Dynamics of Problem Solving :

Heb.3:13 - Being ignorant of sin desensitizes and causes hardening.

Rom.1:20-32 - After awhile you become your own god, you establish standards to justify self-centered pursuits. Therefore, it is a question of becoming knowledgeable, of becoming sensitive, of recognizing that living in this world cannot be taken for granted else through ignorance one can perish. Hosea 4:6 .

The Ways of Man and the Ways of God:

The world has about 230 psychological schools of thought dealing with the study of man, his behaviour, and the ethical and moral standards required for man to solve personal problems. These schools are reduced for easier assessment to five basic modalities, as follows:

1. Man is good :
   Humanism - independence from God - new age - has everything necessary within to solve own problems; mind merely blocked by negative thinking or influences, develop positive thinking and draw from one's own resources, see self as worthwhile and esteemed, the self becomes a god.
   What does God say? See Ps.62:9 ; Rom.3:10-18 , 23 ; 7:18 .
2. Man is a superior animal :
   Basic view of man is that his behavior is conditioned or programmed, wrongly influenced by environment and circumstances, needs to be reconditioned or reprogrammed by manipulation of behavior thru use of positive and negative stimuli, trained to respond to reward and punishment in order to improve self.
   What does God say? See John 15:4-5 ; Rom.1:18-32 ; James 4:10.
3. Man can change himself :
   Man can change bad behavior due to being the product of a bad environment.This is same as items above but dealing with aberrant and criminal elements.
   What does God say? See Jere.13 ; 23; Eze.18:20 ; Eze.36:26-27 .
4. Man, a victim of conscience :
   Man driven by instincts, thwarted by family, by society, by upbringing, others are responsible for his problems, deep analysis necessary, hypnosis, resocialization, reconstitute ego, id, libidos, catharsis, self-actualization, free association, etc.
   What does God say? See Eze.18:20 ; Phil.2:3-4 ; l Tim.4:1-2
5. Man, a bargainer :
   When the above doesn't work , the world uses this: trade-offs. You do this, and I will do this, or 50/50 arrangement.Only trouble is that the self nature always wants more than its share, imbalances are inevitable.
   What does God say? God commands us to love without expectation of return, to return good for evil. See Rom.12:21 ; Phil.2:3-4 .

Man's way is always self-oriented, he is his own god, as evidenced by :

1. no biblical confrontation,
2. no conversion experience expected or even considered,
3. no repentance,
4. no work of the Holy Spirit,
5. and no sanctification process in bearing the image of God.

All of this is typical and represents the humanistic philosophy engendered from the Enlightenment and the Renaissance periods of the 18th century, culminating today in a society which foundation is being built on preferences (feelings) rather than principles, where human reason replaces the Ten Commandments.

God's way of handling problems, His solutions are:

Phil.3:13 - God is the God of the "I AM", He is not in the past, nor in the future, He is always in the present, we start from the present and each day thereafter, o ne day at a time.

Lu.9:62 - Looking back into the past will make you unfit for the present.

Heb.11:15 - Thinking of the past makes one vulnerable, and weak.

Rom.8:28 - Past events in our lives are irreversible, why waste time and effort there.

• Our reactions to those events can be changed as we allow God to intervene in the present, to reach into our experiences, to redeem us, to free us to love and worship God, and eventually we become lovers of God in our spirits instead of lovers of self by dwelling on the past.

1 Tim.4:7 ; Eph.4:22-24 - Thus, it is through discipline we become godly, by commitment to live God's way in the present through the simple process of putting-off and putting-on by direction of God's word and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Accordingly, we change our coping mechanisms from reacting to life to responding to God's word and being the blessing that God intended us to be from the beginning.

God's resources :

• Holy Spirit - John 16:7 , 8 , 13 ; l Cor.2:11-15
• Bible - 2 Tim.3:16-17 ; Heb.4:12
• Counselors - Gal.6:1 , 2 ; Rom.15:14 ; Prov.15:22

Start up the spiral by tackling the immediate problem first, Jm.1:2 , 4. Act on known solutions, postpone acting when solutions are unknown, Jm. 1:5-8 ; John 7:17 ; Rom.14:23 . Continue up the spiral, Heb.5:14 .

Homework

Memory verse :

2 Tim.3:16 , 17 , and meditate on this verse.

Devotions :

BSAF on Jn.16:7 and 8 and 13; Heb.4:12 ; Gal.6:1 , do one a day.

Put-off / Put-on :

Study Eph.4:22-32 and examine yourself to determine if you have been conforming or not conforming to the principles stated in each of these 11 verses. Make a list of your failures for future reference.

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