Effective Counseling Comes from God

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
² And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:1-2 (ESV)

In this portion of Scripture, Isaiah speaks about Jesus. He describes Him as having the Spirit of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might, and Fear of the Lord. 

1. Wisdom is linked to God as the creator. The Scriptures unequivocally state that the fear of the Lord, or the profound reverence for Him, is the very foundation of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). 
2. Understanding: is discerning what is truly righteous according to God.
3. Counsel: is the practical application of “wisdom and understanding.” Accurate counsel, in its essence, is a connection with the Creator and a discernment of His righteousness. It stands in stark contrast to secular counseling, which often adopts a humanistic approach from within the human while ignoring God. 
4. Might: is the power that comes from God and God alone. This is the true power to transform, change, be practical, etc. Accurate counseling carries God’s power.
5. Knowledge: is “…knowing, learning, discernment, insight, and notion.”^[1] This word continues the counseling theme, bringing the words we saw before and adding insight and notion to the counseling equation. 

I conclude by looking at these portions of Scripture that a degree in counseling or a license by the State does not make us counselors; true and effective counseling comes from God. It is a beautiful gift designed to help people. However, for us to be able to do so, we must connect to the Spirit of God.

We do not ignore education; I am currently working on my Ph.D.. However, education without the anointing is just knowledge without power. God can use whomever He wants, a believer or nonbeliever, but the power comes from Him. 

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^[1] Warren Baker and Eugene E. Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament(Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2003), 245.