Showing results by author "David Powlison" in All Categories

Prayer is hard. Often, unless circumstances demand it—such as an illness or saying grace before a meal—most of us simply do not pray. This kind of prayerlessness can leave us with a distressed spirit and practical unbelief characterized by fear, anxiety, joylessness, and spiritual depression. A Praying Life is a prayer guide that has encouraged thousands of Christians to pursue a vibrant prayer life full of joy and power. A life of prayer invites you to a life of connection to God.

There are never quick fixes or easy answers when it comes to suffering. But even when we can’t immediately see God’s hand - when the struggle is hard and painful - he is working. Weaving together Scripture, personal stories, and the words of the classic hymn “How Firm a Foundation”, David Powlison brings an experienced counselor’s touch to exploring how God enters into our sufferings, helping us see God working in our own particular struggles - and discover how God’s grace goes deeper than we could ever imagine.

Our world constantly tells us to "do what feels good," especially when it comes to issues related to sexuality. Sadly, this mind-set always leads to guilt, pain, and heartache. And yet, in the gospel, there is good news for the sexually broken. Pointing listeners to the grace of Jesus Christ, longtime counselor and teacher David Powlison offers hope for both the sexually immoral and the sexually victimized: all brokenness will one day be transformed.

How are Christians to understand and undertake the discipline of psychology? This question has been of keen interest to Christians because of the importance we place on a correct understanding of human nature. Psychology can sometimes seem disconnected from, if not antithetical to, Christian perspectives on life. How are we to understand our Christian beliefs about persons in relation to secular psychological beliefs? This revised edition of a widely appreciated Spectrum volume now presents five models for understanding the relationship between psychology and Christianity.

In this groundbreaking book David Powlison undertakes an in-depth exploration of the roots of anger, moral judgment, and righteous response by looking in a surprising place: God's own anger. Powlison reminds us that God gets angry too. He sees things in this world that aren't right and he wants justice too. But God's anger doesn't devolve into manipulation or trying to control others to get his own way. Instead his anger is good and redemptive.

Are you having suicidal thoughts and feelings? Perhaps you are convinced that life is not worth living. Your life seems hopeless, like a black hole with all love, hope, and joy sucked out. In CCEFs I Just Want to Die: Replacing Suicidal Thoughts with Hope, David Powlison describes the various reasons you might be feeling hopeless and explains that God is not surprised or put off by your hopeless feelings.

A pastor inhabits multiple roles — teacher, preacher, youth leader, and counselor. Yet many church leaders feel unprepared to counsel church members who are struggling with difficult, multifaceted problems. David Powlison reminds pastors of their unique role as the shepherds of God’s people, equipping them to apply biblical wisdom to the thoughts, values, moods, expectations, and decisions of those under their care.

You are bored or stressed or hurt. Something is hard in life and you want a break. What do you grab for that you hope will protect, soothe, and comfort? Whatever it is - shopping, overeating, drinking, drugs - promises relief, but never delivers. Instead, you are left feeling empty, anxious, guilty, and wanting more. In CCEFs Breaking the Addictive Cycle: Deadly Obsessions or Simple Pleasures?, David Powlison shares that God made us for rest and pleasure, not for an obsessed and unsatisfied life.

Someone you know and love has died. You feel the emptiness and sorrow of loss. That alone is extremely hard. But suicide adds many other painful reactions to the heartache that death brings. Common reactions are feelings of anger, guilt, betrayal, and many, many unanswerable questions.

You know the feeling—your mind keeps spinning around and around with the same worries, problems, and fears. You feel like you can’t breathe. Some days your anxiety is so overwhelming that it’s hard for you to believe that anyone, even God, could help you. David Powlison helps you discover what your anxiety reveals about what is going on inside of you, and then shows you how to bring your anxious thoughts and worries to God, the only Person who can give you a life of peace.

In Sexual Addiction: Freedom from Compulsive Behavior, biblical counselor David Powlison encourages those who want to overcome their compulsive sexual behavior to remember that lasting change comes in degrees and is often a slow progressive process.

You started out telling each other everything. Time flew by when you were together. It all seemed so easy then. But now it seems like there's nothing to say. The intimacy and trust you once enjoyed are gone—replaced by bickering, long silences, and hurried conversations about your schedule. But it isn't too late to renew intimacy in your marriage.

What makes you angry? Sometimes it's small things: traffic jams, a waiter's mistake, or a friend's inattention. And sometimes it's big things: betrayal, injustice, meanness, violence, oppression, selfishness, and lying. How do you deal with your anger? Do you dump it on those around you? Or stuff it deep inside? David Powlison surprises us with the news that God is angry too, but his anger is expressed constructively, by giving his own Son, Jesus Christ, to right what's wrong with this world.

As a chronic fatigue sufferer, life as you once enjoyed it has ceased. Fatigue can be brought on by a myriad of physical, emotional, or spiritual issues. But, whatever the cause, your entire world is now affected by your diminished physical strength. David Powlison understands how debilitating and demoralizing a constant state of fatigue can be through his own five-year struggle after heart surgery. In CCEFs Im Exhausted, Powlison encourages sufferers that, unlike the world, God embraces the weak and provides strong, enduring resources through Christ for moment-by-moment strength

Sexual assault is an invasive event of traumatic evil. You were victimized, and now you are suffering. Whenever sexual abuse occurs, love is not part of the equation. Rather, the perpetrator uses power, domination, and control to injure innocent victims. In CCEFs Sexual Assault: Healing Steps for Victims, David Powlison gently leads those who have been wounded sexually to a deeper relationship with God—beyond the pain—with biblical action steps.

The damage you suffered may have been done in one terrible moment or over time. But the healing and the restoration will unfold at your pace, at a human pace. It unfolds as part of your story, and it unfolds over time. As a vulnerable child, instead of being protected, helped, and comforted, you were physically, emotionally, and or sexually abused. In CCEFs Recovering from Child Abuse: Healing and Hope for Victims by David Powlison, you'll learn how to express your experience to God by composing your own personal liturgy.

David Powlison affirme que la colère n’est pas «un problème à régler», quelque chose dont nous devons nous débarrasser. La colère est une réponse complexe d’êtres humains qui vivent dans un monde complexe. Nous devons apprendre à la gérer pour qu’elle produise de beaux fruits.

Is a life-threatening illness, a major life change, or just plain old age forcing you to face your own mortality? Probably, like most of us, you'd rather not think or talk about your own death. But ignoring your death won't stop it from happening—the mortality rate is still 100%!

The turmoil women experience after having an abortion is sometimes called "post-abortion syndrome." But you don't need a technical term to describe what you are feeling. The guilt, regret, depression, and grief are the honest struggles of a woman who's had an abortion and takes to heart what happened. David Powlison shares that whatever reactions and emotions you experience, God is committed to entering into your struggle.

Your cancer diagnosis comes as a surprise and not a pleasant surprise. It is a hard and threatening jolt. Perhaps you are still in shock. Still trying to wrap your mind around the new reality of your diagnosis and what it means for your present and future. Is it possible to walk by faith on this difficult journey? David Powlison, speaking both as a counselor and as someone who has been diagnosed with cancer four times, describes the uncertainty, the physical pain, and the emotional and spiritual struggles that come with a cancer diagnosis.