Decoding Distress Signals
Romans 8:38-39
Introduction
- Basic human needs
Security
- Security needs best met in a healthy home
- Impact of parental relationships on child security
- Resistance to change due to security needs
- Critique of those professing eternal security in Christ but living insecurely
- Reference to Romans 8 and true security in Christ
- Legalism vs. freedom in Christ (John 8:36)
Stability
- Need for personal stability
- Balance between security and neuroticism
- True stability through self-knowledge and relationship with God and others
- Stability anchored in the unchanging nature of Christ (Hebrews 13:8)
Recognition
- Importance of being recognized and feeling significant
- Impact of self-esteem on relationships and personal worth
- Reference to Matthew 22:39 on self-love
- Dorothy Briggs' book "Your Child’s Self-Esteem"
- Contribution of Jesus Christ to self-esteem and worth (Romans 5:8)
Acceptance
- Acceptance of oneself as God accepts us
- Unconditional acceptance from God
Satisfaction
- Need for fulfillment and achievement
- Satisfaction found in knowing and doing God’s will
- Example of a man leaving a high-paying job for ministry
Normal Problems
- Common issues faced in counseling:
- Motivation problems
- Decision-making difficulties
- Need for encouragement
- Handling pressure
- Inferiority feelings
- Guilt feelings
- Anger management
- Anxiety, especially situational
- Finding God’s will
Abnormal Problems (Needing Professional Help)
- Severe issues requiring professional intervention:
- Refusal to eat, numbness, tics, speech disorders
- Speaking in private language
- Migraines or chronic ailments
- Delusions of grandeur, paranoia
- Hearing strange voices
- Disorientation as to time, place, or person
- Confusion about identity
- Pronounced alcoholism
- Bedwetting in older children
- Extremes of emotional response
- Lack of sense of right and wrong
- Convulsions or deep sleep forms (narcolepsy)
- Severe depression and suicidal tendencies
Conclusion
- Prayer for sensitivity and responsiveness in ministry
- Encouragement to recognize and seek help for serious issues
*The above summary is AI-generated, so discrepancies may exist. Please refer to the audio or video file to verify accuracy.
About the Contributors
Howard G. Hendricks
Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, known simply as “Prof,” directly or indirectly touched millions of lives in the evangelical community and beyond. For more than sixty years Prof served on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), where he taught more than ten thousand students. He served as the chairman of the Center for Christian Leadership for over twenty years. He also ministered in person in more than eighty countries. Through speaking engagements, radio, tapes, films, the sixteen books he authored and coauthored, countless journal and popular-market articles, his service on numerous boards, and his work as a chaplain to the Dallas Cowboys (1976–1984), his reach was and is worldwide.
His legacy, in partnership with Jeanne, his wife of more than sixty-five years, includes four children and six grandchildren. Holding large audiences enthralled at venues such as Billy Graham’s conference center or Promise Keepers’ stadium rallies, Prof would confide, “It’s wonderful to be here with you, but I have a group of delicious students waiting for me back at the seminary.”
Contributors
