"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." John 17:3
There is no safe substitute for Christ in prayer meeting, in church school, in preaching, in family worship, or in private devotion. To become problem-centered is as fatal as to become self-centered. The same applies to being guilt-centered, or hate-centered, or fear-centered. The answer to these obsessions is Christ. The solution is to remember the Son of God and what He has done for the Christian's present happiness and future salvation.
When once the gaze is fixed upon Him, the life finds its center.2. Joy
Education, p. 297
Share the "fullness of joy" of entering God's presence with thanksgiving (Psalm 16:11, Psalm 100:4). We're commanded in scripture: "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" Philippians 4:4. "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Have the person you're giving counsel prepare a list of ten things they're thankful for every morning.
"Nothing tends more to promote health of body and of soul than does a spirit of gratitude and praise. It is a positive duty to resist melancholy, discontented thoughts and feelings--as much a duty as it is to pray. If we are heaven-bound, how can we go as a band of mourners, groaning and complaining all along the way to our Father's house?" Ministry of Healing, p. 251
3. Faith
Encourage faith in others, remembering that Jesus is the "the author and finisher of our faith" and that God has given all a "measure of faith" (Romans 12:3, Hebrews 12:2). Show confidence in the backslidden who seem to have no faith, remembering that God can call "those things which do not exist as though they did" Romans 4:17. God promises: "I will heal their backsliding" Hosea 14:4.
4. Hope
Encourage hope, reminding others that God is not finished working on them. "For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?" Romans 8:24. "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" Philippians 1:6
"Mary [Magdalene] had been looked upon as a great sinner, but Christ knew the circumstances that had shaped her life. He might have extinguished every spark of hope in her soul, but He did not. It was He who had lifted her from despair and ruin. Seven times she had heard His rebuke of the demons that controlled her heart and mind. She had heard His strong cries to the Father in her behalf. She knew how offensive is sin to His unsullied purity, and in His strength she had overcome." Desire of Ages, p. 568
5. Love
"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12. "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." 1 John 3:18
For successful counseling, the counselor must have love in his heart, be motivated to help the one in trouble because the sinner is a child of God, as is the counselor. They are brothers. Because the counselor loves God, he also loves the troubled one who has sought him for aid.
6. Choice
"And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17. You can invite others to the fountain of life, but you can't make them drink.
No genuine change comes in a life through external pressure. It appears only through the volition of the individual, coupled with the aid of the Holy Spirit. Love, hope, and faith are divine pressures to which the human soul responds. But these divine influences, to be appreciated, must be used on a person who knows that he is not under human pressure.
7. Humility
The Bible says, "Honor all men." 1 Peter 2:17. "In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." Philippians 2:3. To avoid making others feel belittled, admit that you've made mistakes too.
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