Hardcover, 304 pages
ISBN-13: 9781476752068
www.intouch.org/emotions/index.html
In this powerful and inspiring book, New York Times best-selling author and trusted pastor Charles F. Stanley shares practical guidance and encouragement on a topic that touches every person on earth—emotions. Our emotions are neither good nor bad, but they are powerful. By revealing God’s original purpose for our feelings and exposing the lies we believe, Dr. Stanley teaches readers how to find the joy and fulfillment the Father created us to have.My Thoughts:
Dr. Charles F. Stanley explains in his latest book, Emotions: Confront the Lies. Conquer with Truth, that: "God created you and me with the capacity to experience the full gamut of emotions so we could enjoy life, share our inner being with others, and reflect His image. They were given to us as a gift so we could interact meaningfully with our heavenly Father and the people we know. However, in this fallen world, our feelings have become a mixed blessing. The same capacity that allows us to experience intense, overflowing joy is also the gateway to sorrow so deep and overwhelming that, like Job, we may wish we had never been born (Job 3:3)."
Certainly if we were all honest most of us would admit that our emotions can get in the way of us experiencing life to the fullest. A healthy relationship with God and our emotions allows us to enjoy life and connect with others, all while reflecting God's image - but for most of us emotions can get in the way. In this helpful book Dr. Stanley addresses five emotions that can prevent us from living a life filled with joy: fear, rejection, bitterness, guilt, and despair.
Contents:
1 Choosing to Triumph How God Makes Victory Possible
2 What’s Going On Here? God’s Purpose for Our Emotions
3 The Root of All Painful Emotions Identifying the Original Source of Our Woundedness
4 Reviewing the Evidence Recognizing Ingrained Fear by Examining the Consequences
5 The Courage to Stand Conquering Fear Through a Change of Focus
6 Rejection Overcoming the Most Painful Emotion
7 Bitterness Freedom from Misery
8 Guilt Relief from the Ultimate Weight on Your Soul
9 Despair Finding the Light of Hope in the Darkest Hour
10 All the Way to Victory! Looking Beyond Ourselves
Dr. Stanley does a great job extending compassionate understanding, encouragement, and hope to readers, while sharing Biblical insights and personal experiences. He shares that the basic components to triumphing over your emotions include the following: 1. Experiencing the New Birth (A relationship with Jesus) 2. Examining the Thoughts that Dominate Your Life 3. Exchanging Your Thought Patterns 4. Exercising the Powerful Privilege of Prayer 5. Expecting God’s Healing to Begin Immediately.
According to Dr. Stanley our emotions are a
gift from God given to us so we can enjoy life, meaningfully relate to
others, and reflect the image of God. What holds us back and is the
basis of negative emotions is fear. Our own anxieties cause many of our
problems. We can trust God because “He heals the brokenhearted and binds
up
their wounds” (Ps. 147:3). Trusting in God will diminish fear.
After each chapter is a series of questions that are helpful for personal reflection or group study. Along with the Biblical principles and passages Dr. Stanley shares, these can help the reader delved deeper into and garner a greater understanding of the material. There was also a list of fifty statements of how God views us that would be very encouraging for anyone who is struggling with self-condemnation. Emotions is a great resource and would be an excellent choice for a small group study.
Very Highly Recommended
Excerpt
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Howard Books via Edelweiss for review purposes.
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