Author: Phil Rehberg

spiritual counselor

A Spiritual Counselor Can Change Your Life

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A spiritual counselor is a treasure. A spiritual counselor is someone who has the knowledge, experience and maturity to accelerate your Spiritual growth. They are hard to find but they often make the difference between plateau or progress. If I had to choose just two channels of growth, one would be activational meditation on Scripture and the other would be a good spiritual counselor. A good spiritual counselor (whether they call themselves a coach, mentor, or director – we are not referring to counseling for psychological disorders) should hold you accountable in areas of purification and other commitments. They should know how to apply the principles of discernment (which we looked at in the chapter about exercising discernment) to your ideas or to any impressions you think you might have from God. A counselor who just affirms all the impressions you think you are getting from God is not helpful. Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

We Belong To God – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him” (Psalms 4:3, ESV). We who have chosen godliness and holiness have been set apart by God as his personal friends. We are the ones whom he loves and cherishes and we belong to him. It is amazing that the infinitely good and powerful God would decide to choose weak humans to belong to him. Doesn’t this tell us how much he values these majestic creatures he made? And even though we are corrupted with sin, all who choose to follow him are in his family. This is our identity and destiny – being united with God. And so when we call to him he hears because he treasures his own. He makes us “more than conquerors” in a destructive world and beautifies our souls. Our Future Perfect CommunityNovember 14, 2025God Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Our Shield, Our Treasure And Our Victory

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You, O Lord, are a shield about me,my glory, and the lifter of my head” Psalms 3:3 (ESV). David declared this in the middle of a rebellion against his government. Under the New Covenant God is the shield of our souls. Our soul will prosper if we abide in him. He will strengthen and protect us against the evil one (2 Thess. 3:3) and our faith is a shield against the Enemy (Eph. 6:16). God is our glory; he is our radiance; he is our treasure. We partake of him (2 Pet. 1:4) so we have more than all the riches in the world. He lifts our head when we are downcast. When we feel defeated or discouraged we can remember his goodness to us and the destiny he has guaranteed for us. Then we know that ultimately we are victorious and joy cannot be extinguished from our hearts. Our Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Meditation Makes You Fruitful – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“Blessed is the man . . . [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” Psalm 1:1-3 (ESV) When I go hiking it is easy to spot where streams are. I just look for a row of trees sticking up higher than the surrounding vegetation. These trees are bigger and stronger than the others because they are next to a stream and so they have a consistent source of nutrition. When it comes to the spiritual landscape I want to be one of those trees growing tall and strong. How can I do that? By constantly embracing and meditating on God’s instructions. We know that Jesus completed the law so now we don’t meditate on the Old Continue Reading →

friends

Looking For A Soul Friend?

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The 6th-century Celtic nun St. Brigid is reported to have said that “A person without a soul-friend is a body without a head.”[1] No matter how much status we have in the body of Christ we are to develop interdependence with some believers and express our need for them. In a godly relationship we go beyond encouraging and affirming one another in Christ. If it ended there it would become narcissistic for both, easily devolving into boosting each other’s self-esteem and just pleasing each other instead of pleasing God. Rather, since our top priority is pleasing God, it means that we help our friend to become like Christ and invite them to do the same to us. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Prov. 27:17, NIV). We are secure in the friendship, so we are free to help each other to die to self. We point out Continue Reading →