Let Go of Anger and Stress!: Be Transformed by the Fruits of the Spirit

by Gary Zimak

How do you let the Spirit work in you to bear good fruit when you’re dealing with the never-ending drama of social media, a frustrating coworker, or the aggravating next-door neighbor? How do you stop letting stress and anger take control of your life? Using the nine fruits of the Spirit as a guide, bestselling author Gary Zimak will help you free yourself from anger and stress to find peace and to live the life God has planned for you. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” Galatians 5:22–23. In Let Go of Anger and Stress! , Catholic author and self-proclaimed expert worrier Gary Zimak reminds us that the Holy Spirit is gifted to us by God in Baptism and strengthened in Confirmation. Because of that precious gift, we have everything we need to produce Christ-like fruit in our lives. And it’s by those fruits that we will be judged at the end of our lives. “No good fruit = no heaven,” Zimak writes. Zimak shares his own story of overcoming destructive habits that caused anger, drama, and stress by allowing the Holy Spirit to work in his life. Throughout this practical and engaging book, you will discover

160 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2020

About the author

Host of Following The Truth on BlogTalkRadio (M-F at 8PM Eastern)

Author of A Worrier’s Guide To The Bible and Listen To Your Blessed Mother(coming in August 2013)

Regular Guest on Catholic Answers Live, EWTN Radio’s Son Rise Morning Show, Catholic Connection with Teresa Tomeo and Relevant Radio’s Morning Air

Catholic Lay Evangelist and Motivational Speaker

Blogger and Regular Contributor to Catholic Stand, Catholic Exchange & New Advent Websites

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Reading this book was like sitting down with a big cup of coffee and talking to the author! I highly recommend it.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

First before the review: I know several conservative/fundamentalist Christians that would never pick up a book written by a Catholic. Let me begin by stating that Zimak is a charismatic Catholic, which balances the line between Protestant and Catholic.

Zimac gives a rundown of his relationship to anger and stress and then sets forth a template to deal with it according to the fruits of the Spirit, but not before first looking at how to begin the welcoming process of the Holy Spirit into our lives. Each chapter following a fruit of the Spirit: Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23). After each chapter are reminder questions, responses, and prayer.

Gary is able to address with each Fruit the fine line between the chicken and the egg or as I would put it Grace and responsibility. Each of the fruits has some aspect in which we are responsible for our end to uphold and strive toward in our journey with God as well as an aspect in which only God can provide.

For the most part, the book deserves a four out of five-star rating; however, Gary addresses primarily the stressors of life and how bearing each fruit can prevent or even decay the imposed stressors of life. Where I decrease the rating is in the realm of anger. The book’s title is slightly misleading in that anger is not primarily addressed. Stress is a byproduct of what is addressed by living out the Fruits of the Spirit and in that realm, Gary Zinac does a marvelous job.

Recommended for Christians; people dealing with stress;

**This was a review copy given by NetGalley for the express purpose of an honest review.**

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gary Zimak was always a practising Catholic but he remained a nominal Catholic for a long time. After he had a long ordeal with his addiction to alcohol, shopping and self-indulgence, however, and the possibility of cancer, he found the Charismatic movement, and he was baptised in the Holy Spirit. This brought him peace, and he found the blessing of a personal relationship with God.

I am not all that keen on joining a Charismatic movement, but this book is useful for any Christian finding it difficult to cope with anger, stress and anxiety. Zimak describes each fruit of the Holy Spirit and provides useful suggestions on how to increase them. For example, one of them is goodness. He tells his readers to 'practice goodness' by 'posting only positive comments on social media', 'avoiding gossip' and various other ways. He also provides useful summaries at the end of each chapter.

I found this book very useful, and I will look at it often.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Jaime K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected information on how the fruits of the Holy Spirit can help focus us on inner peace, and it's not that Zimak doesn't deliver, but I feel like so much of it is comprised of things I've heard before that it falls flat to me.

The things that jumped at at me were that we need to:

- see the different ways of how God constantly works in our lives.
- ask the Holy Spirit to come, and then recognize how He moves in our life, even if our prayers and desires don't seem to be answered.
- try to see why people are in our lives, and pray for annoyances (people or things).
- recognize that joy does not equal happiness, but it's a gift of gratitude, hope, and the internal working of the Holy Spirit.
- do more to put kindness into practice, including by being gentle and reverent in our interactions.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explores each of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit (found in Galatians 5:22-23) and demonstrates how living out the Fruits of the Spirit in mind can change our lives.
Anger and stress are the opposite of the Fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control), and Gary discusses how yielding control of our lives to the Holy Spirit will give us the grace to resist the temptation to give in to stress and anger.
(Review copy provided by publisher)
Read my full review.

[Tara L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Yet again, Gary Zimak provides practical, useful, necessary information in a relatable way. This book is a quick read and is a perfect tool for Catholics who want help finding peace. Highly recommend this and any of his books.

[Joseph Badowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

Great book . it was easy to read and extremely inspirational. I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for spiritual guidance in their life!

[Jill M. Kruta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the writings of Gary Zimek. Wonderful book. Relatable!