Today on Ask Paul Tripp, we have a question about gifts and life calling.

We would encourage you to send us your questions via email to ask at paultrip.com or online at

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Justin writes in, I have been encouraged by a seasoned saint and younger brother that I might have a gift in counseling, and I'm trying to find a career for my life.

I finished my bachelor's degree in theological studies, but I'm not too good at Greek, which has kept me from pursuing seminary.

What steps would you say for someone to take who's interested in pursuing biblical counseling?

So, Paul, if you could answer

this question and then perhaps speak more broadly about how we can discern our gifts, talents,

and what God might be calling us to.

Well, maybe the best way to answer this question is to talk on my own story. I was part

of the planting of a church in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

I jokingly say, although it's kind of true, that Scrant is a place where the American Dream died in 1950.

And there were a huge amount of counseling issues around me.

That depressed community produced,

struggles in families, and struggles in peoples walk with God and people need it more than just

preaching. And so I wanted to be able to counsel them, but I wanted to be able to counsel them

in a way that was consistent with my faith. Because I don't think there's any better

diagnostic of the human condition in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I don't think there's

any better cure than what you find in the gospel. And remember, effectiveness of cure is always attached to accuracy of diagnostic.

And so I wanted a biblically rich but practical program of training.

I found one at Westminster Seminary. I enrolled there and ended up becoming

part of the faculty. So what I would say about this is you may want to stick your toe into the

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