The Bible is God’s inspired Word; therefore, it can be trusted and applied to your family's everyday life issues. Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale’s Family Counseling Ministry partners with families and equips parents to work with their kids. Our goal is to help the home function better by assisting parents and children in leading Christ-centered lives. We do this through biblical action steps, parenting classes, and accountability.
To make a biblical counseling appointment, e-mail annemariet@calvaryftl.org with your daytime contact information and counseling need or call 954-905-5131.
Seek Biblical Truth and Direction
Talk to a Christian Friend
Attend Church Regularly
No Compromising
Daily Worship
Find Christian Fellowship
Intercession and Prayer
Renew Your Mind
Meditate and Memorize the Word of God
Seek Biblical Truth and Direction through Scripture
It is clear you are to use God’s wonderful, holy Word for counsel, instruction, and direction. It is God’s will for you to learn how to use the Bible so He can speak to you, providing answers and directing your desire.
Here are a few tools to help you find biblical answers and direction.
Scripture Reference Guide. This book is a must for any Christian! God desires for you to know how to navigate your way through the Bible, and this book will help you do just that. It is organized by topic, and each topic has a list of applicable Scriptures that will provide counsel and instruction. This is how God will speak to you and direct you. You can pick up your copy at the Calvary Bookstore in the counseling section.
Promise Book. This book is similar in style to the reference guide in that it is set up topically, but this book only covers God’s promises for Christians. It is very encouraging and helps reveal God’s heart. It will fill you with hope and help you to press on.
Psalm 119:105 (NIV): Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Proverbs 19:20 (NIV): Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.
Proverbs 16:20 (NIV): Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trust in the LORD.
Talk to a Christian Friend
While you wait to meet with your biblical counselor, talk to a Christian friend. Christian friendships are very important, and the Lord has much to say on this topic. It’s His will for you to speak to a trusted Christian friend so that you can be encouraged and prayed for. A true Christian friend will put his or her personal opinions aside and will encourage you to walk in obedience to biblical truths. If you don't have a Christian friend you can talk to, perhaps the Lord is using this circumstance to prompt you to seek out what biblical friendships are and how to develop them. If you need a friend to listen to you, encourage you, and pray for you, then after service meet with a prayer counselor. For more biblical information on friendships, consult the Biblical Reference Guide or call The Active Word at 877-444-WORD (9673).
Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 (NIV): Two are better than one . . . If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
Proverbs 12:26 (NLT): The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.
Proverbs 13:20 (NLT): Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.
Attend Church Regularly
Attending church on a regular basis is one of the foundations for a healthy and growing relationship with Jesus. Your pastor is God’s mouthpiece. It is God’s will to use his teachings to encourage, direct, convict, bring understanding, and impart wisdom to you. Church attendance also promotes spiritual maturity, provides fellowship, and offers opportunities to serve others by using the gifts God has given to you.
Hebrews 10:24–25 (NLT): Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one other, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
No Compromising
While you wait, walk in obedience to what the Lord says in the Bible. The Lord will use His Word to answer your questions and lead you on the right path of life.
Psalm 119:105 (NIV): Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Psalm 23:3 (NLT): He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
Proverbs 14:12 (NLT): There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
Psalms 119:2 (NLT): Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.
John 14:15 (NLT): "If you love me, obey my commandments."
John 15:14 (NLT): "You are my friends if you do what I command."
Matthew 7:24–27 (NLT): “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters
rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
Daily Worship
You were made to worship the Lord, regardless of our circumstances. Take the time today to pop in a worship CD and praise the Lord. Visit the bookstore and listen to what is available. Praise Him!
Find Christian Fellowship
We have been divinely designed with the need for food. This need isn't a result of our sinful nature because Adam and Eve were able to eat before they ever sinned. (See Genesis 2:16.) God wanted us to be this way, and I believe He uses our natural need for nourishment in order to facilitate fellowship. There's something about Christians and food. When we eat together, the walls seem to come down and we're somehow able to take our relationships to another level. Consider how Jesus used food to build a bridge of fellowship with some of His closest followers.
- At a feast with a whole host of 'sinners,' Jesus demonstrated the depth of His love for the lost as He was willing to meet them where they were (Matthew 9:10–13).
- Some of the most important lessons Jesus ever taught were given when He was in the home of Mary and Martha to eat (Luke 10:38–42).
- The only miracle recorded in all four Gospels (aside from the Resurrection) is Jesus feeding the 5,000. On His last night, before being seized and crucified, Jesus celebrated the Passover feast with His disciples and concluded it by instituting the ordinance of communion (Matthew 26:26–30).
- Even in the few glimpses we have of Jesus after His resurrection, we see Him preparing a meal to be shared with the disciples (John 21:9).
"Jesus certainly used food to facilitate fellowship, and I believe there's a lesson to be learned here. We need to make the most of our mealtimes. From time to time, we should break bread with other believers. I hear a lot of people say they're too busy to find any time for fellowship. But nobody is too busy to eat, and we can use our need for food as an opportunity to find fellowship."--Pastor Bob Coy (Taken from January edition of The Active Word.)
How do you meet other believers to build godly friends in order to fellowship?
Here are some suggestions that will not only allow you to meet other Christians but also provide opportunities to grow and be used.
1. Sign up for a service project. (Love Out LOUD)
2. Sign up for a short-term missions trip.
3. Get involved with volunteering at the church. (Go to “Get involved” and complete volunteer application.)
4. Pick a ministry and get plugged in.
5. Sign up for a special church event. (Go to Events and Activities page on this site.)
1 John 1:7 (NKJV): But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another . . .
Intercession and Prayer
Pour your heart out to the Lord. People with good prayer lives honestly express what they are experiencing and feeling to the Lord. When sharing they come into the presence of the Lord holding back nothing and being totally transparent. Your prayers should be faithful, fervent, and focused. This is a time for you to push through your circumstances in prayer. Go to the Lord acknowledging your need for Him. Express honestly what’s going on in your life, repent from any sin, ask the Lord for His help, make your requests known and then praise and worship Him. Thank Him for His love, mercy, forgiveness, and direction.
1 Peter 5:7 (NIV): Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Psalm 4:3 (NIV): Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him.
John 15:7 (NIV): "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."
1 Thessalonians 5:17–18 (NIV): . . . pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Renew Your Mind: Meditate on the Word of God.
Renew your mind through Bible Study. This is a great way to keep you heavenly minded and mature. The church offers many types of Bible studies to fit anyone's schedule and interests.
Here are some suggestions:
The Active Word: This is a great way to daily renew and strengthen your mind. Through devotions, TV, radio, and resource materials, you will be filled.
Audio Devotions: Drive Time Devotions and other devotions on CD can be found in the devotion section of the Calvary Bookstore. These are great for when you're too exhausted to read at home or for when you have some free time in the car.
Audio Bible: The Calvary Bookstore has a large selection of different versions of the Bible on CD. It’s great to listen to in the car or read along with at home as you hear the Bible come alive. It’s a wonderful way to allow God’s awesome, powerful Word to wash over you and refresh you.
Romans 12:1–2 (NIV): Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Philippians 4:8 (NIV): Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
*Only what fits these eight points is acceptable for you to meditation on.
Matthew 22:37 (NIV): Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'"
Memorize the Word of God
Think about how much you personally know the Bible. Do you have a thorough knowledge of God’s letter to you? Remember why the Bible was given to you.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NLT): All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
The more you know God’s Word, the better the Lord can minister to you and lead you. The more you know God’s Word, the more you can walk in His righteousness.
Psalm 119:11 (NLT): I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
In your daily life, the Holy Spirit will help you to recall verses so that they will minister to you, encourage you, and help you to witness to others.
Take the Challenge: Start memorizing verses today. As you do your weekly Bible studies, pick just one verse to learn each week. Take a 3x5 card and write down a favorite verse. Keep it in your pocket and look at it daily. Look at it when you’re waiting in line, at a stop light, and during your meals. Put a card on your fridge to help you hide His Word in your heart.
Stop and Pray: Pray that God will help you to hide His Word in your heart. Pray that He will help you to apply these verses to your daily life. Pray that He will help you to use these Scriptures to counsel you and to minister to someone else who is in need.
Joshua 1:8 (NLT): Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
Psalm 119:48 (NLT): I honor and love your commands. I meditate on your decrees.
Psalm 119:117 (NLT): Sustain me, and I will be rescued; then I will meditate continually on your decrees.
