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COUNSELING PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL ILLNESS Charles Hodges MD To download this lesson as an mp3 file Right click and select SAVE LINK or SAVE LINK AS |
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| I. General Principles |
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A. Some fundamental concepts to keep in mind. |
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1. You do not a physician's knowledge of the condition to help counselee. 2. Get your information from the counselee. |
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B. Your response to the illness. |
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1. Your strength is in dealing with the illness from a biblical perspective rather than the medical perspective. |
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a. Accept the diagnosis and symptoms as a given. b. Do not try to prove or disprove the diagnosis. c. Do not recommend other possible diagnoses or methods of diagnosis. |
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2. If there is no cure or relief do not attempt to find or recommend an alternative. 3. Your goal is to turn the attention from the pain and discomfort of the illness to what God is doing through it. |
| II. Counseling principles. |
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A. Adequate data gathering. |
| 1. Basic facts about the condition. |
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a. How is it diagnosed. b. The natural history of the condition. c. The effect of the condition on the counselee's lifestyle. d. The counselee's thinking and attitude about the condition. e. The response of the relatives and friends of the counselee. f. The effect of the medication. g. Potential complications from the use of the medications. |
| 2. The counselee's personal relationship with the Lord. |
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a. How does the person fit God into all of this. b. What is his understanding of the authority of the Word? |
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B. Give much biblical hope. |
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1. This hope is that there can be a victory when pain and suffering cannot be relieved. 2. You must really be convinced of this yourself. 3. Don't maximize or minimize the person's symptoms. |
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C. Evaluate from the biblical reasons for sickness. |
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1. Sin. 2. Benefit of the counselee. 3. God's glory. |
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D. Apply appropriate biblical principles. E. Give homework based on biblical principles the counselee needs to apply rather than health issues. |
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1. Encourage the counselee to follow basic principles of good health. 2. The main emphasis of your homework is application of biblical principles to the counselee's response to the illness or symptoms. |
| III. Biblical principles to help sick people to have victory in their illness. | |
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A. Victory in the illness - 1 Cor. 15:57; Romans 8:35-37; Phil. 4:11-12; Romans 8:1 |
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| 1. Think biblically about all aspects of the condition - 2 Cor. 10:5; Phil. 4:8 |
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a. Illness and suffering are to be expected in this life - 2 tim. 3:12; 1 Peter 2:20; 4:13, 14: 5:10. b. The illness and symptoms are under the control of a sovereign God Pr. 21:1; Job 2:21; 1 Chr. 29:12; 1 Cor. 10:13. c. God will not exceed a believers ability to handle the unpleasantness of the illness 1 Cor. 10:13; Phil 4:13. d. God intends for the believer to have victory in the midst of the agony of the illness 1 Cor. 15:57; Romans 8:35-37. |
| 2. Victory is being controlled by biblical principles rather than the agony of the condition - Phil. 3:7-10. |
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a. Not controlled by the constant pursuit of relief from pain and suffering. b. Controlled by what God is doing as a result of the condition. |
| B. Victory through the illness - Romans 8:28,29; 2 Cor. 4:17,18. |
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1. Focus on God's purpose for the discomfort more than the discomfort. 2. Provides a response when relief does not come. 3. Even with a terminal illness He is not stopping a person's ministry but is simply changing direction. 4. God's grace is available and sufficient - 2 Cor. 12:9,10: 9:8 5. Job did and so can you - Job 1:1; 2:10. |
| C. Victory from the illness. |
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1. May actually be alleviation of the pain and suffering - Eph. 5:20. 2. God's provision of heaven - Rev 21:4. |
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a. In Phil. 1:23-25 Paul struggled with his desire to go to heaven or stay here and minister. b. One of the very important ministries to dying people is to keep them informed of what will happen when they die. c. Other than sudden death or the rapture every person will die as a result of some illness. d. Keep in mind the ultimate end of this illness is to be the vehicle that God will use to bring a believer to Himself in Heaven. |
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3. If the illness is terminal anticapate the glories of Heaven - Rev. 21:3,4; 22:1-5. 4. Removes the sting of death - 1 Cor. 15:54-57 |