Are you tired of trying hard to be happy and victorious? Are you tired of working hard at enjoying life? Then this book is for you. "Victorious Emotions" will help create happiness as your default emotion. Even if we have unhappy circumstances, we can build a system of beliefs that, as effortless as the tides, will always bring us back to joy. "Victorious Emotions" gives powerful, practical strategies to live out Romans 12:2, which says to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. The word "renewing" in the Greek means renovation. This book is about renovating and reconstructing the pathways and strongholds of our thinking. It explores how our brains create certain belief systems and how to intentionally create new ones. The goal of this book is not to focus on eliminating negative emotions, but to build a tidal wave of victorious emotions that are pulled into our lives as easily and surely as the ocean tides will appear every day. It is time to be overtaken by emotions that lead us into victory!
This book was excellent especially for those of us that battle that broken record of negative thinking. Full of scripture and practical tips I am going to put into action starting today. With the power of the Holy Spirit in me I can be transformed by the renewing of my mind.
I actually read this years ago and came across it in my library recently. This book is a good resource for a Christian to require your brain and train yourself to change the way you think. I found it to be true as I changed the way I thought about health, food, dieting, and lifestyle years ago. We change our lives by changing how we think.
This was an easy read, probably because the content was spiritual milk and scientific formula - the author even compares the reader to babies in nearly half of the short chapters. There are good basic psychological concepts with inspiring one-liners, but very little biblical or scientific basis as well as some vague theological indiscretions that weren’t expanded on.
I would caution anyone who reads this to be aware of the tenants of “prosperity gospel” throughout the book.
With each of her points, Wendy tends to suggest action, but doesn’t assist the reader with solutions for taking the action, often redirecting to a personal experience instead.
All that to be said, this book may be useful to someone who has minimal understanding of how their mind works or who struggles to understand their own emotions. A primer for spiritual psychology!
I found this book because I saw an interview of her on the Deep End. There are so many golden nuggets both in the interview and this book! Super quick and easy read that was very impactful. The idea of positive strongholds is 🤯
This book is such a refreshing fusion of Kingdom truth and emotional intelligence — a true bridge between faith and neuroscience. As someone who teaches that transformation begins in both body and belief, Victorious Emotions spoke straight to my spirit.
Wendy Backlund beautifully unveils how our emotions are not enemies to suppress but messengers inviting us into alignment with Heaven’s perspective. I found myself underlining entire pages — especially her practical framework for renewing the mind through emotional awareness and gratitude. It’s not just theology; it’s transformation in motion.
What I love most is how it gently dismantles old thought patterns while teaching you to steward your emotional world with grace and victory. Every page reaffirms that we are not victims of our feelings but victors through divine truth.
If you’re on a healing journey that blends faith, mindset, and nervous system renewal, this book will meet you exactly where you are — and lift you higher.
It took me a long time to finish this book. I struggled with some of the ways Wendy Backlund phrases things, and I wish there was more reference to Scripture throughout (and I would have loved a refence list, at the back, of Scripture passages filled with some of the promises/truth one can bring against the lies of the enemy). But I still think it was worth reading, and I ended up getting through it by heavily annotating my copy - talking back to the text, asking questions, looking up Scripture, etc. Which was, I think, a rich and rewarding experience.
I finally finished it on retreat at Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat center in the summer of 2023.
I am going to read it again and again. I am a mental health therapist who is a certified brain health coach. This couples so beautifully with what I have already learned but makes it even more powerful because it's from a Christian perspective.
I would highly recommend this for people who are feeling down, anxious, hopeless, fearful, uninspired, doubtful, negative, chronic health/pain issues, stuck, etc.
I would also recommend for people who are doing well, but want to sharpen their minds in the spirit realm and create even more healthy neuroplastic pathways by the power of the Holy Spirit, so you can better walk out your identity/destiny that Christ has given you.
Backlund overcame depression, joylessness, fibromyalgia, weight issues, and more by following the leading of the Holy Spirit through the rewiring of her brain, which in turn healed her whole self (Soul, Body, Spirit). She's also made some progress in pain reduction from arthritis.
Simple but powerful read, meant to be read slowly and chewed on thoughtfully and practiced rigorously.
Backlund has a ministry called Ignighting Hope where they have a very cool Beliefs Training program, with specific homework, tons of free resources and the ability to hire a Belief's Coach for a reasonable price. Most people only need 3 sessions.
She has an excellent meditation on YouTube called Encounter. And she and her husband Steve have been on numerous podcasts. There are some incredible teachings out there.
I have been applying her teachings and also integrating them with a program called Dynamic Neural Retraining System (DNRS). I practice these applications about an hour a day and have been doing it for 65 days.
The rewiring process takes time. But I have had significant positive changes emotionally and believe I will physically feeling better soon in Jesus' Name! And I have had some small wins on the physical health part too. More is coming, glory to God!
*****QUICK FACTS 4 NERDZ***** title: Victorious Emotions: Creating a Framework for a Happier You author(s): Backlund, Wendy pages: 140 chapters: 19 media type: Paperback edition: 1st ISBN: 978-0-9863094-7-2 LC class N/A publication date: Thursday, April 27, 2017 publisher: Steve Backlund started reading: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 finished reading: Tuesday, October 7, 2025
*****REVIEW***** Surprise gift from a friend.
Little did I know when I got it how much it would help me. It taught me some things that I never even considered about emotions, and how to better manage them. For example, the more you dwell on a negative thought, the easier it will be to associate that negative thought with your reality - just like the longer you walk along the same grassy path, the more you will wear a trail into the ground, if that makes sense. I had no idea how many negative neural pathways I’d formed over the years, so it was very enlightening for me.
It’s a short book with short chapters, so it’s easy to read two or three or more chapters per day… However many chapters you want. At the end of each chapter, there are reflection questions, and I really enjoyed participating in them, so I think they’re worthwhile. And I will definitely be doing all the exercises in the last chapter of the book.
I love the Backlunds. Their view on positive thoughts and declarations definitely shaped how I viewed the power of our words/tongue. When I graduated, I knew I needed to grab one of their books to take with me and Wendy’s book had just come out. This book was so timely for me. I love her practical applications, how short the chapters are, and the different ways I was challenged in my own thinking throughout the book. I will definitely be returning to this book again and again for reference and refreshment.
Short, digestible chapters, but that pack a punch. Wendy writes in an easy to understand, relate to and powerfully prophetic way that gives you lots to chew on. It’s all about mindset and our belief system, this governs our emotions. It’s about interrupting our thought pattern with biblical truths and practicing positive pathways until they become a habit.
In order to get the most out of this book, you do have to put a lot in - you are retraining your brain after all! But I just read this for the content.
As a person, we are mind,body,spirit, give this book to your relationship with the Holy Spirit.
This book takes you on a Journey with the author,Wendy Backlund and raised your connection to the Holy Spirit and the Mada of God and Jesus. It leaves you verified and walking your life path in Joy and peace and effective to help others.
Going into this book I was a little skeptical. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book with such an intimate focus on the supernatural aspects of Christ. I was a bit uneasy thinking about it. But I am SO glad that I read this book. I will be rereading it again later this year.