, with its lewdness and leisure constantly vying for our attention.

Doesn’t Scripture tell us that if we are in Christ we are not of this world? Doesn’t Scripture tell us that we have died and our life is hidden with Christ in God? Doesn’t Scripture tell us to set our minds on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, and not to set our minds on the things of this earth? Wouldn’t our waiting be easier if we got to know who and what we are waiting for? Wouldn’t a consistent, proactive time in His Word help?

I love You God. I trust You God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Thank You God.

—Robin

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Feelings

Robin Hulce — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 02:40:33 +0000

Feelings? Right? What do we men know about feelings? I know one thing about feelings — I seem to be moved and controlled by them a lot. So it makes me think, is this a good thing? Is this a bad thing? Or just a thing? If I think of feelings as just interacting with something perceived through touch, then if I feel or touch something with my hands or some part of my body, then I am using one of the five senses to determine if something is hard or soft, hot or cold, wet or dry, rough or smooth. Then feelings just becomes “a thing.” If I think of feelings as a sensitive, caring, helpful thought toward someone else, then feelings could be a “good thing.”

But that’s not really primarily what I’m talking about when I talk about feelings. I’m talking about my emotions — what moves me, what makes me happy, what makes me sad, what makes me angry, what makes me delighted, what gets me worked up. Mostly these feelings have a self-focused “I, me, my” quality to them, and this could be a “bad thing.”

As I looked through Scripture for counsel on my feelings, that word is not really used; however, the word that is used that seems to fit what I’m talking about is passion. And when Scripture talks about passion it is primarily in the negative. “A tranquil heart is life to the body, but passion is rottenness to the bones” (Proverbs 14:30). “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Colossians 3:5).

So what am I to do with these passions, these feelings? I’m thinking Colossians 3:12 has the answer, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Who is served by these feelings, these passions? Self? Or Jesus?

I love You God. I trust You God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Thank You God.

—Robin

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Success

Robin Hulce — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 02:53:08 +0000

Success, hmm… What is it? Where does it come from? I think this is another one of those words where it depends on your starting point. Whose perspective defines it? If we look at this through a cultural perspective, there are vastly different criteria to measure success. In sports, winning seems to be the definition of success. In business, the one who makes the most money may be considered successful. In music, in beauty pageants, in education, in space exploration, (let’s go to the moon, let’s go to Mars), in public opinion (he who has the most votes wins), and on and on — as long as we are striving for and attaining more, more, more, that seems to be lauded as success.

Is this right? What is the truth? What is success really? What if we looked at this word through our “self or Jesus” filter. What has God revealed to us about this potentially narcissistic word? Everything I see in Scripture indicates that true success comes from God and through the study of and adherence to His laws, through a life of steadfast love and faithfulness. Trusting in the Lord with all our heart and not leaning on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). This whole success thing seems to start with the basic acquisition of wisdom, which is one of those cool things that God wishes to give with no preconditions. All we need to do is ask (James 1:5). Lord God, grant me wisdom and grant me success brought to life by and through You.

I love You God. I trust You God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Thank You God.

—Robin

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Salvation

Robin Hulce — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 14:37:28 +0000

This is a pretty presumptuous word. It presumes that someone is lost and needs saving. This presumes a negative. This presumes we are bad. This presumes that we all are sinners—conceived and born in sin. Which would make us lost. Hmm… That’s not a popular thought. We would rather think that we are good, or at least mostly good. And if we are good or mostly good, then we can build on that and be better each day. That’s not what God’s Word says. God’s Word says that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Bummer. Now what?

That is why we need a Savior! Hmm… All right then. What to do? Is this fixable? Again, God gives us the answer. It’s pretty simple really. Romans 10:13 says, “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” And Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Sweet! I believe this, I confess this. Lord, help me grow to understand more fully what this means for this life here and now. Let the truth of this Salvation bring glory to You.

I love You God. I trust You God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Thank You God.

—Robin

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Heart

Robin Hulce — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 18:55:12 +0000

I have come to find out that in looking through God’s Word and trying to understand the human condition, this word “heart” is used over 1,000 times and is one of the most significant words in all of Scripture. This is not the physical organ that pumps blood around our body. “Heart” refers to much, much more. It is the seat of our conceptions, our conscience, the center of our will, our thoughts, our intentions, desires, plans, and understanding. It is the center of feelings and emotions—joy, sorrow, happiness, sadness, and anger. It is the source of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. It is the center for physical, emotional, intellectual, and moral activities. Everything that makes us, us. This is what God searches. This is what God tests. This is what God will reward. He will give to each one according to his deeds (Jeremiah 17:10). If God understands and tests everything I ponder, plan, think, and do anyway, who am I fooling? If I trust my own emotional, intellectual, and moral activities, my own understanding and physical strength, and acknowledge my own ways, then according to God’s Word (Proverbs 3:5-6) I am fooling myself and anyone who comes in contact with me who does not see the sincere self-sacrificing love of Christ shining through. Ouch! Lord, forgive me for being so self-hearted. Help me to truly give my whole heart to You—trusting and acknowledging You with the fullness of my conceptions, intentions, emotions, physical life, desires, plans, and intellectual activities—with everything that makes me, me.

I love You God. I trust You God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Thank You God.

—Robin

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Trust

Robin Hulce — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 18:51:34 +0000

This is such a simple, easy word — trust. But believe it or not, this little word really tripped me up for a time. The problem was, I misapplied it. Oh! It did not start out that way. I think my expectations were fair, my motivations pure. I had expectations and trust in work, in my parents, in my wife, in key spiritual leaders in my life, and in the multigenerational component of educating our children at home. Don’t get me wrong, having trust in these things may not be a bad thing. Matter of fact, we should be able to trust these things.

The problem was, with me, over time I allowed these things to become my focus of trust, my source of comfort, rest, and delight, leaning towards pride. So if one of these things would take a strong step sideways, I would get rattled and confused. Then, of course, given my “let’s fix everything nature,” I would spend an inordinate amount of time trying to get things back in line. Seriously, I’ve lost years in this endeavor, letting my focus be distracted by something other than God. Grrr…

Why wouldn’t I just listen to Scripture, resting in God’s Word where it says, “TRUST ME” in verses like these: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 29:25, Psalm 118:8) Why don’t I just embrace Psalm 37:5 and “commit my way to the Lord, trust Him, and He will act.” All right, God, help me properly apply Your Word consistently. Help me TRUST IN YOU in everything…

I love You God. I trust You God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Thank You God.

—Robin

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