Healing Is a Choice: 10 Decisions That Will Transform Your Life and 10 Lies That Can Prevent You From Making Them [Hardcover]

Stephen Arterburn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2005

DO YOU WANT TO GET WELL?

The power to heal—physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually—is in God’s hands. But the choice to be healed is yours. Everyone, at some level, needs healing. You may have prayed for healing many times, for many years. Perhaps you have lived with your brokenness so long that you have become accustomed to it. Maybe you wonder just when God is going to take all the hurt away.

He can. But you also must choose to let the hurt go and let the healing begin.

In this special edition of Healing Is a Choice, author Stephen Arterburn offers a unique combination of book and workbook, outlining ten choices crucial to receiving healing. Embracing these choices means rejecting the lies we often tell ourselves. These are not hoops God requires you to jump through to earn your miracle; they form, instead, the journey He desires for you. He can—and will—walk with you. But you must put one foot in front of the other and choose to let the hurt go and let the healing begin.

“His Word affirms that God wants us to experience His healing, but many times we make choices that stand in the way. Healing Is a Choice is a helpful resource that lays out the path of healing God’s way.”

— JACK HAYFORD Founding pastor, The Church on the Way, Van Nuys, CA

“When we look back at the past turns and twists in the pathways of our lives, we can see significant choices we made, which helped create the lives we have now. Stephen Arterburn has provided us with a guide for making the right decisions today to provide a redemptive path for tomorrow.”

—JOHN TOWNSEND Coauthor of the bestsellerBoundaries

“I am asking you to give up your life as you know it so that you can fi nd the life God has for you. Take hold of your future today and make the choices that will lead to your healing.”

—STEPHEN ARTERBURN

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

—Psalm 147:3

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Interspersing wise though basic advice with real-life examples, Arterburn (Every Man's Battle) offers a guide that could help many people progress farther along the path of emotional and psychological healing. Written at a simple level, the book's purpose is to break down the barriers that keep people from seeking the help they need. Arterburn challenges some obstacles to healing that are particular to the Christian community, such as the idea that believers should feel peaceful and happy all the time. Yet he also does a good job of addressing the more basic barriers to healing common to all people, e.g., denial of pain and lack of forgiveness. His examples from the lives of others are quite helpful, drawn mostly from his workshops on obesity and sexual addiction. But the glimpses he gives into his own life are the most engaging. He shares openly about the confusion, fear and shame stemming from his divorce, as well as the pathway toward healing he has had to take. Arterburn is very clear that the process of healing is often long and difficult, yet he still conveys a hopeful, encouraging tone to those in pain. (Aug. 16)
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About the Author

Steve Arterburn is host of New Life Live!, a radio and television program distributed across the country. He is a best-selling author with more than eight million books in print. He is also founder of Women of Faith®, a conference attended by more than four million women since its inception. Steve also serves as the teaching pastor of Heartland Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; First Editiion edition (September 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785212264
• ISBN-13: 978-0785212263
• Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 6.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #566,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Arterburn is the founder and chairman of New Life Ministries--the nation's largest faith-based broadcast, counseling, and treatment ministry--and is the host of the nationally syndicated "New Life Live!" daily radio program heard on over 180 radio stations nationwide. Steve is also the founder of the Women of Faith conferences, attended by over 3 million women.

Steve is a nationally known public speaker and has been featured in national media venues such as "Oprah," "Inside Edition," "Good Morning America," "CNN Live," the "New York Times," "USA Today," and "US News & World Report." In August 2000, Steve was inducted into the National Speakers Association's Hall of Fame. A best-selling author, Steve has written over 60 books, including the popular Every Man's series and his most recent book, "Healing Is a Choice." He has been nominated for numerous writing awards and has won four Gold Medallion Awards for writing excellence.

Steve has degrees from Baylor University and the University of North Texas as well as two honorary doctorate degrees. Steve resides with his family in Laguna Beach, California.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 74 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical methodology for making biblically sound decisions to change life for the better December 16, 2005

By FaithfulReader.com

Format:Hardcover

Every person makes choices. Some are major and imposing, while others seem insignificant and inconsequential. Still, each individual --- no matter how discouraged, hopeless, or dejected he or she might feel --- has the opportunity to effect positive, life-enhancing change in his or her life. This principle holds true for those struggling to recover from infidelity, divorce, bankruptcy, illness, job loss, familial estrangement, or abuse. Author/counselor/radio host Stephen Arterburn teaches readers practical methodology for making biblically sound decisions that will change their lives for the good.

Arterburn offers no quick fixes in his text, but he compassionately leads those who are seriously interested in investing their time, energy and commitment toward realizing significant life changes through biblically effective methods that will help them to think differently --- Godwardly --- and will enable them to recast a damaged, spiritually stunted history. The author points out that God has provided the properties to heal within every facet of our nature --- bodily, emotionally and spiritually. Writes Arterburn, "It takes courage to seek out, obtain, and utilize whatever resources you need to treat the untreated areas of your life. But not everyone has the courage. Not everyone is willing." His call (plea, actually) is for all Christians to look carefully at who they are, why they do what they do, and how they can move forward to a richer, more spiritually healthy place.

To jumpstart this process, Arterburn recommends "inviting quiet" so as to do a "pain inventory and a feelings checkup." He suggests that individuals ask these introspective questions: What am I afraid of? What is missing? Am I empty? What am I filling up on? Why am I refusing to feel? What feelings am I avoiding? Arterburn says that these questions and their respective responses help people gain insight into life patterns of protection. He asks readers to look at areas where they experience fear, then anger, and finally guilt. Once this exercise is completed, studied and carefully considered, healing can begin when honesty and courage meet with trust and faith in God, and in His ability to provide gracious daily strength to change.

Specifically, the author discusses the following 10 choices every person makes in regard to healing:

Connect one's life with others, or give in to the lie that "all I need to heal is just God and me."

Face life (ugly emotions and all), or the lie that "real" Christians experience real peace in all circumstances

Thoroughly investigate life in search of truth, or embrace the lie that it does no good to look back.

Seek healing for the future, or believe that time heals all wounds.

Help one's life, or give in to the lie of self-sufficiency.

Embrace life, or pretend there is no problem by denying its existence.

Espouse forgiveness, or only bestow the gift on those who deserve it.

Allow risk its proper place, or spend every day protecting oneself from any potential pain.

Serve today, or wait until complete healing has taken place.

Persevere, or give in to hopelessness.

Each of these subjects is handled on a chapter-by-chapter basis with countless narratives, real-life scenarios, and lots of author-to-reader dialogue that encourages, challenges, and lovingly directs.

One of Arterburn's strengths as a communicator is his willingness to be honest about his own life struggles. He is candid, at times sorrowful, and at other times jubilant. But always he urges individuals to seek out the substantive help and healing Christ alone can offer them.

--- Reviewed by Michele Howe

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Convicting July 30, 2006

By LMS

Format:Hardcover

As anyone who has read my reviews knows, I have read a lot of books on emotional healing. But I have to say, this is one of the best out there. Steve is incredibly vulnerable about his divorce and the resulting pain. I think people who pass this book by simply because Steve is a divorced are making a mistake. This book plays it straight and hits you right between the eyes. I could identify with so many of the lies that Steve discusses in this book. This book was incredibly hard for me to read, but I made it through. This book contains a lot of practical, solidly biblical advice, if you have the courage to follow it. This book will keep you awake at night. It certainly has me. But I've realized that we can either go through life healed or we can be comfortable. We can't do both. Being healed is many things, but it is not and never will be predictable and comfortable. Another thing I like this book is that Steve makes it clear that healing is different for everyone and that it manifests itself in different ways, in different people. This book has TONS of food for thought. I believe this book will be life-changing for anyone who reads it. It certainly has been for me. I also recommend reading this book through at least twice.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars He's got to be kidding? November 8, 2006

By Carl C. Anderson

Format:Hardcover

I couldn't believe it when I first started to read this book and the author disclosed the details of his wife leaving him and the terrible divorce he faced. After reading this so early on in the book, I wondered how this man was going to successfully give advice to others on how to heal? I must publicly ask forgiveness from God and from Mr. Arterburn for my shortsightedness! How awesome it turned out to be that he could share that intimate story with his audience and show us how to deal with the different pains that we must all go through! I learned a tremendous amount from this book! Please do yourself a favor and read it, no matter where you are or what you are facing in your life! Don't wait another minute!