How many times has something slipped out of your mouth that you couldn't believe you said or did something that was totally "uncharacteristic" of you? For me, it is far too often. I may have thought it, but did it need to be said? Luke 6:45 says that ........for his mouth speaks from that which fills the heart. So, is my mouth the problem or is my heart the problem? I think you can see from the scripture that it is my heart. Was I born this way? No. I could pretend that everything is okay, as most of us do, but eventually the "real" me (who I am inside) will surface. Every thought, deed, and word that comes from me originates in the heart. Doesn't that mean that I should take the time to make certain my heart is as it should be? Originally published in 2006 as It Came From Within, Enemies of the Heart by Andy Stanley caused me to examine my heart to determine its health (not in the physical sense but in the spiritual sense).
Things may have happened to us in the past that may give us every right to be anger, jealous.....But do you want to stay that way? How long are we/you going to allow those events to have power over you and control who you are? Even if you don't see any of these four enemies of the heart glaring in your life, this book will allow you to see bits and pieces of them in yourself, making your heart less than what God would have it to be. If you have a weak physical heart, you immediately see a doctor to see what needs to be done. Allow Andy to be the "doctor" of your spiritual heart and he will point you to the path of healing, whether you need an "immediate transplant" or just a bit of exercise.
However, once you see those bits of "poison" in your own life, there is hope. Andy doesn't leave you there. Change won't happen overnight. It took you/me years to get where we are. The last two thirds of the book is devoted to confronting those undesirable traits and overcoming their power in your life.
Andy writes just like he preaches: straight up, to the point, encouraging, confronting in love, in everday language. Even though I have listened to a number of his sermons both in person and via the Internet, this is the first of his books I have read. It won't be the last. Andy doesn't dance around the Truth and his illustrations are pointed and personal. He is able to grab the reader's attention and keep it from the beginning paragraph to the end of the book. I"m typically not a non-fiction reader but I very much enjoyed reading this book. Did it sting a bit? Of course! But who wants to become stagnant and not grow in their faith and become all God wants you to be? Any change and growth is uncomfortable a bit but definitely worth it.
Enemies of the Heart is availabe June 21, 2011 from Amazon.com, christianbook.com and your local Christian bookstore.
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