Putting Your Past in Its Place

by Viars, Stephen

• ISBN13: 9780736927390
• ISBN10: 0736927395
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-01-01
• Publisher: Harvest House Pub

Summary

Lives grind to a halt when people don’t know how to relate to their past. Some believe the past is nothing” and attempt to suppress the brokenness again and again. Others miss out on renewal and change by making the past more important than their present and future. Neither approach moves people toward healing or hope.Pastor and biblical counselor Stephen Viars introduces a third way to view one’s personal history—by exploring the role of the past as God intended. Using Scripture to lead readers forward, Viars provides practical measures to understand the important place the past” is given in Scripture replace guilt and despair with forgiveness and hope turn failures into stepping stones for growthThis motivating, compassionate resource is for anyone ready to review and release the past so that God can transform their behaviors, relationships, and their ability to hope in a future.

Author Biography

Stephen Viars (DMin in biblical counseling, Westminster Theological Seminary) has served as a pastor and biblical counselor for more than 20 years at Faith Baptist Church and Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries in Lafayette, Indiana. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, colleges, and seminaries in the United States and abroad.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 11
The Power of the Past
Can You Hear the Wheels Spinning?	p. 15
Your Past Can Be One of Your Worst Enemies	p. 31
Your Past Can Be One of Your Best Friends	p. 47
You Can Learn to Put the Past in Its Place	p. 63
Dealing with the Hurts of the Innocent Past
Bad Things Happen to Good People: Another Look	p. 81
Authentic Suffering: Reaching into Bucket One	p. 99
Case in Point One-Receiving and Then Providing God's Comfort: A Picture of Authentic Suffering	p. 118
Authentic Suffering and the Sustaining Gospel	p. 129
Humble Analysis: Reaching into Bucket Two	p. 143
Case in Point Two-Facing the Need to Confront: A Picture of Humble Analysis	p. 158
The Joy of Forgiveness	p. 163
Handling the Guilty Past
Joyful Remembrance: Reaching into Bucket Three	p. 179
Case in Point Three-Learning to Embrace God's Forgiveness: A Picture of Joyful Remembrance	p. 194
The Person of Our Joy	p. 201
Honest Self-Confrontation: Reaching into Bucket Four	p. 215
Case in Point Four-Facing a Calloused Heart: A Picture of Honest Self-Confrontation	p. 232
Epilogue: A Front-Row Seat in Theology Class	p. 237
Notes	p. 245
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