Is a Mental Health Coach Right For You? – Mental Health Coaching #9 -Purity 1351

To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.com or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of mist over farmlands as the morning sky is painted pink with the rising of the sun comes to us from yours truly as I captured this serene scene back on June 14th, 2015 from the driveway of my former home. Back then, I was just shy of being 3 months sober, and I'm sure I did not know then whether or not a life without alcohol would be a life for me. But I know I wanted it, and I'm happy to report that even though much has changed since then, the Lord was faithful to lead me out of my personal darkness, to give me the healing and freedom I never knew was possible. That driveway in Quarryville with its fancy lamp-adorned brick pillars is not mine anymore, but now my whole life is a light that shines bright with the freedom and hope that only comes from faith in Jesus Christ. And I have no regrets because I have learned that when you follow the Lord, you, you will invariably lose things including possessions, relationships, and long-held beliefs and concepts, but whether the Lord— whatever the Lord removes from you in your life is taken away so something else can replace it. The reason the website is M.t. for Christ is not shameless promotion, as in, "Yeah, it's all about me, M.t. for Christ, you're welcome, Jesus." It's what I thought was a clever play on words. M.t. is supposed to convey the idea of surrender. M.t. equals empty. And the number 4 is short for the word for, as in empty, E-M-P-T-Y, for Christ, meaning I surrender, I empty myself of all that is not of you, O Lord, and ask you to fill me and my life with your Holy Spirit whatever else you have for me. I surrender. Take it all. Give me only what you want me to have. So goodbye drugs, goodbye alcohol, goodbye ex, goodbye house in Quarryville, goodbye quote-unquote friends, goodbye sex addiction, goodbye food addiction. Oh yeah, and goodbye anger, goodbye depression, Goodbye anxiety and goodbye fear. When I surrendered to following Jesus into the life, um, into the life he had for me, um, I had this— oh boy, what did I— what was I meaning to write here? When I surrendered to following Jesus into the new life he had for me, I had to say goodbye to a lot of things, but I also said hello to some really good things. Hello sobriety. Hello freedom. Hello new home. Hello victory. Hello meaning. Hello purpose. Hello adventure. Hello Tammy Lynn. Hello love. Hello peace. And hello joy. Some people would say I probably say— some people would probably say that I would have needed some good professional help to overcome the things I have overcome. A trained, licensed therapist would probably be the only way you could hope to overcome all those problems, they may say. But I would have to disagree and would offer the, uh, that, uh, good people with good advice and care, like a mental health coach, could suffice. And that brings us to our final installment on mental health coaching, uh, where we are sharing from Matthew Boone's 2023 blog post where he helps us to determine if a mental health coach is an option for our situations that need healing by asking the question, uh, is a mental health coach right for me? Boone writes, here are some key questions to ask yourself in deciding whether mental health coaching is the best type of support for you. Do you have a mental health condition that significantly affects your life? If you live with With significant anxiety or depression, PTSD, schizophrenia, or another complex condition, you may need a level of mental health care that a mental wellness coach cannot provide. Are you using, or would you like to use, medication to manage your mental health? A mental health coach cannot prescribe medication and therefore may not be the best fit for you. And then the next question is, do you need to supplement your existing mental health treatment? A behavioral health coach can be a great addition to other types of mental health treatment. In a situation like this, it's important to have a transparent conversation with your therapist and coach to ensure the care you receive— you're receiving in each location is unique and appropriate for separate concerns. Are you struggling with problems that are mainly situational or temporary, such as career troubles, grief from a recent loss, or stress? Behavioral health coaching may make sense. Are you seeking a proactive approach to mental health? If you aren't experiencing pressing mental health concern but want to be proactive with your mental health, mental health coaching could be the solution. Are you looking to become a better leader, employee, or member of your family and community? This kind of self-development is something that emotional wellness coaches excel at addressing. Uh, and then he encourages us to take charge of your mental health and finishes up by writing, whether it's a therapist, mental health coach, or another type of mental health care provider, reaching out for help is a brave step. With support, you could build greater self-awareness, shift your thoughts and beliefs, achieve your goals, and improve your well-being. Thank you, Matthew Boone. As his article points out, there are some situations that require a licensed therapist, psychiatrist, doctor, or counselor, but there are also situations that are further down the mental health spectrum where a mental health coach would be an excellent option. In my experience, I just needed caring people to be in my corner, to offer advice, provide accountability, and to support me in my efforts to follow the Lord and change my life. My testimony provides the evidence that proves that areas, uh, that the areas of mental health, addiction recovery, and spiritual formation can all be addressed by a coach. And that is why I wanted to do this series on mental health coaching. To make people aware of this mental health treatment option. It is Mental Health Awareness Month after all, and to make people aware, um, and I also wanted to make people aware that a big part of your overall mental health has to do with your spiritual life, your relationship with God. And I guess you can accuse me of shameless self-promotion too, because I have formed M.t. for Christ Christian Life Coaching LLC. To offer my help as a Christian life coach to those who want to be proactive with their mental health and who could benefit from someone who can act as a mental health coach and lead them to a stronger relationship with God. So keep an open mind, look at your situation, and make an informed decision to get the mental health assistance that's right for you and your loved ones. Today's Bible verse, as we move along, uh, today's Bible verse come— verses come to us from the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Crews. This morning's meditation verses come from the section on death and eternal life, and today's verses are from Revelations 2:26-29, where the word of God says, the one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end To him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 2:26-27. Today's verses are the second of 5 passages of scripture that fall under the 29th point of our Counseling Reference Guide's resource section on death and eternal life. That 29th point is Jesus gives wonderful promises to all who overcome, who conquer, who fight against sin, and in their love for Christ persevere. Today's verses remind us that Jesus is coming back and that it will be definitely better to be with him than against him. Yep, meek and mild Jesus is coming back, and when he does, there'll be hell to pay. As he will rule, him and his saints will rule over the nations with a rod of iron and destroy those who stand against him. Whoa, say what? That's what the Lord says, and it's true. That's what the Word says, and it's true. So rejoice over your salvation. Evil will be punished, and in the end, only those who stand with Jesus will stand at all. What are we saved from? The the wrath of God and his holy justice. But we need not be afraid, as the same God who will punish the wicked provides a way of, of rescue and escape—Jesus, who pays the penalty for all who trust in him. So trust in him and live. As always, I invite all to go to mtforchrist.com, where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk Today we continue sharing from According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament by Stephen F. Alford. And in Alford's devotional, he prompts us to read a chapter of Scripture every day, twice a day actually. And today's chapter is Acts 22, and from Acts 22 he shares a portion of verse 8 which says, "I am Jesus of Nazareth." And Stephen Alford writes, "What grace is exhibited in these words? He who was God of very God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, chose not to call himself by any other title than Jesus of Nazareth on this particular occasion. The answer for this is simply, yet amazingly, his grace. Had the Lord desired to take the life of this blasphemer and persecutor, He could have righteously done so, but no, He did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. So, in answer to Paul, or Saul's question, "Who are you, Lord?" Christ replied, "I am Jesus of Nazareth," the name of humility, the name by which His kinsmen and friends and enemies called Him, Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter's son. Was it any wonder that Paul was convicted? The Savior of Nazareth, therefore your Savior, Paul, even though you have persecuted me. And Alfred ends his devotion by praying, Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. Amen. Amen. Yeah, Paul had a very dramatic conversion experience. Meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus. And, you know, talk about blinded by the light, literally blinded. Yeah, so the conviction, you know, Paul was woken up to the fact that he was working against God's kingdom. He was persecuting Christians, and Jesus stopped him in his tracks to tell him that, you know, you're doing it wrong. And to make that lesson stick, stick, you know, he was physically blinded. And I believe he sat in the dark 3 days before Ananias came to tell him that the Lord sent him to give him sight. And so Paul had a lot to think about— or Saul, who became Paul— he had a lot to think about in the dark. And after he learned the truth and His whole life was changed after that. Church tradition tells us that after his conversion experience, he basically went to the wilderness for like 3 years, where he was apparently, you know, discipled by the Holy Spirit. He came back as the greatest evangelist and church builder, really, that the world has ever seen. Paul wrote a third of the New Testament. Because of his experiences with the Lord. That's all supernatural, you know. He didn't walk and talk with Jesus while he was alive. Paul met Jesus after he had died and was resurrected. He met the resurrected Jesus and taught from what he learned from him. So that's, you know, that's more than just common sense. This is the revelation that comes from God only, and it's the great hope of our salvation that we're saved by faith alone. Paul's the one who preached it, and Jesus said, "It really is me, Jesus of Nazareth. That's me, your Lord." And luckily the Lord revealed that to me as well. Changed my life. And that's why we do the blog and the podcast, is to let people know that our faith is a powerful faith of a living God who's alive and well and who's willing to help you when you come to him and follow him. So that's what we do. We try to point people to that path, and we offer our help as a life coach and a prayer minister, um, to help people build a relationship and, uh, to find freedom and healing through the power of their faith and through the power of God in their life. So we offer our services. Go to mt4christ.com and look at Christian life coaching services and prayer ministry services and make a consultation, and we can talk. Happy to report that getting referrals Somebody with some occult background has been referred to me, and so we've offered our help, and we'll see if we can help. I don't know if I can help, but I know, I know the Lord can help. And I'll introduce the two parties if I'm allowed. But that's what we do. We— I just point people to Jesus, to tell people to follow him because I can pray for you and we can pray together. But unless you put your faith in Jesus and decide to follow him after we pray, your, your victory might be limited and your freedom might be fleeting. Um, I've come to discover that many people I've, I've helped will walk away from prayer ministry or, you know, discipleship course and have a measure of freedom that they've never known before. And then shortly after, they'll basically deny it. They'll deny their own healing, they'll deny their own freedom, and they'll be right back to where they were. And, you know, was it a trick? No, they believed the lies of the enemy once again, and they went back to their old ways of living, their old ways of condemnation and sin and addiction. They gave in. They made a— they opened the door to the enemy once again, and he's right back in their lives. And I think he might not have as strong a hold back in their lives, but once you let them in, you gotta cast them out and keep them out. And the only way you keep them out is committing yourself to following Christ. So, you know, Jesus talked about this in the Word when he said, you know, when he cast out a demon, there's an empty space. And, you know, he'll wander in dry places, and then, you know, if he goes back to the space and he sees it's empty, he'll go back in and bring his demonic friends with him. And unfortunately, I believe that happens a lot, you know, if you don't choose to follow. You might cast out the enemy, and next thing you know, your condition's worse than the first. I've seen it in our recovery ministries where people had a sense, you know, had a season of sobriety and doubted their sobriety, went back into temptation, relapsed, and then next thing you know, they're experiencing so much worse than they ever did. In one instance, a man basically ended up homeless after walking away from the Lord. And luckily he's back and he's walking with the Lord now and he's free again. And after he suffered so much that he confesses to me that he's never going back again. And I told him, you know, just keep walking and talking with God and your victory will be assured. You know, we can't give ground to the enemy and we can't play, we can't play you know, holy drill one day, and then, you know, next thing you know, be tied up in the world, the flesh, and the devil, and expect to walk free. So I'm just keeping it real this morning, as you know, as I'm contemplating helping someone who by their own words claims Christian spirituality. Christian spirituality— I'm not sure what that is. Does that mean you go to church? Does that mean you read the Bible? What does that mean? I'm going to find out and we'll see. Because, you know, if you're not going to be a real Christian and follow the Lord, you can be as spiritual as you want and be demonically oppressed. So we try to keep it real here. Anyway, um, we gotta keep it real. We have a day job to go to. So, um, yeah, just to humble ourselves. We don't have an international ministry where we're supported by donations, so we have to work, and that's okay. The Lord provides, and we're happy to have it. But we should be moving along. We're going to pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we thank you so much for the freedom you've given us, the way you've set us free, and the way you provide for us through work and through your, your graciousness, Lord. Um, we just pray for you to, uh, go before us today. We also pray for you to, um, bless anyone who's reading or listening to today's message, that they come alongside you and follow you, and that you come alongside them and bless them and bless their prayer requests and their walk of faith. And as always, Lord, we do pray for you to go before us, open our eyes to the things you want us to see, and lead us in the way we go. Um, help us, Lord, and, uh, guide us because we need your help if we want to— we want to represent your kingdom. And we know we desperately need your help to do that. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, and we love you. And we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.