CounselingChristians

I am looking for apologetics for a rising 8th grader. A little background - he was raised in public school until 6th grade and knows way more about the world than I wish he did at his age.  He was baptized several years ago, but hates going to church. We have to force him to attend with us and go to youth group. He says he is a christian, but his music choices and friend choices make me question if he truly has a relationship with God.   I was looking for a Apologetics resource in particular about sexuality. Or finding a good book for his age, who may already know what all of the issues are with gender and sex? I am also looking for something to teach general apologetics to help him have a strong foundation for his faith, as he is almost 14 and time feels limited to work on this 😬. A: I see a lot of potential here in your parenting that young one! 😊 If you use good resources you could have him point out what is biblically wrong with things he sees in the world, and that mak...

Q: I need some guidance, please. It appears clear that our teen is not saved. As a mom, what is there to do besides prayer, catechism, discipleship, and even homeschool (all these have we done since early in his life)? I have such a heavy heart for our teen. Please give me some encouraging advice. Although we correct him, discipline him, love him, and pray with him, he adamantly lies and has a tendency to be lazy.  I'm very discouraged right now. I do believe God has His own timing and He is the One who saves. But what is a mother to do? It's so grieving that our teen does not have any convictions nor repentance since he doesn't have the Holy Spirit. We have been going through the study of reformed Christian apologetics and he does agree and recognizes it all as true. A:  Here are some things to consider to help you in areas you might not be doing. What does "the childs" daily spiritual life look like? Are your children reading the Bible daily ? Discussing qu...

Q: Son has strayed from the faith and embraced Atheism. How can I reach him, reason with him, provide answers to questions he might have. And to show him Christianity is true and God is real? A: These resources can help. It is a good idea to get familiar with the contents inside by going through each topic and its contents one by one. If you know specific objections he now has you can start with those ones first in the faq below. The reliability section will help solidify truth about the trustworthiness of the Bible.  You can also after going through this, have daily round table time with your son if he lives at home. He is to obey and honor his parents and that is the house rule under Christian authority of the home and your faith. You can use this opportunity to teach through these issues. There are also videos of help here, but also podcasts and written information mixed in. There are also sermons on topics. All are useful. You can do these things as daily family dev...

I am a 14 year old teen and have been struggling to get baptized for about 2 years. I have been attending a Baptist church my whole life. I got saved at 9 years old, and want to get baptized. But feel stuck/prevented. For some background, my dad grew up jv witness, but completely stopped following that religion after he turned 18 and left home. Since he grew up in a cult, (that is a "religion"), he doesnt understand biblical Christianity (not "religion"). He said I’m too young to devote my life to "a religion".  How do I convince him to let me get baptized? If I do it behind his back then that would be me disobeying him right? I’m very lost and frustrated and don’t know what to do. Please advise. A: We as believers are to obey God above all others. If parents are trying to stop you from obeying God then you go obey God. Baptism is the 1st act of obedience towards God we do after being saved. I am going to assume your mom is Baptist and you go to church w...

Q: my 17 year old son has found some church online that doesnt teach sin and repentance biblically. He decided he is going to leave for another church, but is going to speak to the pastor this week as part of his "departure". Advice? A: He is under your roof and he has to obey and honor his parents, so no he cannot leave to the other church. Simple as that 🤷🏻‍♂️. They're under your roof, your protection, your guidance, your love, your spiritual leadership. And you are raising them rightly in a biblical faith and church. And they're under your chosen church's leadership of the pastor as the family's shepherd.  Fix all of this now before he graduates and leaves home.  Perspective and Advice:  Teens usually bought into some lie thry listened to in the social cesspool media (didnt have parental guards around it but had free run of the internet 🙃) and no actual Christian guidance at home; communication, daily family devotions, teaching essentials of the faith...

Q: I am a Teen. I’ve been praying for new friends, and im still all alone w no friends. Is there something I need to be doing to contribute or should I just keep waiting on God? A: You do need to be active about it. You pray & go. Not pray and stay. Trust God and go. Be actively go-ing in your life.  I had three years without friends and I was so lonely, so I tried finding friends in places I shouldn't have. Sometimes God isolates us so that he can refine us. When we are completely alone, that is the time when you can get super close to God, you're free of distractions, you learn to rely on and find your strength from Him. God actually used my time of isolation to reveal part of His plan for my life, one of my biggest regrets was not realizing that I should've been praying and working towards that then, instead of now. From my own experience, you definitely should wait on God. He has plans for you and for now has put you in a place where you can truly dive deep into His...

Q: I've been homeschooled since 2nd grade, and now I'm 14 with the possibility of going into public highschool. The reason I might be going? Well, I want to bring more teens to church, and I want to help advocate for better education. The only thing is... I have moderate/severe anxiety. I love people and I'm extroverted,  but I'm incredibly anxious about most things (E.g. do people want me around, am I good enough, am I pretty enough, etc.). I have prayed about it, and do try to rest & trust in Jesus.  I just want to be able to fulfill what believers are to do... evangelizing my peers. Advice & prayers? A: Prayers for your anxiety. You do need to involve your Christian parents or grandparents in this consideration. It is not wise to jump into shark infested waters without thinking it through. The world can eat you up, esp at a young age.  Give serious prayer to this, to truly consider where you are heading into [Demons den] if Public School is where you might...

Q: I am a teen and haven’t gone to church in a year now... because I’m too scared to go alone. Last year I was going with someone, but now I have nobody to go with. Realistically, I know nobody at the church is going to judge me for going alone but I have really bad social anxiety.  How can I get over it so I could go? A: God removes our fear.  Fear means=  False evidence appearing real. The thing we are nervous about, 99.9999% of the time never proves to be a actual concern once its over. We can be confident because God is with us and he directs our path. 🤗 Try doing sth "one thing at a time" and you will gain confidence. Here are examples.  1. Get a ride to church  2. Go to church. 3. Attend Sunday school 4. Ask 3 questions during class. > A. Does anyone live near x area who can pick me up for church and drop me off on Sundays?  > B. Ask for prayers about your anxiety & fear. > C. At least ask 1 question about the lesson, during the lesson....

A: Any podcast recommendations for a teen who has had a traumatic family life in and out of foster care? The teen is 17 and has a lot of relationship troubles, drama in any friend circle she is involved in, has a hard time accepting authority from anyone especially males. She also never wants to take responsibility for any of her mistakes/sins and accept the consequences, instead she try’s to manipulate me by saying how hard of a life she had and any excuse she can think of. I try to set good examples and I have had her read a couple books (when she lived with me a few years ago). I don’t think I could get her to actually read a book, so was hoping to get her listening to a good gospel centered podcast that maybe touch bases on any of the issues I mentioned above. I know she needs counseling and she has it through the alternative school she is in, but she says it doesn’t help at all and I honestly don’t know of any good biblical counselors in our area. A: Transformed with Dr Greg Giffo...