Twenty-first century Christians are nearing a point where the supernatural work of the Spirit of God using the Divinely-inspired Word of God has become simplistic and inadequate for describing, confronting, and ministering to human problems. We as a culture have slowly accepted as almost Gospel-truth, the monumental stature that the APA DSM-IV’s list, of almost 300 mental and personality disorders. It is time to review what the Creator of humans, and the world in which we live has to say about how we deal with our mental problems and struggles. Recovering the Bible’s Sufficiency for Life & Godliness Do you think that it is possible that our Omniscient God missed the fact 3,500 years ago, as He began to inspire His Inerrantly Sufficient Word: that someday people would have PTSD? Did God Get Caught by Surprise? Do you think that an All-Knowing God, as He breathed out through His servants David 3,000 years ago, and Paul 2,000 years ago: that there would be people that were hobbled by OCD, AHD, and BPD? In fact, do you think that there were no bi-polar afflicted people (BPDs) in the past 6,000 years of human life on Earth? Have no other generations, except the past two, been inhabited by people who match the catalogue of disorders now on paper in the APA’s official list of disorders know as the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV)?

1. 121128 BCD101-Week 11.docx
Lesson 3: Man’s Way & God’s Way
Recovering the Bible’s Sufficiency
For Life & Godliness
Twenty-first century Christians are nearing a point where the supernatural work of the Spirit of God
using the Divinely-inspired Word of God has become simplistic and inadequate for describing,
confronting, and ministering to human problems.
We as a culture have slowly accepted as almost Gospel-truth, the monumental stature that the APA1 DSM-
IV’s list, of almost 300 mental and personality disorders. It is time to review what the Creator of humans,
and the world in which we live has to say about how we deal with our mental problems and struggles.
Recovering the Bible’s
Sufficiency for Life & Godliness
Do you think that it is possible that our Omniscient God missed the fact 3,500 years ago, as He began to
inspire His Inerrantly Sufficient Word: that someday people would have PTSD?
Did God Get
Caught by Surprise?
Do you think that an All-Knowing God, as He breathed out through His servants David 3,000 years ago,
and Paul 2,000 years ago: that there would be people that were hobbled by OCD, AHD, and BPD?
In fact, do you think that there were no bi-polar afflicted people (BPDs) in the past 6,000 years of human
life on Earth? Have no other generations, except the past two, been inhabited by people who match the
catalogue of disorders now on paper in the APA’s official list of disorders know as the Diagnostic &
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV)?
• How about Eleazar (2 Sam. 23:9-10), the one whose hand was stuck to his sword after
killing countless enemies. Did he go through PTSD as he slept in a tent or a simple Israelite
house with no security system, no pistol in his night stand, and no chemicals to calm his
anxious memories of what he had gone through on the battlefield all alone that day?
• How about David in Psalm 13, 56, and 142: unemployed, desperate, running for his life,
fearful for his family’s safety, feeling abandoned by God, and all alone? Was God able to
meet David’s deepest needs simply by faith without a disorder label and with no required
counseling therapy techniques?
• How about Isaiah 57:20-21? When God said that a characteristic that helps us spot the
“wicked” is that they are like the restless sea, that they keep bringing up dirt, and they have
no peace. Is that condition a disorder for which they have no control over, no responsibility
for, and are victims? Or is it a condition that results from sin, lostness, and depravity over
which regeneration and sanctification have life-changing power?
1(American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV)
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2. Are Personality Disorders New Territory for God?
Twenty-first Century Americans seem to think that we have entered into all new territory. To read
current psychiatric studies, it is almost like we have arrived at a place where medical and psychological
sciences have described and told us exactly what our disorders are, and now they are removed a step
away from us, and our behavior is no longer part of our personal responsibility.
Nearly every sin Paul describes in the New Testament Epistles are now disorders and diseases that we
can be diagnosed with. Once a person gets the diagnosis we can comfortably excuse what God has called
sin.
1. Should we excuse sinful attitudes, and unbiblical behavior because the person has a disorder?
2. Was God incorrect in formerly declaring that these were sins?
3. Is it now true that people with these recently catalogued disorders are not exhibiting the sinful
attitudes and activities of their flesh, they just are dealing with a medical disorder?
4. Are these almost 300 catalogued disorders new to modern times?
5. Were these same “disorders” not previously experienced and dealt with in past generations of
believers using only the Word of God and not counselors, plus medicine, plus psychiatric
frameworks?
Both Dimensions are
Vital to God
There is a physical and a spiritual dimension to every human illness, disorder, disease, and trouble. The
physical dimension can and should be addressed by all available and ethical medical means. But, the
spiritual dimension must not be overlooked, ignored, or scoffed at, unless the greatest available cure be
neglected.
Take for instance the fear, depression, suicidal thoughts, and desperation of the mighty man of God
named Elijah in . Used as he was by God, he was still 100% human. Despite prayers that could stop the
rain for three plus years and then restart them, he was still 100% human, and subject to all the spiritual
disabilities prompted by our fallen sinful flesh.
Did God come to Elijah and correct his spiritual errors, unbelief, and sinful feelings while he was
debilitated physically? No. God first stabilized Elijah, and led him through a regimen of retreat, rest,
nutrition, and compassionate care. Is there a place for medical, counseling, and mental health
professionals? Yes. God has always advocated the use of medical means, but never to the exclusion of the
greater, deeper, and most powerful treatments. These are the areas that the medicine, the therapy, and
the doctors are powerless to change, and the realms to which they have NO access. These areas are the
spiritual realms.
Our souls, spirits, emotions, and minds are off limits to the physical world. Only God is the Father of
Spirits. Only God's Word is able to heal the mind and soul. Only God can bring peace that passes
understanding that guards ours hearts and minds. Only He can keep us in perfect peace by tethering our
mind to His Eternal Presence that dwells within us.
The Real Missing Link of
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3. Modern Mental Diagnostics
Modern Psychiatric Counseling has left out the first, foremost, and critical axis: corrupt, deceitful, fallen,
sinful, flesh controlled humans. That should be Axis O in the DSM-IV, instead, it is no where present. The
single most important axis to understand what is going on in the life and behavior and thoughts of the
person is absent. Note the premises upon which more and more Christians are operating, it is the basis
for mental health providers across America, and increasingly around the world.
The DSM-IV TR is based on five different dimensions2. This multiaxial approach allows clinicians
and psychiatrists to make a more comprehensive evaluation of a client's level of functioning,
because mental illnesses often impact many different life areas.
• Axis I: Clinical Syndromes This axis describes clinical symptoms that cause significant
impairment. Disorders are grouped into different categories, including adjustment
disorders, anxiety disorders, and pervasive developmental disorders.
• Axis II: Personality and Mental Retardation This axis describes long-term problems
that are overlooked in the presence of Axis I disorders. Personality disorders cause
significant problems in how a patient relates to the world and include antisocial
personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder. Mental retardation is
characterized by intellectual impairment and deficits in other areas such as self-care and
interpersonal skills.
• Axis III: Medical Conditions These include physical and medical conditions that may
influence or worsen Axis 1 and Axis II disorders. Some examples may include HIV/AIDS
and brain injuries.
• Axis IV: Psychosocial and Environmental Problems Any social or environmental
problems that may impact Axis I or Axis II disorders are accounted for in this assessment.
These may include such things as unemployment, relocation, divorce, or the death of a
loved one.
• Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning This axis allows the clinician to rate the
client's overall level of functioning. Based on this assessment, clinicians can better
understand how the other four axes are interacting and the effect on the individual's life.
While the DSM-IV-TR is an important tool, it is important to note that only those who have
received specialized training and possess sufficient experience are qualified to diagnose
and treat mental illnesses. Clinicians also use the DMS-IV to classify patients for billing
purposes, since the government and many insurance carriers require a specific diagnosis in order
to approve payment for treatment.
Without an absolute standard for measurement in building construction, all of the angles of the
construction will be off. That is exactly where modern psychiatric mental health has brought us to in the
21st century. Everything is off, and doesn’t line up.
Tonight we are learning how to apply the principles of the only counseling manual, guide, and reference
book that God authorized, personally wrote, and uses on a daily basis in this global network of
counselors.
2http://psychology.about.com/od/psychotherapy/f/faq_dsm.htm
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4. Our Biblical Counseling & Discipleship Manual is the Bible, and the network of counselors is made up of
all obedient believers throughout all the ages of God's Word to mankind.
This class this evening is an extension of the Biblical Counseling & Discipleship ministry that God started,
wrote about, and supports in every way.
All of us are in training to renew or join that ministry. That is why we all signed up to ne a part of this
Biblical Discipleship & Counseling 101 ministry.
Biblical Counselors Need to Be Prayer-Driven,
Word-Filled, and Spirit-Prompted
The Holy Spirit is Necessary (Principle 5): Only through the power of the Holy Spirit are you able
to live an abundant life (John 14:26, 16:7-14; Rom. 8:5-11; 1 Cor. 2:9-14; Eph. 1:13-14, 5:18).
Prayer is Vital (Principle 6): Prayer is essential to a Spirit-controlled life (Psalm 145:18-19; Mat.
7:7-8; Eph. 5:18-20; 6:18; 1 Th. 5:17; 1 John 3:22). You are to be devoted to prayer, according to
God’s will, and bring everything and everyone unceasingly before the Lord in prayer (Luke 18:1;
Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2; 1 Th. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:1; 1 John 5:14-15).
Please turn to Romans 8:5-11, the central Scripture of principle 5.
1. Pre-Set Minds: v. 5 the flesh promotes fleshly-living, fleshly-thinking,
and an entirely fleshly-orientation.
2. Lost = lifeless & restless; Saved = alive & peaceful: v. 6 lost people
can’t obtain the benefits of the work of God that brings “life and peace”.
3. Lost = opposed to the Truth: v. 7 lost people have an enmity, or hatred
oriented mind towards the operating principles for mental health that
God has laid down in His Word. So how could a lost, un-regenerated
psychiatrist, mental therapist, etc. ever agree with the doctrines of God
that regulate our mental health?
4. Only Spirit-prompted lifestyles are Pleasing to God.v.8
5. Salvation brings unlimited access and downloads from God:v. 9-11
salvation brings a dimension of life to our spirits, souls, and minds that
lost people have NO access to at all.
Even deeper insights can be found in 1 Cor. 2:9-14 where God says: v. 9-10, only the Spirit can search
deep with a person; v. 11-12, only the Spirit can reveal “know the things” that God has provided for each
discipleship & counseling session; v. 13, beware of man’s wisdom (Rom. 8:5-11) that is hateful of God,
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5. and instead seek God’s wisdom, seeing the spiritual dimension; v. 14, lost people can’t process spiritual
truth, and need regeneration to do so.
Only Biblical Counselors &Disciplers
Can Deal with the Whole Person
Welcome to perhaps the greatest dimension of Biblical Counseling and Discipleship. This is the dimension
that acknowledges God as Creator, and His Divinely-inspired Word: as the only authoritative and effective
diagnosing and treatment guide for the human mind and emotions. There is no skill more needed, and
more powerful that the Spirit-empowered Biblical Discipler& Counselor.
Now, watch as we compare how the Creator diagnoses and treats various disorders we as humans go
through.
Physical Dimension Spiritual Dimension
(Body/Organs/Senses) (Soul/Emotion, Mind/Spirit)
Organic Diseases Spiritual Disorders
(Medical Treatment Needed) (Divine Treatment Needed)
PTSD Fear, Anger
BPD Depression,
impulsiveness
ADHD Thoughts Captive,
Discipline
Treat the medical, nutritional, and Render unto God the things that are God’s: the
environmental needs of the person. spiritual, non-material, mental, and emotional
needs.
Since so much of current attention is focused upon mental disorders, that is disorders that are seated in
the mind: who alone is able to enter and repair the mind? Humans or God, through His Spirit, and with
His Word? That is the key question that needs to be answered as we face the tsunami of psychiatric
brainwashing in our modern culture.
Only God can “fix” the mind, repair the soul, cleanse the spirit of guilt and filth, and seal our spiritual lives
from demonic intrusion. The physical body can temporarily overwhelm the spiritual dimension of our
lives (sickness, weariness, chemical interactions, and so on; but only God can restore, renew, regenerate,
change, and keep the spiritual dimension, and that work is eternal, not temporary. God’s recovery
program is described in His Word as sanctification.
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6. Which View Do You Follow:
God’s or Man’s?
There are immense differences between Man’s Way of Seeing Human Problems and God’s Way of Seeing
Human Problems.
Man’s View of Man God’s View of Humans
Human nature is basically good. I am desperately wicked from birth (Jer. 17:9); and only
by grace through faith can I be
Forgiven of My Incredible Mountain of Sin (1 John 1:7),
and have a New Beginning (Jn. 3)
People have the answers to their problems I am Indwelt by the Spirit of God,
inside them. who gives Abundant Life (John 7, 10) and only He can
explain my true problems (Romans 8:5-11)
The key to understanding and correcting a I am Chosen by God, I am Beloved by God (Ephesians 1),
person’s attitudes and actions lies somewhere and only God can give me a
in that person’s past. New Beginning (Genesis 41:51-52).
Individuals’ problems are the result of what
someone else has done to them.
Human problems can be purely psychological I have been bought by God (1 Cor. 6), set free by Christ
in nature—unrelated to any spiritual or (Jn. 8), and need to see that all evil attitudes and
physical condition. activities start in the spiritual side of my being God calls
my heart (Mark 7:21).
Deep-seated problems can be solved only by Only God can do spiritual heart replacements (Ezekiel
professional counselors using therapy. 36:26-27); once I get this new heart I am Sealed & Kept
by the Spirit of God (2 Cor. 1)
Scripture, prayer, and the Holy Spirit are God has said that all things that pertain to my life and
inadequate and simplistic resources for walk in godliness that pleases Him are tied to His Word,
solving certain types of problems. the Scriptures (2 Peter 1:1-4).
Man’s View of Man God’s View of Humans
The Central Lesson of Biblical Counseling: Seeing
Each Person’s Need, the Way God Sees Their Need
The heart of Biblical Counseling is that it is counseling that flows from God’s Way and not Man’s Way.
This month’s lessons have been all about our spiritual orientation and Biblical priority for understanding
and living life.
That’s why we need to work on our mutual accountability with the G.R.O.W. card. This card states that we
are maintaining our daily walk in four areas:
G (My Devotions): Get the Word into our lives on a daily basis. This means I choose to take
over my schedule and plan a daily application of the Word to my life (My Devotions);
R (My Prayers): Reach out for the power of the Spirit by faith. This means I choose to focused,
regular prayers for the grace and power to see God change me, and the others into whose lives I
am called to investing my life (My Prayers);
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7. O (My Sanctification): Open my life to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. This means I
choose to plan regular memorization of the Word for Spirit-filled meditation, so that He can
change me a little bit more each day (My Sanctification);
W (My Ministry):Willingly opening the Word to others.This means I choose to prayerfully look
for others that God will prepare and help me to nurture and admonish; which are the two
elements of Biblical Disciple making and Counseling (My Ministry).
Conclusion
There is a physical and a spiritual dimension to every human illness, disorder, disease, and trouble. The
physical dimension can and should be addressed by all available and ethical medical means. But, the
spiritual dimension must not be overlooked, ignored, or scoffed at, unless the greatest available cure be
neglected.
Take for instance the fear, depression, suicidal thoughts, and desperation of the mighty man of God
named Elijah in . Used as he was by God, he was still 100% human. Despite prayers that could stop the
rain for three plus years and then restart them, he was still 100% human, and subject to all the spiritual
disabilities prompted by our fallen sinful flesh.
Did God come to Elijah and correct his spiritual errors, unbelief, and sinful feelings while he was
debilitated physically? No. God first stabilized Elijah, and led him through a regimen of retreat, rest,
nutrition, and compassionate care. Is there a place for medical, counseling, and mental health
professionals? Yes. God has always advocated the use of medical means, but never to the exclusion of the
greater, deeper, and most powerful treatments. These are the areas that the medicine, the therapy, and
the doctors are powerless to change, and the realms to which they have NO access. These areas are the
spiritual realms.
Our souls, spirits, emotions, and minds are off limits to the physical world. Only God is the Father of
Spirits. Only God's Word is able to heal the mind and soul. Only God can bring peace that passes
understanding that guards ours hearts and minds. Only He can keep us in perfect peace by tethering our
mind to His Eternal Presence that dwells within us.
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8. Appendix
Now, look at Page 50:
God’s Word is changeless and is as powerful and applicable to you and your circumstances today as it
was to those living thousands of years ago (based on Joshua 1:8; Psalm 19:7-11; 119:160; Isaiah 55:11;
Matthew 24:35; Romans 15:4; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:24-25).
Page 53
The Holy Spirit is your Guide, your Instructor, and your sensitive Counselor who reveals the wisdom of
God to you (based on John 14:16, 26; 16:7-13; 1 Corinthians 2:6-13).
Page 56
Prayer gives you opportunity to praise God and to request His divine intervention in your life and/or the
lives of others. Prayer allows you to glorify His Name and also provides an avenue for you to be filled with
joy (based on Psalm 65:2,145:1; Matthew 7:7; John 14:13, 16:23-24; Hebrews 13:15; James 1:5; 1 John
5:14-25).
Page 60
This week’s lesson will become a valuable reference tool for you to use in the future. Ask the Lord to give
you wisdom in determining what is especially beneficial for you and what will help you help others
(based on 2 Corinthians 1:3-5; Ephesians 5:15-16; James 1:5).
Page 61
This week’s lesson should become a valuable reference tool for you to use in the future. Ask the Lord to
give you wisdom in determining what is especially beneficial for you and what will help you help others
(based on 2 Corinthians 1:3-5; Ephesians 5:15-16; James 1:5).
Psychiatric Disorders from the DSM-IV
Mood Disorders (Common Characteristics): The disorders in this category
include those where the primary symptom is a disturbance in mood. In other words,
inappropriate, exaggerated, or limited range of feelings. Everybody gets down sometimes,
and everybody experiences a sense of excitement and emotional pleasure. To be
diagnosed with a mood disorder, your feelings must be to the extreme. In other words,
crying, and/or feeling depressed, suicidal frequently. Or, the opposite extreme, having
excessive energy where sleep is not needed for days at a time and during this time the
decision making process in significantly hindered.
Disorders in this Category: Bipolar Disorder; Cyclothymic Disorder; Dysthymic
Disorder; Major Depressive Disorder
Bipolar Disorder (Manic-Depression)
Category: Mood Disorders
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9. Etiology: Research has shown a strong biological component for this disorder, with
environmental factors playing a role in the exacerbation of symptoms.
Symptoms: Bipolar Disorder has been broken down into two types:
• Bipolar I: For a diagnosis of Bipolar I disorder, a person must have at least one manic
episode. Mania is sometimes referred to as the other extreme to depression. Mania is an
intense high where the person feels euphoric, almost indestructible in areas such as
personal finances, business dealings, or relationships. They may have an elevated self-
esteem, be more talkative than usual, have flight of ideas, a reduced need for sleep, and be
easily distracted. The high, although it may sound appealing, will often lead to severe
difficulties in these areas, such as spending much more money than intended, making
extremely rash business and personal decisions, involvement in dangerous sexual
behavior, and/or the use of drugs or alcohol. Depression is often experienced as the high
quickly fades and as the consequences of their activities becomes apparent, the depressive
episode can be exacerbated.
• Bipolar II: Similar to Bipolar I Disorder, there are periods of highs as described above and
often followed by periods of depression. Bipolar II Disorder, however is different in that
the highs are hypo manic, rather than manic. In other words, they have similar symptoms
but they are not severe enough to cause marked impairment in social or occupational
functioning and typically do not require hospitalization in order to assure the safety of the
person.
Treatment: Medication, such as Lithium, is typically prescribed for this disorder and is the
corner stone of treatment. Therapy can be useful in helping the client understand the illness and
it’s consequences and be better able to know when a manic or depressive episode is imminent
and to prepare for this. As with all disorders, poor coping skills and lack of support will make the
illness more pronounced, and this is often a focus of therapeutic treatment.
Prognosis: For more severe cases, prognosis is poor in terms of ’curing’ the illness, as most
people need to remain on medication for their entire lives. The manic episodes may slow down as
a result of the natural aging process. With medication, the illness can be kept at a minimum level,
with some people not experiencing any overt symptoms for months and even years.However,
there are definitely varying degrees of this illness and it is not difficult to misdiagnose due to it's
similarity to other mood disorders. If the illness is not severe, often times medication and
therapy can do very well in terms of treatment. And, life experience, strong support, and an
openness to improve can be enough sometimes to make a difference in outcome.
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