The author explore Horton’s (2009) article on spiritual discernment and what influences decision making amongst believers in Christ. The author believes praying for guidance, waiting for signs from God, praying for wisdom to make Godly decision, considering strengths, abilities, talents, and gifts, and using common sense influence daily decision-making. The author goes on to explore past family and experience factors, such as, guidance from pastors, a conflicting family systems, and a Christian college, that influenced the present approach to spiritual discernment. The author concludes with a practical application of the adopted approach to spiritual discernment. The author emphasizes checking in with the client, allowing the client to explore …show more content…
Thinking about a decision before you make it and weighing the pros and cons increases the chances of making a rewarding choice. I do believe, as a Christian using common sense is fundamentally spiritual discernment. Considering God instills a sense of direction within His people, it encourages direction on a path of righteousness and purity. Evident enough, my decision making process is influenced by evaluating my own capabilities to asses my purpose in each situation. Consulting with God and wise counselors to offer me wisdom to make Godly decisions follows this process. Finally, prayers for guidance and use of common sense allow me to utilize the wisdom bequeathed onto me to make conscientious choices regarding my life. Then I am sure God will send a sign of conformation that will grant me serenity. Based on Horton’s (2009) article, I believe I fit into two approaches, which are the “Bull’s Eye Approach” and the “Relationship-Formation Approach” (Horton, 2009, pp. 8, 9, 11, 12). I follow the Bull’s Eye Approach because I trust that God permits believers to stray from His plan, but to a certain extent (Horton, 2009, p. 8). I also believe God has a detailed plan for all His followers. Our talents are given to us to bring glory to God and to expose the world to righteous living. However, I do not believe I aim to make decisions, which align with God’s plan for my life because it has yet to be
In the area of decision making I believe myself to be more Thinking than Feeling. An example of the thinking preference can be seen in my role as a consistent, objective disciplinarian. My firm-mindedness in this area has produced children that are a joy to teach as well as to take out in public. Our family receives numerous compliments on how well behaved and delightful our children are. I believe it is my desire for justice and my clarity in rules and expectations that make this achievable for my children.
Faith plays a pivotal role in our construction of religion. The work of Dr. Sharon Parks analyzes faith development throughout one’s life span but pays special attention to emerging adulthood. Dr. Parks has an extensive academic career which incorporates her attendance of Princeton University’s theological seminary. As well as her attendance of Harvard University’s divinity school where she obtained her doctorate. Through her extensive research in areas such as “developmental psychology, religion, theology, leadership and ethics” (Service Resources, 2014) Parks is able to focus her work on faith development. Her work is influenced by theorists such as Erickson, Piaget, Perry and Levinson but primarily it is based off of Fowlers work in faith development. Her background in teaching and counseling has allowed her close access to seeing students during this important portion of their lives.
A Biopsychosocial spiritual assessment (BPSS) is vital to use when providing a framework for the client’s presenting problems. It serves as a guide to help Social Workers determine how the client’s biological, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions affect their overall functioning. The BPSS assessment allows the Social Worker to view the client holistically, examine barriers that prevent the client from receiving proper treatment, and the ways the client’s interacting systems have an impact in their life. For the purpose of this paper, I will complete a biopsychosocial assessment based on the information my client has disclosed to me and implement strategies necessary to achieve his treatment goals.
similar decisions for our selves without thinking about it. People need guidance in their life to the
The biblical worldview influences me with deciding on what career would be best for me and how I should do it. Decision making is sometimes difficult for some people, unless they feel God has given them a “calling” in a certain career
Mark McMinn purposely writes this twofold book to first, address the pragmatic assimilation of psychology, theology, and spirituality. Secondly, he explores the spirituality of a Christian counselor, and how this aspect of character affects the methods he or she may use to represent Jesus Christ when dealing with clients. Altogether, this book discusses the dual need for Biblical Counselors to multitask with clients while pursuing personal development in spirituality to advance a Christian worldview. The objective is to “help Christian counselors and researchers unite around certain key questions and perspectives so that our interventions become increasingly relevant and effective" (p. 6).
"Quotes about Decision Making, Sayings about Choices." The Quote Garden - Quotes, Sayings, Quotations, Verses. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. .
After learning more about myself through Christ I’ve come to believe that God’s Kingdom is “the spiritual reign of God on earth.” Every single human being has a specific place in the Kingdom of God. He created all humans different from each other with different qualities, abilities and gifts for that specific reason. This is what makes us unique. As we each hold a specific place in the Kingdom of God, God also has a plan for our lives. I believe that although we have free will, God has already written what is going to happen. Therefore, no matter how many left or right turns I make, God knew that before it happened. We are all children of God with different callings. Our calling should determine what in God’s Kingdom were we designed to accomplish for
Horton, D.J. (2009). Discerning spiritual discernment: Assessing current approaches for understanding God’s will. The Journal of Youth Ministry, 7 (2), 7-31.
As I reflect on spiritual disciplines it is easy for me to look at them and weed out the ones that I do not think apply to me and the ones that I am drawn towards. But as I press into God and ask him what he sees fit and what I need more of, the picture begins to looks different than what I thought I saw before. Since I am so obviously human, I would rather see my life through a different more accurate lens than one that is tainted and imperfect like those of my human eyes. When I look at my life spiritually it is easy for me to see the spiritual disciplines that just come naturally to me such as worship and service. Since I know that those are areas of my faith that I thrive in, I tend to gravitate towards those to try and satisfy my spiritual life but I leave other parts to suffer. I want to gain better understanding of my faith and ultimately cultivate a deeper relationship with the Father.
The process of making a decision for many is a disconcerting responsibility. While for others, making a decision is second nature. According to Browne et al., "Decisions are streams of choices. These streams contain bits of information, events, and choices (1998, p. 50)." The authors go on to state:
Decisions that add or take away from their love for God, love of self, or love of neighbour is the job of every conscience. All people are faced with moral and immoral choices in every day life. What helps solve ones problem is their conscience. There are three things that help one develop their conscience. They are the teachings of the magisterium, tradition and scripture.
Spiritual formation is one subject that I like to discuss in that it really helps one reflect on their own spiritual journey and where they are in that journey. The devil wants to steal, kill, and destroy any step forward towards God. He is not after anything tangible that we possess, rather, he is only after our faith in God and belief in Jesus. Knowing this is part of our spiritual journey as fighting against the enemy requires spiritual warfare in which the only one that can help is Jesus. A transformation in our character to be like Jesus is essential to our spiritual growth. This cannot be done without being intentional with our time, finances, and disciplines.
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.” According to Buddha, everyone needs some form of spirituality to define his or her life and existence. Webster Dictionary defines spiritualism as “a system of beliefs or religious practices based on supposed communication with the spirits of the dead, often times through mediums.” Though this is one general definition of spiritualism, this concept is one that does not hold a conclusive meaning. Each and every single person has the ability and right to create and practice their own idea of spiritualism. From ancient times to present day, the term and practice of spirituality has transformed, particularly from region to region. Despite the discrepancies in practices and overall understanding of this idea, spirituality has had an effect and impact upon all of humanity since the creation of time. This religion that is believed to have been established in the early eighteen hundreds, after two little girls claimed to have the ability to talk to spirits, sparked interest in this spiritual movement, allowing it to spread rather rapidly over many geographical locations. Aside from being recognized as a religion, spiritualism is also believed to be a form of philosophy and a science in which spiritualists believe that there is life after death and try to demonstrate this through the ability of attempting to communicate with those that have passed on. Spiritualism was socially different from other religions in existence at the time because it presented followers with a more tolerant belief system that assimilated the principles and facts from a selection the world's religions. Spiritualism also made it acceptable for women to play a disti...
Spirituality can have many different definitions, depending on who is asked. It can be something as simple as looking for a higher meaning to life, or something so complex that one can base their beliefs, religion and overall life around it. There are several different ways to express one's spirituality; rituals, songs, dances, stories, and writings are all common methods of expression.