Becoming Emotionally Whole
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
God made you to have feelings. He has a desire for you to experience His presence with your emotions, to express yourself emotionally, and to have an emotional relationship with other people. The Lord desires that you become emotionally whole!
For most of us, the realm of emotions has uncharted territories. We are unsure of the language of emotions. We have neglected or feared to explore areas of the inner life. Recognize at the outset of this study that if this is true for you, it is likely true for every other person you know. Give family members, your circle of friends, other church members, your Bible study group, the freedom to err on their way toward emotional health.
Top Highlights
“Rather than pray for deliverance from emotions, you need to pray for God to give you wisdom in how to deal with your emotions and how to control them in ways that are in keeping with His Word and His plan for your life.” (source)
“You cannot be a whole person in Christ Jesus if you are in bondage to your emotions or in denial of them.” (source)
“‘As he thinks in his heart, so is he’ (Prov. 23:7). What you choose to think about—or allow yourself to think about—gets you into trouble far more than your emotions. It is your thought life that you are to govern with diligence. Avoid activities that you know are going to feed negative or sinful thoughts and images into your mind.” (source)
“Learning how to tell others what you are feeling and why is a part of becoming a mature person. It is a skill that is critical to the development of adult–to–adult relationships.” (source)
“Desire, loneliness, and fear are three of our most basic emotions, and they appear in the opening verses of the Bible.” (source)
Charles Stanley, senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta and founder of In Touch Ministries, demonstrates a keen awareness of people's needs by providing practical biblical truths for everyday life. By 1982, In Touch Ministries was incorporated and began radio syndication. "In Touch" programs penetrated almost every major market in the United States during the 1980's, reaching more than one-million households with the message of Christ's sufficiency for life's demands. Stanley has also served two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention (1984-86) and first joined the NRB's board of directors in 1982.
In 1988, he was inducted into the National Religious Broadcaster's (NRB) Hall of Fame for the consistent excellence of his broadcasts and his leadership in the realm of Christian television and radio. Religious Heritage of America named him Clergyman of the Year in 1989, an award that recognizes pastors who strive to make Judeo-Christian principles part of America's daily life. In 1993, the NRB honored "In Touch" with the Television Producer of the Year award; and in 1999, with the Radio Program of the Year award. Just this year, Thomas Nelson Publishing recognized Dr. Stanley for selling more than 6.5 million copies of his books.
Dr. Stanley's messages tackle such issues as parenting, finances, personal crises, emotions, and relationships. Instructional teaching for personal spiritual growth focuses on prayer, the character of God, fellowship through the Holy Spirit, and the Person of Jesus Christ. Dr. Stanley fervently believes the Bible to be the inerrant Word of God, a belief strongly reflected in his teaching.
The goal of Dr. Charles Stanley is best represented by In Touch's mission statement: to lead people worldwide into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and to strengthen the local church. Dr. Stanley's heart's desire is to get the gospel to "as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, as clearly as possible, as irresistibly as possible, through the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God."
