We cannot erase or deny bad memories of past sins, but Christ can transform them into something good. When we recall past sins through the lens of Christ’s mercy, God brings repentance and deepening humility.
Jones reviews and recommends two books for those who want to begin, or resume, personal or family Bible reading. For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God's Word, Vol. 1 & 2 by D. A. Carson; and Expostory Thoughts on the Gospels: St. Mark by J.C. Ryle.
Robert Jones illustrates how positive Christian truth revolutionizes the selfunderstanding of parents. The Christian parent must first see him or herself as a Christian not as a single parent. Jesus Christ defines us not by our social standing but by our connection to Him. Jesus is the single parent’s “significant other.” This changes the way you relate to your children and to others.
Most often, truth attaches meaningfully to a person’s life through an experience, a story, a metaphor, a picture. Good counseling is in the business of attaching truth meaningfully to our lives. In “How Good Desires Go Bad” Jones shows how he uses a simple picture to help those he counsels to understand their motives.
An applied exposition of Philippians 4. Discontent, complaining, and anxiety are universal problems. Touches on numerous circumstances that produce discontentment, but finally proclaims how despite your bodily illness or injury, in Christ there is contentment. Contentment comes as those who belong to Jesus rely on God's powerful presence in the face of life's trials.
Three general principles of resolving conflicts. First, God calls you to pursue peace in all your relationships, with a realism that trusts God about the outcome. Second, God teaches you how to view conflicts: they are to be resolved, to be expected, to be seized as opportunities. Third, God directs you how to resolve conflicts. Your commitment to God, your repentance for contributing to conflict, and your love are the path toward concrete solutions.
Perhaps no single problem plagues people more than worry or anxiety. Worry is a solvable problem. Matthew 6:19-34 gives hope to overcome it. Change starts by recognizing that worry is sinful. In fact, it is idolatry, and the solution is repentance. It is also unbelief, and the solution is faith. Gives a series of selfcounseling questions to help people examine their worries in the light of God's Word.
Welch tackles "one of the deepest, most common roots of our relational problems — the fear of man — and its antidote, the fear of God." Other people become "our idol of choice," whether it is labeled shyness, peer pressure, peoplepleasing, codependency, or need for love and approval. The fear of the Lord, our identity before God in Christ, and delight in God set people free of this tangle of the flesh.
Evaluates Trusting God, You Can Trust God, Transforming Grace, and The Discipline of Grace. "Consider guilt: Will God forgive me for what I've done?…Can I find His favor despite my repeated failure? Or listen to fear: Can I really trust God after what has happened in my past? Is God truly in control of even bad things?…Few contemporary writers address these matters better than Jerry Bridges." Bridges manages to capture that sound biblical thinking that anchors everything in the grace of God, and has a firm expectation of practical obedience resulting.
