Biblical Counseling of Greater Atlanta

LONGING Our bodies and our minds are often under severe pressures. It is difficult to sustain creative energy over a long period of time. I don’t know about you, but I live in fear of deadlines. I struggle with balancing my priorities, with handling money wisely, with proper investment of my time, with handling difficult and demanding relationships. When I feel I’m over my head, Psalm 42 brings consolation. David know about turmoil, for overwhelming and uncontr...ollable events. His hope was in God. Verse 8 is the centerpiece of David’s confession of faith. David channeled his anxiety through prayer to the God of his life in the deepest waters and through the darkest night. Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my Goddeep in your waterfalls, all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs his love, and night his song is with me-a prayer to the God of my life Psalm42:5, 7-8). I pray that my hope will be in God even when I feel most helpless. May I never turn my face away from Him. See more

Merry Christmas from Biblical Counseling of Greater Atlanta!

Flashback Friday | A few years ago before my Nash Rambler split in half due to rust as I pulled up to a stop sign. When it split, it just fell to the street, and I left it right there and walked away. It was J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937) He was known for his one increasing purpose, a progressive love for the pre-eminence of Christ. What will you be known for? Think about it. Jim

LONGING Our bodies and our minds are often under severe pressures. It is difficult to sustain creative energy over a long period of time. I don’t know about you, but I live in fear of deadlines. I struggle with balancing my priorities, with handling money wisely, with proper investment of my time, with handling difficult and demanding relationships. When I feel I’m over my head, Psalm 42 brings consolation. David know about turmoil, for overwhelming and uncontr...ollable events. His hope was in God. Verse 8 is the centerpiece of David’s confession of faith. David channeled his anxiety through prayer to the God of his life in the deepest waters and through the darkest night. Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my Goddeep in your waterfalls, all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs his love, and night his song is with me-a prayer to the God of my life Psalm42:5, 7-8). I pray that my hope will be in God even when I feel most helpless. May I never turn my face away from Him. See more

Merry Christmas from Biblical Counseling of Greater Atlanta!

Flashback Friday | A few years ago before my Nash Rambler split in half due to rust as I pulled up to a stop sign. When it split, it just fell to the street, and I left it right there and walked away. It was J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937) He was known for his one increasing purpose, a progressive love for the pre-eminence of Christ. What will you be known for? Think about it. Jim

Dr. Jim Dykes Graduated Trinity College of The Bible and Theological Seminary with his Doctorate of Philosophy in August! Pictured with Dr. Jim Dykes is President of Trinity, Braxton Hunter

ICE-CREAM OR GINGER SNAPS? Written by - Dr. Jim Dykes The evil desire within us constantly searches for occasions to express itself, constantly scanning the environment for temptations. Those who love ice-cream can probably relate to the honest confession of one who said they could drive through the streets of any town and never really notice what stores lined the street. But that same person confessed that, I never failed to see the sign of an ice-cream store. I know of ...a close relative, not to be named, who wrestled with their temptation. They could not go down the isles of the local grocery story without giving in to her desire to purchase and eat ginger snaps. Not just a couple of those delights, but a whole glass of crumbled ginger snaps covered with some cold milk. There are worse things than the temptation to stop at every ice-cream store, or gobble up a bag of ginger snaps. Our flesh is always searching out opportunities to gratify itself according to the particular sinful desires each of us has. Sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it (Gen. 4:7). Indulgences, and our preoccupation with wanting something we should not be obsessed about demonstrate the principle in the above verse whether it is ICE-CREAM,GINGER SNAPS, or much worse. Ask God to help you overcome your evil desires. We all have them. Jim See more

God has a prescription for overcoming fear Dr. Jim Dykes will use God’s Word in demonstration of how Christians can have victory over fear!

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? by Jim Dykes What is it that motivates you to an action or decision? Generally, it is something that imparts courage, inspiration, something that encourages you. Many of us can remember what it was like to play basketball for a boys or girls club, a school, college or university. I remember playing Sharonville High School during my junior year. We played at their school, and we really wanted to beat this rival school. In the first quarter of t...he game it seemed as though I could not make a bad shot. I felt as though I had somehow been anointed by some basketball genie, and I was scoring every time we had possession of the basketball. In the first quarter, I had already scored 19 points. Then it happened. There was a time out, and to my amazement, my coach pulled me from the game and made me sit next to him on the bench. Was he crazy? I had the hot hand! It was at this time that I got motivated. My coach was not patting me on the back for my sensational scoring streak. He was scolding me. He said to me Don’t you realize that there are four other team members out there that are part of this team. If you keep hogging the ball you might score, but we will end up losing the game. One person cannot win alone. It takes a team effort. Just sit there and think about that! Wow! Did I ever get motivated. Did I want to score, or did I want to help the team win the game? If I was going to have the coach put me back in the game, I had better be a team player. In a few minutes he put me back in the game, and I found out how great it was to help my other team members to score. Our team won the game. Sometimes I get dragged back to being a ball hog in my Christian life. Give me the ball and watch me score. I get so excited about scoring for Jesus that I forget the coach (God) is trying to get my attention so that I can get motivated to help others play a winning game. God uses us in different ways, at different times. The apostle Paul was a great basketball player, a real team player, who was motivated to do whatever the coach had for him to do, sometimes scoring, and sometimes sitting on the bench, always encouraging his team mates. He said to Timothy, if you want to play on a winning team, then you must be sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitablegentlenot puffed up, but well thought of by the coach and the other players. I don’t know about you, but I do not want my coach to take me out of the game, and sit me on the bench simply because my motivation was misdirected, or self-centered. May I toil and strive just like Paul taught Timothy, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. (1 Timothy 4:10) WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?

FORGETFUL PEOPLE IN 2016? Too often we have overlooked, ignored or disregarded the majesty of creation and how we should intently fix our gaze on our sovereign, holy, and gracious Creator. In 2016, we were forgetful people. We forgot to give God glory for creating us and sustaining us. We forgot to thank him for all blessings, happiness and well-being. We forgot to pray to him.... We forgot to praise him. We forgot his steadfast, abounding and overflowing love. We forgot what Christ has done for us, in us, to us, with us, and through us. We forgot Christ’s law-fulfilling and all-satisfying life. We forgot his sacrificial, redemptive, reconciling and atoning death. We forgot his resurrection from death to life. We forgot that we Christians are awaiting resurrection. We forgot that Christ our mediator is interceding for us at the right hand of the Father. We forgot that Christ is coming back to judge the living and the dead. We forgot the person and the power of the Holy Spirit. We forgot that the Holy Spirit resides within us and that we are the temple of God. We forgot that God is working in us, giving us the desire and power to do what pleases him. We forgot that for those who love God all things work together for good. We forgot that we are united to Christ and that our salvation is certain and secure. We forgot that we are seated securely with Christ in the heavenly places. We forgot that God will make all things new in the new heaven and new earth. We forgot God’s promises. We forgot the law. We forgot the gospel. We forgot God’s faithfulness. And yet, God never forgets us. Throughout Scripture, our faithful, covenant Lord reminds us, I will remember (Genesis 9:15; Leviticus26:42; Ezekiel 16:60). He will not forget us, nor his everlasting promises, to us. Though we are prone to wander and forget God, our Lord has provided us with abundant means to remember him. The Lord has given us his inspired, authoritative, and inerrant Word, and he has given us the ability to know it, to love it, and to hide it in our hearts. Moreover, the Lord has given us himself in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Because God remembers our sin no more in Christ, he will, for the sake of Christ, cause us to remember him now and forever, for his glory and our eternal joy. God Never Forgets Us, Ligonier Ministries, Sanford,Florida, Tabletalk, December 2016, Vol. 40, No. 12, Burk Parsons, p. 2., HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2017! Jim Dykes, your counselor

This morning, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, page D-5, devoted 2/3 of a whole page to the subject titled Looking for peace of mind? Try meditation. It then gave BEST PLACES TO MEDITATE IN METRO ATLANTA. One place offers classes on Kadampa Buddhism. Another offers 15 hours of intensive group session work, and an 8-week-long training course. A third, offers monthly all day sittings, year round retreats along with the study of Zen meditation. The fourth offers the opportu...nity to learn the Transcendental Meditation techniques. The fifth says you can practice Buddhist meditation, chant, and weekly discussion groups, services and retreats. The sixth offers the mindful, compassionate passion of Shambhala meditation leading to a more joyful, peaceful life. Finally, the seventh invites you to learn the art of Zen through various styles, including seating and chant meditation. Nothing is said about the true way to find peace. So, let me help you to find real peace. 1. Peace comes through justification by faith in Jesus. Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). 2. Jesus gives us peace. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives (John 14:27). 3. Humble trust in the Lord gives peace. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety (Psalm 4:8). 4. Peace is the result of being controlled by the Spirit. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6). 5. Peace is the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). 6. God gives peace to those whose minds are fixed on him. You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you (Isaiah 26:3-4). 7. The peace of God comes through praying in faith. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). 8. There is no peace for the wicked. There is no peace, Says my God, for the wicked (Isaiah 57:21). If you are struggling to find real peace, and would like to talk about it, please call me, Jim Dykes, at 404-402-2667 See more

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY, 04-21-2016 SOLITUDE AND SELF-EXAMINATION by Jim Dykes God instructs us to spend time in solitude and personal, unassisted self-examination before the Lord. Someone once said: "HOW BUSY WE HAVE BECOME...AND AS A RESULT, HOW EMPTY!" 1 Cor 11:28-31 tells us: "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you ar...e weak and ill and some have died. But if we judge ourselves truly we would not be judged". God is dealing with us as with his own children. He loves us too dearly to allow us to go on in sin. Think about it. Take time for some much needed SOLITUDE AND SELF-EXAMINATION. Give God first place in your heart and life. How busy and how empty has your life become? "I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live." Psalm 104:33 See more

THOUGHT FOR SATURDAY 04-16-2016 by Jim Dykes I apologize for no daily thoughts this past week. I had a full plate and let the busy schedule of events to curtail my writing the daily thought, which I love doing. I participated in an Atlanta South Gideon blitz of distributing 13,000 Bibles to hotels,airport, doctors offices, police and fire stations, etc. Toni and I sang at a banquet. My Ph.D. studies also required more time this week as well. So I know many of you had asked fo...r me to make the prayer I used as part of our studies recently, and have attached a copy of it in this email. . I love you guys, and will return to my thought for the day next Monday.Jim Dear God, the all-powerful, all-knowing, sovereign God, help me be true and honest before you, and help me to live my life free from the sin of deception. May I pray according to your will. May my prayers be free from a lustful heart, or selfish dreams, or secret sins. May my prayers be followed up by diligently working to glorify you. May my prayers not be hindered because of any grudge I might have against someone. May I pray in faith believing that you are a great God, and my expectations are in a God who can do the impossible. May my prayers never attempt to dictate how or when you should answer. You know what is best, and your timing is always right. In Jesus name, Amen. "I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live." Psalm 104:33