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Empty Promises: The Truth About You, Your Desires, and the Lies You're Believing
We all long for more of something in our lives. In our endless pursuit to feel worth and acceptance we find ourselves sacrificing everything for the promise to be a little more beautiful, a little richer, a little more powerful and successful, a little more loved.
How do we break free from these empty pursuits and start chasing the only Promise that will ever satisfy? How do we uncover the hidden idols that are driving us and turn our devotion toward the one true God?
Join Pastor and best-selling author Pete Wilson in discovering the joy and freedom that comes with seeking after God with your whole life. Learn how to replace, and not just relinquish, life's empty promises by turning your focus and worship toward Him. It is the only thing that will set you absolutely free from the endless pursuit of everything else.
- GenresChristian
215 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 10, 2012
19 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 2, 2022
Wow so thought-provoking, so challenging and to be honest so convicting. Absolutely recommend this book for every Christian. The author not only does a thorough review of the various false idols we look to to give us what only God, but also provides reflection questions to help the reader pinpoint which idols (empty promises) they are prone to fall for. Additionally the author walks the reader through the process to fight against these idols in our hearts. As the author states, you can’t just remove something from our lives, you have to replace it.
That is the key that make this book a 5 out of 5. As I’ve read books in the past about idols in our heart but was left wondering which ones I struggled with or what to do about it. While this book gave tangible questions and statements that pinpoints the specific idols the reader is prone to. However he doesn’t stop there, but continues by guiding the reader through the path to victory. So many good nuggets packed in these pages. This is a must read and a must read again book.
That is the key that make this book a 5 out of 5. As I’ve read books in the past about idols in our heart but was left wondering which ones I struggled with or what to do about it. While this book gave tangible questions and statements that pinpoints the specific idols the reader is prone to. However he doesn’t stop there, but continues by guiding the reader through the path to victory. So many good nuggets packed in these pages. This is a must read and a must read again book.
July 11, 2023
I couldn't recommend this more! Pete Wilson has given us a short, focused book that addresses the lies that we can start believing, no matter what stage of our faith journey we are in. He asks some very important questions with helpful application points that caused me to examine some of my own beliefs and practices. Idolatry looks different for each of us, and he does a good job presenting its nuances with sympathy and compassion. I would wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who is a Christ follower - whether you feel as though you are standing firm or are quite stuck. Go read it!
December 10, 2018
One of the best books I read last year!
January 5, 2020
Put Idols Away
What a great look at how things can become idols and how we can put the Idols away by trusting in God.
What a great look at how things can become idols and how we can put the Idols away by trusting in God.
July 6, 2022
This book made me assess what I consider as my idols in life!!! I really felt that God spoke to me through this book.
September 17, 2014
Sometimes God talks to me through a book.
Not Bible.
Just a book.
A book that I have looked at for a long time and for some reason it just didn’t feel right to read it…
Then the time comes.
“Go read that book.”
“But God, I got it over a year ago and it didn’t click when I tried to read it…”
“Just do it. Go ahead, take that book, make yourself a cup of Earl Grey tea, and I’ll speak.”
“But…”
“Go.”
“Um… okay.”
And He speaks.
And I smile because… because He knows me. He knows how to get to me.
The foreword by Rick Warren, the author of Purpose-Driven Life, hit the ground running:
God wired each one of us with a spiritual hunger that can only be satisfied by him. We use phrases like “There’s got to be more to life than this,” or “I’m bored… restless… empty… unfulfilled.” Or even “I feel like something is missing in my life.” Even when things are going well, there’s always that little gnawing feeling on the inside. It is our hunger for God.
Rick Warren, Foreword to Empty Promises
In the beginning, Pete clearly states the premise: All people worship something. It’s not a question whether we worship but rather what do we worship. In this book, he focuses on the dreams we have and promises we believe that might take away our attention from God’s quiet voice and His path for our lives.
There are so many baits all around us. So alluring, so enticing. And it’s not as if they are bad per se.
It is wonderful when you have a family that you love and kids you are proud of.
It is great when you have a job where you feel like you fulfill your potential.
It is good if you prefer a healthy lifestyle.
Those are great desires and blessings. The problem starts when we try to find the meaning for our life in them.
Families, no matter how wonderful, are never perfect. If we try to find our meaning in them, we run a risk of falling apart completely if something happens between us and our loved ones. We might lose our jobs due to economic downtime or any other factor. And good health might be elusive even despite all our efforts.
However, that does not mean we are doomed. Instead, Pete focuses on eternal promises, the ones God, who does not change, provided.
This was my second Pete Wilson’s book and I have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed the previous book, Plan B, – even though most of the time, it felt like a spiritual 2-by-4 to the head.
Not Bible.
Just a book.
A book that I have looked at for a long time and for some reason it just didn’t feel right to read it…
Then the time comes.
“Go read that book.”
“But God, I got it over a year ago and it didn’t click when I tried to read it…”
“Just do it. Go ahead, take that book, make yourself a cup of Earl Grey tea, and I’ll speak.”
“But…”
“Go.”
“Um… okay.”
And He speaks.
And I smile because… because He knows me. He knows how to get to me.
The foreword by Rick Warren, the author of Purpose-Driven Life, hit the ground running:
God wired each one of us with a spiritual hunger that can only be satisfied by him. We use phrases like “There’s got to be more to life than this,” or “I’m bored… restless… empty… unfulfilled.” Or even “I feel like something is missing in my life.” Even when things are going well, there’s always that little gnawing feeling on the inside. It is our hunger for God.
Rick Warren, Foreword to Empty Promises
In the beginning, Pete clearly states the premise: All people worship something. It’s not a question whether we worship but rather what do we worship. In this book, he focuses on the dreams we have and promises we believe that might take away our attention from God’s quiet voice and His path for our lives.
There are so many baits all around us. So alluring, so enticing. And it’s not as if they are bad per se.
It is wonderful when you have a family that you love and kids you are proud of.
It is great when you have a job where you feel like you fulfill your potential.
It is good if you prefer a healthy lifestyle.
Those are great desires and blessings. The problem starts when we try to find the meaning for our life in them.
Families, no matter how wonderful, are never perfect. If we try to find our meaning in them, we run a risk of falling apart completely if something happens between us and our loved ones. We might lose our jobs due to economic downtime or any other factor. And good health might be elusive even despite all our efforts.
However, that does not mean we are doomed. Instead, Pete focuses on eternal promises, the ones God, who does not change, provided.
This was my second Pete Wilson’s book and I have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed the previous book, Plan B, – even though most of the time, it felt like a spiritual 2-by-4 to the head.
January 1, 2021
Empty promises
I love the way he explains how we all try to fill our emptyness with different things and how we need to fill it with God!
I love the way he explains how we all try to fill our emptyness with different things and how we need to fill it with God!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews