Showing results by author "David Powlison" in All Categories

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.

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.

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.

Zoe ist eine sehr ängstliche kleine Maus und der Gedanke an den Klassenausflug ins Museum sorgt für großen Kummer. In diesem spannend erzählten und detailreich illustrierten Buch erfahren Kinder, wie Zoe lernt, dass sie sich mit ihrer Angst an Gott wenden kann. Eltern finden am Ende des Buches eine Doppelseite mit biblischen Ratschlägen, um ihren Kindern dabei zu helfen, mit ihren Ängsten umzugehen. Das Buch beinhaltet zudem eine Extra-Seite mit Bibelversen, die ausgeschnitten und in den Alltag mitgenommen werden können, um Kinder (und Erwachsene) an die Geschichte und Gottes Versprechen zu erinnern.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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%!

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 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.

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.