Governing Principles - Christian Counselor Education
In this first addition of Faith Counseling and Training’s new E-Newsletter, I have chosen a few pages from chapter four of my new book entitled, “Temple Counseling – Restoring a Biblical Foundation” to be the main article. The pages just prior to what you are about to read deal with the governing authority and the governing agent of the human being. Therefore, as you read this keep in mind that I am placing you into the middle of a chapter.
One of the reasons I have done this is to give some context for the section below entitled Governing Principles. Each month that section will contain individual principles that come from the word of God. I believe these will instruct, encourage and remind you of Godly principles as you minister.
I pray that you are blessed by this small section entitled Governing Principles.
Dr. David M. Smuin
Correct governing principles are the laws, statutes and instructions that God has given us in the Scripture that we have internalized and chosen to submit to. These serve as foundational principles that give stability and proper functioning to the various areas of the human being. Incorrect governing principles are those things which a person has learned that strengthen the sinful nature and cause an area to function improperly.
For example, one woman I worked with was always assuming what her husband was thinking. She then acted according to those assumptions not really knowing if they were right or wrong. Even on the rare occasions when there was communication in the marriage she would often determine that her husband wasn’t being honest with her so she acted according to her original assumption. As you can imagine, this caused a wide assortment of conflicts inside the marriage relationship. As we worked on this she learned many governing principles like, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5. She also learned what the Word of God says about speculations and how to take her thoughts captive. These things helped her to bring everything back under the authority of her spirit which is ultimately governed by the Holy Spirit.
You will undoubtedly encounter situations, like I have, where what I really wanted was for God to give me a direct word of knowledge or direction. Yet, after praying and requesting that specific information or guidance, I only receive silence. This is another place where governing principles come into play. They give general guidance and insight as to what pleases God. I have leaned on these principles many times in my walk with the Lord.
King David said that he hid God’s word in his heart so that he would not sin against Him. This is yet a third way that governing principles guide us. We can be thrust into a situation that demands immediate action. These principles should give us enough insight to do the right thing without praying about it for three days. I remember a situation that occurred when I first started walking with the Lord. Keep in mind that I came out of a drug culture. I went over to a friend’s house to witness to him. As we were sitting together talking about God and my friends need for salvation a couple of other guys showed up. Because they knew me they thought nothing of sitting down and lighting up a joint. It didn’t take long before the smell of pot filled the room. Before the temptation could hit full steam a simple governing principle took over. When I came to Christ, I was taught right from the beginning that the old man was crucified with Christ and that I was a new creature in Christ. This translated in that situation to mean, “the guy who did drugs died and the new creature in Christ doesn’t do that.” With this governing principle taking over the action was clear, flee the situation before the old man tried to resurrect himself. So I did flee and looking back years later, I am glad I did.
Unfortunately, these simple principles are not taught much in recovery programs. The addicts are taught that they have a disease that needs to be managed. They are then introduced to a management system to help them control their urges for the substance or behavior. What they really need is to be released from the bondage of the sinful nature and learn the governing principle that the new creature in Christ doesn’t act like that. Another simple governing principle that you may want to keep in mind for addicts and many others comes from Romans 13:14, which states, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lust.”
If you would like an interesting experience, visit a recovery program and consider how much provision is made for the lust of the flesh. You can hear it in the way the addict speaks, the way they and others justify behavior, look for connections and even glory in their failures. You will also see the before and after smoking section. Don’t get me wrong I am not against recovery programs, but I do believe they miss the mark by not teaching freedom in Christ, the new man, no provision for the flesh and other governing principles.
Let me take a moment and bring something into stark clarity. Governing principles are not simply head knowledge. In other words, how much you learned in Sunday school doesn’t count. Nor does how much Scripture you can quote. The values that I am speaking about are things that you have chosen to submit yourself to. They are guidelines that go beyond information stored in the brain. They are things that move our hands and feet without debate or much hesitation.
Governing principles are godly instructions that you have chosen to obey to the point that they are core beliefs. These core beliefs must be deeply ingrained in the soul for them to cause an instant reaction when the need arises. Yes, it is true that these are growing in strength and being refined as our understanding of Christ and the Word of God grow, but we must not neglect the intentional process that we must initiate to establish and mature in these deep beliefs.
I stress this point with you because many who will seek you out for counsel or advice know a lot of religious information. Don’t let this fool you. The problem is that they have not chosen to apply the head knowledge into every area of life. Information and knowledge is easily confined into one dimension of a person’s life experience such as how they behave or interact Sunday morning at 10 am. Governing principles transcend individual situations to govern every dimension of life. They take the head knowledge and combine it with a strong choice to submit to God in the matter and a desire to understand and practice the application.
Governing principles also protect us from the enemies’ attacks. Remember James 4:7-8 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse you hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.” You may be able to quote the verses, but are you actively doing them right now? Submitting to God, drawing near to Him, cleaning our hands and purifying our hearts are things that we need to be doing all the time. Then when the devil comes, simply resist him and he will flee.
The concepts of the governing authority, governing agent and governing principles are key components to temple counseling. It is really a matter of properly lining up the entire being with God’s design and priorities rather than man’s. Sometimes people need information and assistance to accomplish this goal in their lives. That is where you, as a minister of counseling, come in. You should be ready and fully equipped to explain this need to them and to help them fulfill this need.