Video 2B: Jesus Saves and Transforms the Soul

Professor Abigail Munroe: “That's right. Soul Coaching must remain clearly Christian. That's what sets this course and this program apart from more secular-based coaching programs. Our hope is in Jesus Christ.

Helpful tools serve the conversation, but they are not our deepest hope. We can ask all the questions we want. We can have different frameworks, acronyms, and methods, but that's not what ultimately serves us in this process.”

Professor Abigail Dominiak: “So,'I believe Jesus forgives me, but I don't know if he can really change me', so if you had somebody come to you, like Renee here and ask that question, how would you, as a soul coach, navigate that?”

Professor Abigail Munroe: “We would focus on both forgiveness and transformation—the fullness of the Gospel.

Christ forgives the past, renews the present, and gives hope for new life now.

How would you apply that in Renee's situation?”

Professor Abigail Dominiak: “I think if somebody came and said they believe God forgives them, but they feel like they can't really experience change, so I might begin by asking, ‘Why do you feel that way? Why do you feel He can't really change you when you believe you've received His forgiveness?’

Then I would listen to what they say, because a lot of times people feel this way because of deeper things that are going on. Once they're able to walk through and talk through some of those things, you get to come in and be that constant reminder that God's grace is sufficient for us, even in our weakness.”

Professor Abigail Munroe: “Second Corinthians 5:17 focuses on the new creation as a Gospel reality: ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.’

The deepest reality has changed. In Christ, the living soul has a new identity, a new Lord, a new hope, a new power, and a new future.”

Professor Abigail Dominiak: “Some honest expectations: Christian transformation is real, but it's not always quick. We've mentioned this several times already, and we're going to continue mentioning it throughout this course.

As you work alongside people, you really need to help them see that real transformation is possible through the power of Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for us.

But it's still a process—a process we live through every single day. We continually confess our sins, continue praying, stay in Scripture, and keep leaning into Christ.

As a Soul Coach, it's important to set that honest expectation of both real transformation and real patience.”

Professor Abigail Munroe: “Right, and it is so cyclical. For Renee, I think something powerful is simply saying, ‘It's actually normal to feel that way.’

You might feel that way even after we've done a lot of coaching or much later down the road. Simply affirming that feeling as something that's normal in this process is huge.”

Professor Abigail Dominiak: “Growth is uneven. A person might drastically change in one area while still needing growth in another.

I've experienced that in my own life. There have been things where I felt like they completely improved. I used to struggle a lot with OCD. Then there was a time when my dad prayed over me, and I truly felt like it went away. People talk about that kind of amazing healing, and it certainly can happen.

On the other hand, someone else may have something they battle their entire life. My spouse has OCD as well, and he still battles it regularly. Even though I don't anymore, I'm grateful that I understand what he's going through.

You need to help people see that God may remove something in a miraculous way, but there may be other struggles that become lifelong battles while we live here in this fallen world.”

Professor Abigail Munroe: “Absolutely. No false promises.

As a coach, even if you were sharing your own experience, we don't want to say, ‘Because I was prayed over and healed quickly, that will happen for you.’

We don't want to lead people to believe they'll be completely fixed by next week. Rather than saying, ‘You'll never change,’ we encourage them to seek the next faithful step.”

Professor Abigail Dominiak: “Yes. It's a slow process.

Even thinking about my husband, things are so much better now than when he was younger. He's become much better at identifying what's happening, talking through it with me, and responding differently.

Again, something may not completely go away, but if you keep taking faithful steps in the right direction, that's often where real transformation happens.

This is a verse I was already beginning to quote earlier: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’

Sometimes the thorn is removed, but other times grace becomes sufficient even while the thorn remains.”

Professor Abigail Munroe: “Weakness can reveal Christ's strength, and I think that's a huge takeaway from this section.

The soul learns dependence, and weakness can become a place where Christ's strength is revealed.

Going back to Renee, your questions can focus on what Christ is strengthening in her despite her feelings of hopelessness or feeling like she's not changing or growing quickly enough.”

Professor Abigail Dominiak: “Here at Christian Leaders, we talk about ministry sciences. We really want those things to help people, but in the end, Christ is the One who redeems someone and redeems their soul.”

Professor Abigail Munroe: “Here's an example of a Soul Coach question:

‘Where do you see Christ inviting trust, repentance, courage, or one faithful step?’”