10 Key Scriptures for Counseling Homework
When giving counseling homework, I usually write out 3 to 4 assignments for my counselees. Nearly every session, the first assignment I give at the top of the page is the Scripture verse(s) I want them meditating on throughout the week—the text I want them wielding to combat their fleshly impulses and Satan’s deceit.
Until now, I haven’t given much thought as to why I put this assignment at the top, above, for instance, the chapter they need to read in When Sinners Say “I Do” and the challenge to serve others practically in three specific ways. But I think it’s simply because I believe in the sufficiency of Scripture and I actually want my counselees to change. I know that won’t happen apart from God’s Word in the hands of the Spirit, so I want them to prioritize Scripture over the other important assignments I give.
Recently, I went back through the homework I gave my counselees over the last few years, and I wrote down all the Scripture verses I assigned for meditation and/or memorization. I think it might be helpful to list several of those I’ve used and the reason(s) I have for using each one. There are a handful that have left well-worn paths in the biblical counseling realm (e.g. 1 Corinthians 10:13; Ephesians 4:29; Philippians 4:6–7, etc.), but my purpose in this post will be to draw your attention to others that haven’t been as commonly used.
To that end, here are 10 key Scriptures to assign for homework in your counseling ministry:
1. Ephesians 1:3—Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (emphasis mine).
In my experience, most of us Christians live our lives functionally as spiritual paupers, thinking we’re impoverished of what we need for satisfaction and faithfulness. But, in Christ, God has given us all the spiritual resources necessary to reflect His glory and rejoice in His love no matter the challenge. Our counselees need this text so that they don’t limp along from one temptation to the next, forgetting the storehouse of grace that is already ours in Christ (see the rest of the context in Ephesians 1:4–14).
2. Proverbs 28:13—Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy (emphasis mine).
Repentance is more than simply feeling sorry for your sin. A person can selfishly feel worldly grief over their transgressions and never bear the fruit of repentance (see 2 Corinthians 7:9–11). But repentance is also more than confession. Refusing to conceal our sin is crucial for repentance, but this text shows us that we must confess and forsake sin. The promise of God’s mercy meets us in our choice to embrace both. Counselees need this text so they do not settle for a truncated repentance which is really not repentance at all.
3. 2 Corinthians 5:15—And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Jesus died for many reasons,¹ but, given the spirit of our age, this reason should be repeated . . . loudly. According to this verse, Jesus died to save us from a life dominated by self-interest. The idol at the root of all my idols is me. The same is true for you and your counselees. Many Christians have not done the heart work of trying to catch themselves before they dive into a downward spiral of selfish ambition. This text not only points them away from this idolatry but beckons them toward the only ambition that truly frees us—exalting Jesus Christ.
4. Psalm 73:25–26—Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
These words are uttered by Asaph after he had given himself over to envying the wicked who were enjoying the ease and comfort he longed for. The Lord graciously granted him repentance so that he embraced the truth that God is his satisfaction. This text is a good one to assign your counselees to show them that repentance is never just about trading unrighteous behavior for righteous behavior. We must turn from self and sin to the worship and enjoyment of God.
5. Romans 12:18—If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all (emphasis mine).
Many of the people you will counsel will come to you in the midst of a conflict with another person. I have found that these conflicts always get worse when one or both parties believe it’s their job to change the other person. They yell louder, argue harder, or nag more frequently, but it only serves to exacerbate the conflict. This verse tells us that each person can only do his or her part to make peace in the conflict. Your counselees can do their part, but they can’t make the other person do theirs. This verse frees us up to stay in our lane and trust God with the other person.
6. Titus 2:11–12—For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age (emphasis mine).
God’s grace in Christ is, indeed, amazing. As Paul says here, it brings salvation, which every dead heart needs. But what else does this grace do? It trains us to reject sin and run to godliness. This text reminds your counselees that the process of change is empowered by God. The discouragement of a white-knuckled self-exertion that leads nowhere is not the experience of the Christian who depends on grace for redemption and transformation.
7. Proverbs 19:11—Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense (emphasis mine).
A relationship wherein one or more parties is constantly pointing out the other’s wrongdoing is exhausting and burdensome. Whether your counselee loves control or just being right, this verse tells us that it’s not always right to point out what’s wrong. Grace often takes the form of saying nothing at all.
8. John 15:10–11—If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full (emphasis mine).
Obeying Jesus requires self-discipline and self-denial. In fact, obedience often hurts in the moment, but that doesn’t mean God is a cosmic killjoy because He commands us to submit. This verse reveals that obeying the commands of Christ is what leads to fullness of joy. When your counselees don’t obey it’s because they think it will it be more satisfying somehow if they don’t. But Jesus is clear here that He wants us to know true delight, but that will only come when we choose to bow the knee to Him.
9. Romans 13:14–But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Sin does not pounce on us from the outside like a hungry predator that we’ve been desperately seeking to avoid. No, it’s a predator within us that we often seek to feed, so that it comes back bigger and hungrier. But Paul tells us here that we are to starve our sinful nature. Feeding it will not satisfy it, so throw away all your provisions into the ocean, and, instead, put on Jesus Christ, remembering His person, work, promises, and return.
10. Zephaniah 3:17–The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing (emphasis mine).
Many of your counselees struggle with how they are perceived by God. They take their perception of themselves and others and apply it to their heavenly Father. They struggle to pray as they think that God must only be disappointed in them, ashamed, or even downright mad. This text can be a balm to their souls as they are confronted with the truth that God delights in all who are His in Christ. Because He sees them in His Son, He loves them as He loves His Son.
Brothers and sisters, may these verses dwell richly in your counselees (Colossians 3:16). Because of the transforming power of Scripture, we have nothing to lose and only great transformation to gain when we insist on repeated Bible meditation in the homework we assign.
¹ See John Piper’s book, Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die.
