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Runaway Emotions: Why You Feel the Way You Do and What God Wants You to Do About It
If we pay attention to the alarms in our lives, they could save us.
Worry. Anger. Loneliness. Negative emotions are uncomfortable by design. Like any good fire alarm, they alert us to a greater danger. But they won’t help us if we try to cover them up, hide them behind excuses, or assume they will always plague us.
The only healthy way to manage negative emotions is to find their source and address the problem that set them off. As pastor Jeff Schreve says, “A specific and compelling message can be found in each of your negative, painful emotions. God Himself is trying to speak to you through those emotions—right now.”
So what is God saying? How can we understand our emotions—even change them? Schreve shows how the truth of the Bible can make sense of our confusion. The power of the Holy Spirit can lead us to freedom, and Jesus Christ can give us true peace in the midst of any crisis.
You don’t have to let your emotions run away with you, your family, or your future.
Worry. Anger. Loneliness. Negative emotions are uncomfortable by design. Like any good fire alarm, they alert us to a greater danger. But they won’t help us if we try to cover them up, hide them behind excuses, or assume they will always plague us.
The only healthy way to manage negative emotions is to find their source and address the problem that set them off. As pastor Jeff Schreve says, “A specific and compelling message can be found in each of your negative, painful emotions. God Himself is trying to speak to you through those emotions—right now.”
So what is God saying? How can we understand our emotions—even change them? Schreve shows how the truth of the Bible can make sense of our confusion. The power of the Holy Spirit can lead us to freedom, and Jesus Christ can give us true peace in the midst of any crisis.
You don’t have to let your emotions run away with you, your family, or your future.
- GenresChristianNonfiction
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2013
32 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 20, 2019
I really enjoyed slowly going through this book!!! I know some would say it's no new info and that's true, bc it's the Bible...but I appreciate his perspective and the consolidation of the information about how to deal with overwhelming emotions!!
February 3, 2023
Wow! Eye opening, heart opening, faith reviving!! This author brings some dificult subjects with such love and compassion and paraphrases God's word to bring so much power to it!! Will reread in a few months!!
May 3, 2014
I read Runaway Emotions by Jeff Schreve, for honest review for BookSneeze. I received a paperback version of the book. The book was published by Thomas Nelson.
I chose the book because I deal with runaway emotions. Worry, anger, sadness, loneliness, happiness. My emotions can go overboard at times.
Emotions can guide our behavior. Schreve provided a great analogy towards the beginning of the book, using a smoke detector. Smoke detectors come in different shapes and colors. No one really pays a smoke detector any attention until it goes off, which means potential trouble, either a fire or your batteries need to be changed. Nothing can cause more alarm at times than the shrill of a smoke detector. Schreve discussed how negative emotions are like the shrill of a smoke detector. Negative emotions means there is a problem, we need to resolve before the flames get higher and higher. It is easier to deal with a small fire than a big fire.
I review for BookSneeze��
Next, Schreve discussed how when the alarms go off, we must figure out why it's going off, then we should ask God how to turn the alarm off.
The book consists of eight chapters. Each chapter deals with an emotion: embarrassment, loneliness, frustration, worry, anger, guilt, discontentment, and depression. Schreve also provides the message for each emotion. The book also provides biblical guidance for each emotion.
I wanted to focus on the loneliness, anger, and depression chapters first. The loneliness chapter discussed how loneliness is an attitude or a state of mind (p. 29). A lonely person feels isolated, alienated, and distant from others. (p. 29). The message for loneliness was Your God-given desire for companionship is on fire (p. 31). Finally, some tips for loneliness included:
Give yourself to the Lord. Start thinking of God as a friend. Talk to God about your problems and concerns.
Give yourself to others. Volunteer. Spend time with the elderly. Help out at church. Without expecting anything in return.
This was an excellent book to read and review.
I chose the book because I deal with runaway emotions. Worry, anger, sadness, loneliness, happiness. My emotions can go overboard at times.
Emotions can guide our behavior. Schreve provided a great analogy towards the beginning of the book, using a smoke detector. Smoke detectors come in different shapes and colors. No one really pays a smoke detector any attention until it goes off, which means potential trouble, either a fire or your batteries need to be changed. Nothing can cause more alarm at times than the shrill of a smoke detector. Schreve discussed how negative emotions are like the shrill of a smoke detector. Negative emotions means there is a problem, we need to resolve before the flames get higher and higher. It is easier to deal with a small fire than a big fire.
I review for BookSneeze��
Next, Schreve discussed how when the alarms go off, we must figure out why it's going off, then we should ask God how to turn the alarm off.
The book consists of eight chapters. Each chapter deals with an emotion: embarrassment, loneliness, frustration, worry, anger, guilt, discontentment, and depression. Schreve also provides the message for each emotion. The book also provides biblical guidance for each emotion.
I wanted to focus on the loneliness, anger, and depression chapters first. The loneliness chapter discussed how loneliness is an attitude or a state of mind (p. 29). A lonely person feels isolated, alienated, and distant from others. (p. 29). The message for loneliness was Your God-given desire for companionship is on fire (p. 31). Finally, some tips for loneliness included:
Give yourself to the Lord. Start thinking of God as a friend. Talk to God about your problems and concerns.
Give yourself to others. Volunteer. Spend time with the elderly. Help out at church. Without expecting anything in return.
This was an excellent book to read and review.
August 10, 2013
Do you ever wonder why God allows us to experience certain emotions? Loneliness, worry, frustration, anger...These are only a few of the emotions discussed in this book. Jeff Schreve dives deep into the reasons we experience these emotions and what God wants us to do about them. He shares stories of people in Bible times and how they handled their emotions.
Throughout this book, we read about Jeremiah as he struggles with frustration, Jonah as he battles with anger, David when he is overpowered by his guilt, and many others. We also read about many present day folks who have also struggled with these age old problems. Many people who have dealt with depression have grown to have full and happy lives. We see examples of that in famous presidents, pastors, and lawyers.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Although it's not what I expected, it's much better! I think everyone can relate to this book in some way or another. We all experience these same emotions and sometimes we wonder why we have to deal with them. I love that this book takes a closer look into what causes these emotions and how God wants us to handle them. I think my favorite chapters were "Worry" and "Frustration". There is so much excellent advice and words in those two chapters. I would highly recommend this book and rate it as 5 stars!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Throughout this book, we read about Jeremiah as he struggles with frustration, Jonah as he battles with anger, David when he is overpowered by his guilt, and many others. We also read about many present day folks who have also struggled with these age old problems. Many people who have dealt with depression have grown to have full and happy lives. We see examples of that in famous presidents, pastors, and lawyers.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Although it's not what I expected, it's much better! I think everyone can relate to this book in some way or another. We all experience these same emotions and sometimes we wonder why we have to deal with them. I love that this book takes a closer look into what causes these emotions and how God wants us to handle them. I think my favorite chapters were "Worry" and "Frustration". There is so much excellent advice and words in those two chapters. I would highly recommend this book and rate it as 5 stars!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
August 24, 2013
Why You Feel the Way You Do and What God Wants You to Do About It
One thing that I loved about this book right away is that he considers emotions to be like symptoms, in the same way a doctor would look at symptoms. I have long thought that about feelings myself so this book confirmed that for me.
Not only does the author talk about emotional symptoms, he provides the diagnosis and prescription for each one. Specific emotions covered are: embarrassment, loneliness, frustration, worry, anger, guilt, discontentment and depression divided up into chapters for each one.
Each emotion chapter is full of real life illustrative stories to help you remember and assimilate what you are reading. They also contain ideas of what to do specifically and what to pray to help you have control over your emotions—the prescription, if you will. Biblical principles and actual scriptures are sprinkled liberally throughout.
The overall simple answer is this: give it ALL to God. But it certainly helps to know that we are not alone and that there are specific things we can do to help faciliate the process.
If you are a Christian with emotions that you sometimes wonder about where they came from or that you feel you could use a little bit more “handling” then this book is for you.
To purchase your own copy of this book go here:Runaway Emotions: Why You Feel the Way You Do and What God Wants You to Do About It
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from publisher through the Booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
One thing that I loved about this book right away is that he considers emotions to be like symptoms, in the same way a doctor would look at symptoms. I have long thought that about feelings myself so this book confirmed that for me.
Not only does the author talk about emotional symptoms, he provides the diagnosis and prescription for each one. Specific emotions covered are: embarrassment, loneliness, frustration, worry, anger, guilt, discontentment and depression divided up into chapters for each one.
Each emotion chapter is full of real life illustrative stories to help you remember and assimilate what you are reading. They also contain ideas of what to do specifically and what to pray to help you have control over your emotions—the prescription, if you will. Biblical principles and actual scriptures are sprinkled liberally throughout.
The overall simple answer is this: give it ALL to God. But it certainly helps to know that we are not alone and that there are specific things we can do to help faciliate the process.
If you are a Christian with emotions that you sometimes wonder about where they came from or that you feel you could use a little bit more “handling” then this book is for you.
To purchase your own copy of this book go here:Runaway Emotions: Why You Feel the Way You Do and What God Wants You to Do About It
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from publisher through the Booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
July 3, 2013
Runaway Emotions
Why You Feel the Way You Do and What God Wants You to Do About It
By Jeff Schreve
Published by Thomas Nelson
The author, Schreve is well-acquainted with the negative emotions of life. He is the founder of From His Heart Ministries, an organization that exists to lead hurting people and those who feel hopeless into a genuine love relationship with Jesus Christ. Runaway Emotions is a straightforward and comprehensive handbook for those who feel hurting and hopeless-and for all people struggling to cope with the tough emotions of a broken world.
Unfortunately, as fallen human beings, living in a fallen world, we aren't given the privilege to pick and choose which emotions we will experience in our lives," writes Schreve. "We appreciate and value all the joy, love, laughter, peace, and wonder we can wrap our arms around. But then… we also have to deal with the dark side of the emotional spectrum."
"Even those emotions-the darker and more difficult ones-are important. In fact, they reveal a great deal about who we are and where we are in life," he continues.
Schreve's book is divided into chapters focused on the eight most common negative emotions. He talks readers through the process of identifying and understanding the source of each. With Bible-based insight, readers learn how to trust God's plan in using each emotion for spiritual growth.
The message is warm and real:
the Bible makes sense of our confusion, and in the truth of the Holy Spirit we find freedom and peace in the midst of crisis.
Why You Feel the Way You Do and What God Wants You to Do About It
By Jeff Schreve
Published by Thomas Nelson
The author, Schreve is well-acquainted with the negative emotions of life. He is the founder of From His Heart Ministries, an organization that exists to lead hurting people and those who feel hopeless into a genuine love relationship with Jesus Christ. Runaway Emotions is a straightforward and comprehensive handbook for those who feel hurting and hopeless-and for all people struggling to cope with the tough emotions of a broken world.
Unfortunately, as fallen human beings, living in a fallen world, we aren't given the privilege to pick and choose which emotions we will experience in our lives," writes Schreve. "We appreciate and value all the joy, love, laughter, peace, and wonder we can wrap our arms around. But then… we also have to deal with the dark side of the emotional spectrum."
"Even those emotions-the darker and more difficult ones-are important. In fact, they reveal a great deal about who we are and where we are in life," he continues.
Schreve's book is divided into chapters focused on the eight most common negative emotions. He talks readers through the process of identifying and understanding the source of each. With Bible-based insight, readers learn how to trust God's plan in using each emotion for spiritual growth.
The message is warm and real:
the Bible makes sense of our confusion, and in the truth of the Holy Spirit we find freedom and peace in the midst of crisis.
October 5, 2013
I was provided an incredible book by the BookSneeze program and Thomas Nelson publishers: Runaway Emotions Why You Feel the Way You Do and What God Wants You to Do About It by Jeff Schreve. This book took me a long time to read - simply because I wanted to take the time to process all of the great truths!
Each chapter highlights one emotion, what Shreve calls a "smoke alarm." Those emotions, that seem to take over, are warnings from God. Shreve follows that up with how to handle it God's way.
Embarrassment: When You Feel Inferior
Loneliness: All by Myself
Frustration: A Real Nowhere Man
Worry: When Anxiety Attacks
Anger: The Beast Within
Guilt: When Your Conscience Is Killing You
Discontentment: Unhappy Campers
Depression: When All Hope Seems Lost
Some highlights from the book:
The very first chapter (EMBARRASSMENT) reminded me that we have already been given everything we need (patience, strength, etc.), but we need to claim those gifts from God.
I definitely had some "take-homes" from the ANGER chapter as well... "when we see life from His perspective, we will say, 'Lord, You did all things well! You did every single thing in my life perfectly, Lord, and I'm so glad.'"
The GUILT chapter reminds the reader of Hebrews 12: 7-8 summarizing it by saying, "If you're not experiencing discipline, then you're not My child." That "the smoke alarm of guilt is a blessing." Schreve uses examples such as premarital sex or harboring bitterness. If you don't feel guilty about those things, then you aren't walking with God.
Five stars and highly recommended!
Each chapter highlights one emotion, what Shreve calls a "smoke alarm." Those emotions, that seem to take over, are warnings from God. Shreve follows that up with how to handle it God's way.
Embarrassment: When You Feel Inferior
Loneliness: All by Myself
Frustration: A Real Nowhere Man
Worry: When Anxiety Attacks
Anger: The Beast Within
Guilt: When Your Conscience Is Killing You
Discontentment: Unhappy Campers
Depression: When All Hope Seems Lost
Some highlights from the book:
The very first chapter (EMBARRASSMENT) reminded me that we have already been given everything we need (patience, strength, etc.), but we need to claim those gifts from God.
I definitely had some "take-homes" from the ANGER chapter as well... "when we see life from His perspective, we will say, 'Lord, You did all things well! You did every single thing in my life perfectly, Lord, and I'm so glad.'"
The GUILT chapter reminds the reader of Hebrews 12: 7-8 summarizing it by saying, "If you're not experiencing discipline, then you're not My child." That "the smoke alarm of guilt is a blessing." Schreve uses examples such as premarital sex or harboring bitterness. If you don't feel guilty about those things, then you aren't walking with God.
Five stars and highly recommended!
July 16, 2013
As you can tell by the title, this book talks about emotions, these include:
Embarrassment
Loneliness
Frustration
Worry
Anger Guilt
Discontentment
Depression
I was not disappointed after reading this book. This book is written as a series of sermons which I found interesting. The author shares personal stories on how he has dealt with emotion. I found this book interesting and I look forward to reading more of Jeff’s work. I think that this book can help people handle their emotions and I would recommend it.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising
Embarrassment
Loneliness
Frustration
Worry
Anger Guilt
Discontentment
Depression
I was not disappointed after reading this book. This book is written as a series of sermons which I found interesting. The author shares personal stories on how he has dealt with emotion. I found this book interesting and I look forward to reading more of Jeff’s work. I think that this book can help people handle their emotions and I would recommend it.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising
October 8, 2013
As someone who allowed my emotions to run my life for most of my 20's, I was thrilled to come across this book! I had come to realize that my life was upside down much of the time because I went with how I felt, instead of thinking things through and figuring what was causing the crazy emotions.
Jeff's book tackles emotions that we often come across daily, and combats them with what God is trying to warn us about in the midst of them. It is amazing how on target he was with what I've dealt with over the last 10 yrs. It's nice to know that I'm obviously not alone in dealing with these difficult emotions.
This is the first book I've read by Jeff Schreve and I look forward to reading more!
Stop by my blog to read my whole review http://www.simplyhelpinghim.com/2013/...
Jeff's book tackles emotions that we often come across daily, and combats them with what God is trying to warn us about in the midst of them. It is amazing how on target he was with what I've dealt with over the last 10 yrs. It's nice to know that I'm obviously not alone in dealing with these difficult emotions.
This is the first book I've read by Jeff Schreve and I look forward to reading more!
Stop by my blog to read my whole review http://www.simplyhelpinghim.com/2013/...
July 22, 2013
God has given us emotions for a purpose. We need to pay attention to them to find out what God is telling us. Schreve identifies several negative emotions and what they indicate about our spiritual lives. He also gives great suggestions on how to deal with those emotions. What makes this less than a "great" book is that some of these suggestions are very hard, like, forgive those who have wronged you, and, discipline your thinking. One might have to work years on one of the suggestions Schreve makes. So the "cure" is not a simple as he makes it to be. It would be a place to start, but it is only a start. You can read my full review here http://bit.ly/1bUR3ho
January 29, 2014
This book was really helpful. The writing was excellent. It was easy to understand, and filled with examples to help you apply the concepts. My only point of contention is a lot of religion based books teach from the same books and stories of the Bible. Would be nice to see if other lessons could be used. Very good book.
August 17, 2016
He was talking to me!
As I read each chapter (not in order but where I perceived my greatest needs first), I could relate to each one . It was as f he were talking directly to me. I was able to see where I was getting derailed, and more importantly how to get back on track. A must read for everyone.
As I read each chapter (not in order but where I perceived my greatest needs first), I could relate to each one . It was as f he were talking directly to me. I was able to see where I was getting derailed, and more importantly how to get back on track. A must read for everyone.
December 15, 2019
Schreve writes with the charming voice of a mentor from your local church. And the ideas he presents, though simple, are both profound and of great consequence. This book helped me think realistically about my emotions and led me to some important self-examination. Recomended.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews