Biblical Counseling Today: Recent Episodes
John Kwasny
There is nothing harder to do in this life than to tame our tongues. What makes it so difficult?
Should Christians ever use their tongues to judge others? What is the difference between judgment and discernment?
One thing we all need as human beings is encouragement. Why is it so hard to give people the encouragement they need?
Christians should be the best listeners on the planet, right? Why is good listening such a challenge for us?
We all like to be praised and dislike criticism. What does God’s Word say about these two types of communication?
What can we do about the problem of talking too much? Or, what if we have the opposite problem?
Christians need to move from words that shame to words that correct and restore another person.
What place do joking, mocking, and teasing have in the communication arsenal of the Christian? Is it all just ridiculing that must be avoided?
Is gossip just a normal part of human society? Or is it a destructive form of communication that doesn’t belong among Christians?
Is gossip just a normal part of human society? Or is it a destructive form of communication that doesn’t belong among Christians?
How can God’s people struggle with lying and deception when God is the God of all truth?
How can God’s people struggle with lying and deception when God is the God of all truth?
Communication is a gift from God. It is also a necessity in our human relationships. What does God’s Word have to say about it?
Communication is a gift from God. It is also a necessity in our human relationships. What does God’s Word have to say about it?
We are in a world where people are very free to talk about their emotions and go to therapy. Is that a good thing?
Why is moralism not the gospel? How do we avoid absorbing a culture of moralism as Christians?
How should Christians respond to a culture which is constantly shifting the roles and identities of men and women?
Fear and anxiety are accepted as just what it means to be a human living in modern times. Is this the culture of the Kingdom of God?
How should Christians train their children to have a Biblical understanding of Critical Race Theory?
How should Christians train their children to have a Biblical understanding of homosexuality, and a right response to it?
How should Christians train their children to have a Biblical understanding of gender in this gender culture war?
How are you relating to your adult child’s spouse? Do you see him or her as your adult child too, or something less?
Are your married, adult children still your children? Do you have an adult-to- adult relationship with them?
Has your married, adult child really left you? Can an adult child who doesn’t leave actually cleave to a spouse?
We live in an age where tolerance is celebrated as one of the highest virtues. So, is there any room for judgment?
How is Satan’s definition of freedom different than the freedom we have in Jesus Christ?
We often idolize power. Satan offers power that is disconnected from God. God connects power and weakness.
Satan feeds our natural sinful desire to be independent people. God’s Word teaches us another way.
It is clear that this world is marked more by division than unity. How does Satan confuse Christians to engage in division too?
Satan, and this fallen world, loves to turn as many people as possible into victims. But Christians have the victory in Christ Jesus!
It is tempting to seek and enjoy surface peace, confusing it with true Biblical rest. What’s the difference?
Do we want to be happy more than desiring Biblical joy? Satan wants you to value happiness above all else!
What’s the difference between being comforted and seeking to stay as comfortable as possible?
Our hearts seek safety in our idols instead of the one, true God. Satan wants to keep us from any godly risky behavior!
Satan wants to convince us that we can do whatever we want to do, if we put our mind to it. We are unlimited!
We need to be confronted by our sin in order to change. But what is the difference between conviction and condemnation?
How should Christians respond to suffering in their own lives, as well as counsel others who are suffering?
How should Christians respond to suffering in their own lives, as well as counsel others who are suffering?
How should Christians respond to suffering in their own lives, as well as counsel others who are suffering?
If all suffering is just random, then there is no purpose to it. But what if all suffering is under God’s control?
If all suffering is just random, then there is no purpose to it. But what if all suffering is under God’s control?
To whom do we look for our example of how to respond to our suffering? Look to Jesus, our suffering Savior!
To whom do we look for our example of how to respond to our suffering? Look to Jesus, our suffering Savior!
How does the Bible explain the originating cause of human suffering? If God is not the cause, then who is?
How does the Bible explain the originating cause of human suffering? If God is not the cause, then who is?
To understand the problem of suffering, we first must address the problem of evil. Then, we need a Biblical solution to evil.
To understand the problem of suffering, we first must address the problem of evil. Then, we need a Biblical solution to evil.
The world has shared in universal suffering in 2020. But we must face the reality that suffering will always be a part of life, until Christ returns.
God has chosen to put us in families. Our sin makes family life difficult. What happens when family becomes dysfunctional?
The sexual abuse of children is a horrific evil in our world. How can a person not only survive it, but overcome it—in Christ?
When does sinning against a spouse become abuse? What are both spouse’s Biblical responsibilities when abuse has occurred?
Are you in a codependent relationship? This relational dynamic disorder reveals idols of the heart that need to be destroyed.
It can feel like a heart attack. It can send you to the emergency room. How do we solve the difficult problem of panic disorder?
Do you blame others around you for your own challenges in life? You need to have your mind renewed to break free from a victim mentality!
Demon possession or a brain-based disorder? Is there any real hope for psychotic disorders like schizophrenia?
Every person has a personality. How can a personality become disordered; and, what can we do about it?
Trauma has always been with us. So why does it seem like so many people are crumbling under all sorts of trauma today?
We all experience up and down shifts in our moods. So, when are we really suffering from Bipolar Disorder?
Obsessions. Compulsions. How do we solve the challenging anxiety disorder known as OCD Biblically?
Distractibility. Short attention span. Hyperactivity. How do we best understand and handle this difficult disorder?
Are teenagers busier than ever today? Or, are they lazier than ever? The right use of time and prioritization of activities is a must!
What do you do with a teen who has so much potential, but just doesn’t care? Motivating the unmotivated is no easy task!
Technology is changing at ultra, high-def, extreme speeds. How do we help our teens navigate all of it wisely?
Why do teenagers contemplate and attempt suicide? What is the Biblical way to respond to this troubling situation?
Why would teenagers intentionally inflict pain on themselves in a fallen world that produces enough suffering?
Is teenage rebellion just a normal rite of passage? When it arises, how can we deal with it in a God-glorifying way?
How do we train our children to live by the Biblical standards of purity in their sexuality?
How can our teens stand up against the tidal wave of porn that is coming at them day after day?
A key aspect of teenage development is the embracing of their God-given identity. How do we help our teens in this age of confusion?
How does such a normal part of our lives become so abnormal? Teenage eating disorders demand our full attention and a Biblical solution.
Isn’t a little beer drinking and experimenting with drugs just a normal part of the teenage years?
The world has changed a lot since the identification of the adolescent phase of development. So how do we best understand teens today (within a Biblical worldview)?
Training our children how to relate to siblings, friends, and enemies is an essential activity of the Christian parent.
What do you do with a rebellious child? You must first recognize the primary cause and goal of your child’s rebellion!
How do we parent our children who are so highly impacted by all sorts of video screens and entertainment technology?
How do we parent the child who is extremely shy or socially anxious? Is this a mental disorder, or a sinful heart condition that needs to be changed?
Disciplining our children Biblically must have as its primary goal the production of self-discipline, for the glory of God.
Is one of your primary goals to give your child a strong work ethic? Laziness and apathy should never characterize a follower of Jesus Christ.
Children who are treated like snowflakes do not function well in this world. How do we raise resilient children Biblically?
Is honesty really the best policy? Or is total honesty in our children not an important goal for parents? We better consult the God of Truth on this one!
Children who chronically whine and complain are annoying. Yet, the bigger problem is that they are establishing habits of discontentedness and manipulation that are hard to break.
All of our children get angry. How do we get to the heart of our child’s anger in a way that produces real Biblical change?
All children disobey their parents. But what are Christian parents to do about it, in obedience to their Heavenly Father?
It is only by this very active grace of God that you can be a Godly parent to your child! God gives us our children and He also gives us grace to raise them.
Your marriage can be grounded on either a covenant of grace or a covenant of works. Can you tell the difference?
Marriage is the miracle of making two people onto one flesh. So, why is it so hard to have true marital intimacy?
One of the best marital promotions ever: All marriages have problems because all people have problems...
Why is marital communication always a problem? We need to become better talkers and listeners.
From our God-given marital roles, husbands and wives need to effectively sort out their marital responsibilities.
In our modern age of egalitarianism, what do we do with Biblical commands to lead and submit in marriage?
In a stress-filled world where ingratitude rules the day, Biblical peace and thankfulness should rule the Christian home.
If your marriage is going to endure, the twin heart practices of forbearance and forgiveness must supplant impatience and bitterness.
While love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage, what is Christian marriage without godly love and compassion?
Can a marriage survive without honesty? What if spouses are honest, but not really open? The God of truth must be glorified in our marriages!
As Christians, we have died with Christ in order to be raised with Him. How does that apply to living (and dying) in our marriage?
Many of our problems in marriage emerge from how we think about God, self, our spouse, and marriage in general. Do you have a heavenly mindset or an earthly one?
Disease. Disability. Disorder. These are forms of human suffering that compel the local church to act as a hospital, family, and discipleship culture.
Some of our relationships are worry-free. Others are difficult and even painful. So how are we to navigate relationships in God-glorifying ways?
The triple threat of envy, jealousy, and covetousness often lurk below and behind our anger, anxiety, and depression.
If sexuality is determined before birth, how is gender something that is chosen? Gender and sexuality confusion can only be untangled by the clear truth of God’s Word on the matter.
Even though it is tempting to see these terms as interchangeable, guilt and shame are two different experiences that must be handled Biblically.
Are we all addicted to something? Or are only certain people born with addictive personalities? A Biblical view of addiction enables us to move from constant recovery to freedom from bondage.
While people experience depression in much the same way, there is not one universal cause--or solution. Yet God’s Word gives us paths out of the depths of despair.
“The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” So what are we to do with all that anger, rage, hurt, frustration, and bitterness?
Climbing quickly to the top of the charts are problems with fear, worry, and anxiety. Don’t we have a lot to be anxious about in this life?
Self-esteem. Self-worth. Self-love. Self-hatred. Self-confidence. Selfie? In a time when we are tempted to be self-obsessed, we need a Biblical sense of self.
Our problems can often appear to be the most difficult puzzle we have ever tried to solve. What’s the crux—the heart—of the matter?
Any problem we face in this life—personally, in our marriage, or in parenting our children—should send us back to Square One. And that’s a good thing.