By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

As Christians today we talk a lot about the love and grace of God, but we don’t talk much about him being the holy Judge — that seems scary or harsh to us. And yet repeatedly the Psalmist rejoices that the Lord is the Judge. He approaches God’s judgment seat not with fear or shame, but with eager confidence, trusting that the Lord will accept him and set everything right.

From the Psalmist I have learned to rely on the Lord as the Righteous Judge so that I don’t fear the criticisms and condemnations of people. I’ve also learned from the Psalmist that when [...]

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By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

Negative emotions. We all have them. We all have struggled with how to deal with emotions like worry, anger, depression, shame, ambition, lust, and jealousy—even a psychologist like me who has devoted 24 years to helping people overcome emotional problems.

Of course, having an emotion isn’t a problem—it’s normal. But how do we respond to the emotion? That’s the issue. And “negative” emotions are those that damage people if they are internalized or if they are acted on against yourself or someone else. Many people we talk to, including ministry leaders, are controlled by negative emotions.

The Psalmist understands our struggles [...]

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By Bill Gaultiere © 2010

“Cease from anger” the Psalmist counsels us (Psalm 37:8). Throughout the Bible we are cautioned about our anger. And many Psalms, particularly the Laments, show us how to deal with anger in a wise and godly way. But it seems that few Christians today understand their anger or what to do with it.

Anger is a God-given emotion. We feel angry when our will is crossed, when we’re afraid that we won’t get what we want. Anger is like a headache: it signals to us that something is wrong and needs attention. Maybe you’re not saying no to someone or something when it [...]

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The way to life and freedom is to trust in the name of the Lord. The wise man says: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:12).

But what does it mean to trust in the name of the Lord? In my personal life and in my ministry as a psychologist and spiritual mentor I have learned that we must learn to bring our reliance upon the name of the Lord into our daily life challenges and struggles.

Today I was about to hurry as I drove until I breathed the name of Jesus in prayer.

I helped a man who [...]

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