Counseling

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing so openly about what you have been carrying. Coming out of the counterfeit spirituality of the new age and returning to Christ was the right step, and it is understandable that the turmoil you have experienced for years through your family would feel overwhelming. It is good that you reached out for help instead of carrying this alone.

Scripture is clear that there is a real spiritual battle going on around us. It is not simply human conflict, but a warfare between the holy angels who serve God and the fallen angels who followed Satan in rebellion. That war is being waged daily and often we feel the aftereffects of it without fully understanding why. We can feel unsettled, troubled in our emotions, or confused in our minds. The Bible says our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and spiritual forces of wickedness, and the battle is often for the control of our minds.

Because the battle is spiritual, the weapons must be spiritual as well. Trying to fight it with merely human strategies will leave you in deeper trouble. God has given us spiritual weapons for a spiritual war, and those are His Word, faith, and prayer. Staying rooted in Scripture, trusting Christ daily, and bringing everything to God in prayer are how we stand against the enemy and find peace. He is the one who can dispel fear and give a steady mind when everything feels unstable.

Part of that true perspective is remembering that people are not the enemy. When you have been hurt through family for a long time, it is easy to start seeing every difficult reaction from others as proof that they have been pulled into the warfare against you. At times how we speak about these things can also make conversations harder. This does not mean your pain is not real, but it helps to guard your tongue and to use it to build up rather than to tear down, and to avoid withdrawing from others out of fear. Isolation will not protect you, but walking in the light with other believers, with honesty and grace, will.

For that reason, please do not pull back from the counsel you requested. God has placed pastors and elders in the life of His people to give spiritual guidance, and seeking their help when you feel overwhelmed is a wise and humble step. Even if you feel nervous about keeping the appointment, going forward with an open and teachable heart is better than canceling. If you are concerned about motives, bring that honestly to the Lord in prayer and test all counsel by Scripture. A good shepherd will point you to what the Bible says, not to personal opinions.

That is also why it is important to remain open to counsel about your relationship with your boyfriend. God's design for our good is clear in Scripture. Salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, and marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, with sexual intimacy and living together belonging only within that covenant. Any relationship outside of that design is not something God will bless, even if we ask Him to. A faithful pastor will care enough to speak about this not to harm you, but to help you walk in holiness and experience God's best for you. Ask the Lord to give you willingness to hear what Scripture says about purity, commitment, and marriage, and to align your life with it.

As someone who is in Christ, you are a new creation and part of a new family, the family of God. The counterfeit new age you left behind promises peace but cannot deliver it. God promises a true new age to come when He will make a new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells and the former things will not be remembered. That is your hope, and it is secure in Jesus.

Praying for you that God will give you peace that quiets fear, clarity in your mind, protection from the enemy's schemes, and wisdom for every conversation ahead. Praying that He will help you to keep using the spiritual weapons He has provided, to remain in His Word and in prayer, to walk closely with faithful believers, and to have courage to receive biblical counsel with an open heart. Praying also that He will guide you in your relationship according to His Word, that you would desire holiness above all else, and that He would lead you step by step into greater freedom and wholeness in Christ.