Effective Biblical Counseling Quotes

“Preachers and counselors can spend their energy exhorting people to change their behavior. But the human will is not a free entity. It is bound to a person’s understanding. People will do what they believe. Rather than making a concerted effort to influence choices, preachers first need to be influencing minds. When a person understands who Christ is, on what basis he is worthwhile, and what life is all about, he has the formulation necessary for any sustained change in lifestyle. Christians who try to “live right” without correcting a wrong understanding about how to meet personal needs will always labor and struggle with Christianity, grinding out their responsible duty in a joyless, strained fashion. Christ taught that when we know the truth, we can be set free. We now are free to choose the life of obedience because we understand that in Christ we now are worthwhile persons. We are free to express our gratitude in the worship and service of the One who has met our needs.”
― Larry Crabb, Effective Biblical Counseling: A Model for Helping Caring Christians Become Capable Counselors

“Paul said it was his goal—not to become happy—but to please God at every moment. What a transforming thought! When I drive to work and someone cuts me off, when the dishwasher breaks—my primary responsibility is to please God! In Hebrews 13:15-16, we are told that we have a twofold function: to offer the sacrifice of worship to God and to offer the sacrifice of service to God for others. If I want to please God at every moment, I must be centrally occupied with worship and service. It seems to me that a seriously neglected truth in most Christian counselling effort is this: the basic biblical reason for wanting to solve your personal problem should be that you want to enter into a deeper relationship with God—to more effectively please Him through worship and service.”
― Larry Crabb, Effective Biblical Counseling: A Model for Helping Caring Christians Become Capable Counselors

“By cutting God off (what a staggering concept of freedom—mere humans can cut God off from their lives), you cut off the only source of true significance and security.”
― Larry Crabb, Effective Biblical Counseling: A Model for Helping Caring Christians Become Capable Counselors

“Counseling that attempts to logically teach new truth without concern for the emotional threat involved in changing one’s approach to meeting personal needs will plow headlong into resistance.”
― Larry Crabb, Effective Biblical Counseling: A Model for Helping Caring Christians Become Capable Counselors

“we are motivated to meet our needs for significance and security in ways we unconsciously believe will work.”
― Larry Crabb, Effective Biblical Counseling: A Model for Helping Caring Christians Become Capable Counselors

“If I understand accountability, but not acceptability, I will live under pressure to behave well in order to be accepted. If I understand acceptability, but not accountability, I may become casually indifferent to sinful living. When I understand first my acceptability and then my accountability, I will be constrained to please the One who died for me, fearful that I might grieve Him, not wanting to, because I love Him.”
― Larry Crabb, Effective Biblical Counseling: A Model for Helping Caring Christians Become Capable Counselors